ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author examines the cultural norms for food consumption during pregnancy, which was rooted in the indigenous medical systems. She investigates whether the reported pattern of diminished food consumption during pregnancy held for Chanda Nagar women. The author emphasizes how women's food consumption is a negotiation of biological and cultural needs and has biological and cultural consequences. When exploring patterns of food cravings and aversions, she explores the interrelatedness of cultural practices with biological aspects that might reflect evolutionary history. The author turns to women's conceptions of the quantities of food that was appropriate for pregnant women to consume. She founds that although all meat is considered to be hot, half of the women labeled fish as very hot, hotter than the other meats. The author explores how economic constraints affected pregnant women's adherence to dietary proscriptions and whether they were able to fulfill their cravings for specific food items.
