Understanding the Influence a Stealth Intervention had on Participant Relationships with Food and Religion

This study explores the influence that a stealth nutrition intervention had on participants’ relationships between food and religion. A stealth intervention promotes behavior change without an explicit emphasis on health-related outcomes.  The intervention was delivered through a 15-week, discussion-based course (n=29) that used contemporary readings and documentaries to explore macro-scale influences on food production, quality, and food choices.  Participants learned about the impact that industrialized food production has on human rights, animal rights, the environment, and the role of religion in food choices. The goal of this study was to understand the impact the intervention had on participant relationships with the practice of prayer and food.  Participants (n=16) completed 60-minute, semi-structured interviews that explored the role religion, ethics, and their beliefs play in their food choices, the influence the intervention had on their food choices, and the impact the intervention had on their mechanism of prayer in relation to food. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and data were analyzed using constant comparative analysis.  Themes that emerged include: 1) choosing food raised in humane and sustainable ways, 2) reconnecting participants with their childhood religious practices, 3) promoting discussion about food production, 4) and making prayer a more meaningful experience.  Multiple participants explicitly stated that prayer shifted from a “mechanical” habit to a reflective experience when they considered the process of getting food from seed to table.  The findings suggest that teaching students about industrialized food production can improve food quality choices and deepen the spiritual connection with food.