Greek Culture Project: Health Beliefs and Practices

1 Greek Culture Project Introduction The Greek culture is rich and vibrant, and the Greek people have a unique identity. They are united by their traditions, religion, language, music, and food. All of these form the backdrop of Modern Greek culture and Greece's cultural identity. The paper considers some of the health beliefs and practices, social behaviors, and the food choices and eating practices among the Greeks.

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2 Health Beliefs and Practices To a great extent, the Greeks believe that health depends on their brains and mental attitudes. The Greeks express their belief that the brain control behaviors and attitudes. This points towards the belief that the brain controls our behaviors and attitudes. There is a relationship between positive thinking and its association with health. This has also led to the belief that if one does not think about illness, the chances are high that they will stay healthy longer. A positive attitude is also a predisposition that contributes to health. There is also an aspect of keeping healthy by eating a healthy diet, working, walking, and visiting friends. The Greeks believe that some of the traditional foods are healthy. Health among the Greeks is also associated with age. The Greeks believe that one is supposed to be more productive during the younger age than old age.

The Greeks also believe that stress is one of the major causes of ill health. Extreme happiness can sometimes be regarded as a cause of stress and also shock. Some informants admitted that some of their relatives developed diabetes after the shock and happiness of seeing their lost child after many years. There is also a link between ill-health and poverty, and therefore people are encouraged to shun poverty by working hard to secure good health together with their families. There is also a strong inclination towards traditional health. Herbal teas such as chamomile and mint made from stems of cherries have widely been used to cure stomach pains. Some people believe that traditional medicine is more effective than modern medicine (Tsekoura et al., 2020).

Social Behaviors The city-state has been the central part of Greek life. It was here that all the institutions of learning, religion, and government were housed. In places like Sparta, the society was set up in a

3 more different way as there was more focus on war and soldiers. In Athens and Sparta, men were more engaged in public life, and they spend a lot of time participating in the government, working, and learning new things. The women were expected to stay at home and carry out the household tasks. The Greek people are more focused on managing their homes, even though they may engage house helps to do most of the upkeep in their homes, just the same way the slaves used to do most of the work. Women were also engaged in activities like sewing clothing for their families or selling. Life in ancient Greek was different for men and women. While men were expected to participate in their city's public life, women were expected to lead a private life as wives and mothers. Their lives were centered around homes. Life in Sparta was a bit different from the other city-states. Here, women were leading more active lives because this was going to improve their physical strength and their ability to have healthy babies (Herzfeld, 2020). The people have also been embracing democracy in the manner in which they do things. The people always bear the right to vote for the kind of person they want to have in leadership.

Food Choices and Eating Practices As opposed to what many modern nutritionists believe about the benefits of a heavy breakfast, the Greeks used to start their days with a frugal meal, a little barley bread that had been dipped in wine. Sometimes, they used to add figs and olives. Their breakfast was often limited to a boiled barley drink that was flavored with peppermint or thyme, which they believed had healing properties. The doctors currently advise that the meals be light and that they should always be consumed before 20.00 (Tsekoura et al., 2020). Dinner times also happened to be different from what the Greeks practice today. Dinner was the main meal of the day, and they had this strictly after the sunset. The meal was very rich and accompanied by desserts, dried or fresh fruits, grapes, walnuts, or honey. They ate fish, snacks, or legumes such as cheese, eggs,

4 bread, fruits, and nuts at noon. The type of food that was never missing from the table was meat.

Eating meat was never considered harmful to the body at all. Today, there is a more vegetarian trend than ever before. Different types of foods were also associated with different socioeconomic classes of people. For instance, shellfish and sea fish were mostly affordable to the wealthier groups. Given the cooking methods used, most foods were baked or spit-roasted, or boiled with various spices and vegetables (Pomeroy et al. 2020). Dinner was also used to socialize, and the time for dinner was closely linked to social manners and activities.

Conclusion The Greeks believe that there is a relationship between positive thinking and good health.

Factors such as stress also contribute to ill health. Moreso, the Greeks believe that there are some healing powers in traditional medicine. The Greeks also have some traditional meals that they hold dear, e.g., their breakfast was often limited to a boiled barley drink that was flavored with peppermint or thyme. However, the trends are changing as the doctors emphasize more on vegetables. Their social lives were also versatile, i.e., distinct roles for men and women. There were also social classes with many institutions of learning, religion, and government.

5 References Herzfeld, M. (2020). Ours once more: Folklore, ideology, and the making of modern Greece.

Berghahn Books.

Pomeroy, S.B., Burstein, S.M., Donlan, W., Roberts, J.T., Tandy, D.W., & Tsouvala, G. (2020).

A brief history of ancient Greece: Politics, society, and culture. Oxford University Press.

Tsekoura, M., Billis, E., Gliatis, J., Tsepis, E., Matzaroglou, C., Sakkas, G. K., ... & Panagiotopoulos, E. (2020). Cross-cultural adaptation of the Greek sarcopenia quality of life (SarQoL) questionnaire. Disability and Rehabilitation, 42(7), 1006-1012.