[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-seo-238831-105":3,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":81,"doc-detail-238831-en":131},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"ok",{"site_id":7,"language":8,"slug":9,"title":10,"keywords":11,"description":12,"schema_data":13,"social_meta":74,"head_meta":76,"extra_data":78,"updated_unix":80},105,"en","exploring-the-relationship-between-food-and-spirituality-a-literature-review","Exploring the relationship between food and spirituality - A literature review","","Spirituality is treated as a highly subjective and contested research domain that often struggles to translate into clear academic outcomes. Like food, it is embedded in everyday lived practice rather than only in abstract theories. This review synthesizes current literature on spiritual aspects of food consumption, identifying recurring themes and proposing a usable definition to support future research across academic and practitioner perspectives.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/","Research & Report",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/exploring-the-relationship-between-food-and-spirituality-a-literature-review/238831/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/exploring-the-relationship-between-food-and-spirituality-a-literature-review/238831.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"McGucket","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-11-07","2026-09-11",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":55},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",13,{"@type":57,"mainEntity":58},"FAQPage",[59,65,69],{"name":60,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":62},"Why is spirituality difficult to define in academic research?","Question",{"text":63,"@type":64},"Spirituality definitions vary because research relies on author-specific terms, leading to miscommunication and bias. The subject also faces rhetorical and linguistic limitations, leaving no clear universal consensus.","Answer",{"name":66,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":67},"What is the review’s main purpose?",{"text":68,"@type":64},"To synthesize existing literature on spiritual aspects of food consumption, identify recurring themes, and establish a definition intended to guide future research.",{"name":70,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":71},"How does the paper frame the relationship between food and spirituality?",{"text":72,"@type":64},"Food is described as a universal, multidimensional part of human life with psychological and physical dimensions. Spirituality is presented as embedded in practical life, making the intersection a fertile area for new knowledge.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":75,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":77,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":79,"site_id":7},238831,1789139887,{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":83},"success",[84,88,92,96,101,106,111,115,120,123,127],{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":85,"show_sort_weight":86,"slug":87},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":26,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":89,"show_sort_weight":90,"slug":91},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":33,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":93,"show_sort_weight":94,"slug":95},"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":97,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":98,"show_sort_weight":99,"slug":100},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":102,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":103,"show_sort_weight":104,"slug":105},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":107,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":108,"show_sort_weight":109,"slug":110},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":112,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":113,"slug":114},8,30,"research-report",{"id":116,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":117,"show_sort_weight":118,"slug":119},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":118,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":121,"show_sort_weight":118,"slug":122},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":124,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":125,"show_sort_weight":124,"slug":126},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":128,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":129,"show_sort_weight":97,"slug":130},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":132},{"doc_id":79,"user_id":133,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":134,"doc_module":4,"category_id":112,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":135,"file_id":136,"file_url":137,"file_type":138,"file_size":139,"view_count":55,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":140,"language":141,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":142,"faqs":143,"seo_title":144,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":80,"read_time":145,"preview_page_count":4},1236954412713,"https://us-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_29158cc5080c5b710cf443261637dec0","International Journal of Hospitality Management 87 (2020) 102494  \nContents lists available at ScienceDirect  \nInternational Journal of Hospitality Management  \njournal [homepage:](homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ijhm)[ www.elsevier.com/locate/ijhm](homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ijhm)  \nExploring the relationship between food and spirituality: A literature review Eleni Michopoulou*, Pijus Jauniškis  \nUniversity of Derby, Centre for Contemporary Hospitality and Tourism, United Kingdom  \n| A R T I C L E I N F O |  | A B S T R A C T |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Keywords:\u003Cbr>Food consumption Spirituality\u003Cbr>Identity\u003Cbr>Cultural food practices Wellbeing Commensality |  | Spirituality is emerging as a novel research area throughout different subjects but being a highly subjective and controversial topic, it very often fails to deliver academically (McSherry and Cash, 2004). Spirituality, in the same way as food, is not merely about theories or concepts but is deeply embedded in the practical elements of life (Salonen, 2018). From that perspective, the conjoint area of research between food and spirituality is auspicious fertile land for new knowledge both for academics and practitioners. The general aim of this review is to synthesize current available literature on spiritual aspects of food consumption in attempt to find reoccurring themes and ultimately establish a useful definition for future research. |\n\n1. Introduction  \n1.1. Introduction to spirituality  \nThe definition of spirituality does not appear to be a simple matter since much of the research is conducted based on terms and definitions defined by the authors themselves which can potentially cause academic miscommunication and bias (Gall et al., 2011; MacDonald, 2011a,b). In terms of spiritual existence, the consensus about the definition is severely inadequate due to rhetorical limitations of language and its structures (MacDonald, 2011a,b; McSherry and Cash, 2004). Further, when analysing some taxonomies of spirituality from a philosophical perspective, there do not seem to be any universal principles underlining personal/individual understanding of the term (McSherry and Cash, 2004).  \nHistorically, spirituality has been a sub-context of religion (Steinhauser et al., 2017). However, recently the two domains have been separated (Jupp and Flanagan, pp. 24) and their historical link seemingly removed (Chirico, 2016). In these different approaches, spirituality is usually termed both religious and non-religious depending on an individual’s personal beliefs (Gall et al., 2011; Sheldrake, pp. 1; 13–17). Spirituality is highly subjective and extremely diverse because it deals with the fundamental essence that is human belief. Belief systems, religious dogmas and esoteric forms of spirituality are spread out and recorded across different cultures and civilizations indifferent timeframes establishing itself as a universal topic.  \nThroughout history, spirituality has been independently sought out by countless different cultures but has only recently emerged as a global  \nresearch phenomenon in an intercultural context (Maryam, 2018). More people progressively believe that spirituality plays a role in their lives and growth of spiritual awareness can be noticed in academic disciplines (Jupp and Flanagan, pp. 23). Recent studies on spirituality suggest a great deal of benefits in a wide array of subjects, including health assistance and nursing (Kavosi et al., 2018; Kaddourah et al., 2018; Lorenzo, 2018), psychological treatment of various ailments (Jyothi and Sumesh, 2018a,b; Oxhandler et al., 2018), impacts on work environments (Walia and Nishtha, 2018; Nair and Sivakumar, 2018) and many other areas that are primarily concerned with overall individual wellbeing (Czekóová et al., 2018).  \nThe problems of defining spirituality appear to be persistent across disciplines, cultures and individuals. The lack of a universal definition (McSherry and Cash, 2004) and the ambiguity of t","cbCaig0CovAkCxJV","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaig0CovAkCxJV","pdf",797709,23,"English","# Introduction\n## Introduction to spirituality\n## Introduction to food and spirituality","[{\"question\":\"Why is spirituality difficult to define in academic research?\",\"answer\":\"Spirituality definitions vary because research relies on author-specific terms, leading to miscommunication and bias. The subject also faces rhetorical and linguistic limitations, leaving no clear universal consensus.\"},{\"question\":\"What is the review’s main purpose?\",\"answer\":\"To synthesize existing literature on spiritual aspects of food consumption, identify recurring themes, and establish a definition intended to guide future research.\"},{\"question\":\"How does the paper frame the relationship between food and spirituality?\",\"answer\":\"Food is described as a universal, multidimensional part of human life with psychological and physical dimensions. Spirituality is presented as embedded in practical life, making the intersection a fertile area for new knowledge.\"}]","Exploring the relationship between food and spirituality - A literature review | PDF",58]