Rastafarian diet

I-tal food is food which is approved of by the teachings of Rastafarianism .

There are different interpretations of what foods it allows. The general principle behind it is that food should be natural. Rastafarians therefore avoid food with artificial additives ( e.g. colourings , flavourings , and preservatives - even salt ), or which is chemically modified.

In common with other religions which use Old Testament teachings as a basis for their beliefs, such as Judaism and Islam , Rastafarianism prohibits the eating of pork . Most Rastafarians take this further, and consider the I-tal diet to forbid the consumption of all red meat ( i.e. the flesh of mammals ), although fish is sometimes allowed. Some Rastafarians go even further than that, and become strict vegetarians . At the other extreme, some Rastafarians do not adhere strictly to the I-tal diet at all.

The word I-tal derives from the English word vital , with the initial syllable replaced by the word I . This is done to many words in the Rastafarian vocabulary, to signify the unity of the speaker with all of nature.