Ital (Rastafari Dietary Law)

Ital, also spelled I-tal, is the food and dietary practice observed by followers of the Rastafari movement, compulsory within the Bobo Ashanti and Nyabinghi mansions though not within the Twelve Tribes of Israel. The general principle is that food should be natural and pure, taken directly from the earth, so practitioners typically avoid food that is chemically modified or contains artificial additives such as colorings, flavorings, or preservatives, and in strict interpretations also avoid food grown with pesticides or fertilizer. Interpretations vary from one practitioner to another and there are few universal rules, though some also avoid added salt, particularly iodized salt, while accepting pure sea salt or kosher salt. The practice was adopted partly from Indian indentured servants living in Jamaica, an influence promoted by Rastafari founder Leonard Howell, who was drawn to Hindu dietary practices and encouraged a plant-based diet within the early community of the movement at Pinnacle.