Nutrition Culture in Russia as a Factor of Health:Traditions and Modernity

The article is devoted to the nutrition culture genesis in Russia and to its socio-cultural conditioning, while the authors show the Russians’ attitude change to a nutrition culture, systematize the available empirical data of the given problem and present their own author sociological studies conclusions, postulating the following thesis that food culture is one of the most important factors of the optimal health maintaining, that expressed the life expectancy (longevity), a reproductive health, and also a quality of life without an intervention any medicine.Abstract: The historically developed food culture in Russia is associated with a number of socio-cultural factors that ensure the human health, as evidenced in this article. In the structure of the theoretical and methodological systematization this work introduces the certain additions, enriching and concretizing the factor interdependence of the nutrition and health culture. The considered biosocial model presupposes the priority of social attributes with the active of person participation in social activities. A chronological description of the food culture features in Russia, focused on the justified conservatism of tastes and preferences, ethno-stereotypes associated with human adaptation in different climatic conditions and established traditions is given. The modern market relations differentiated the nutrition culture, commercialized the public life, offering a wide variety of the food market, which, in turn, led to the integration of tastes and preferences of consumers. In this regard, the following thesis is asserted: in modern Russia the nutrition culture is still at the stage of its formation, and the process of its formation depends on the socio-cultural and behavioral features of the towards health attitude. The latter fact is proved in the given author s empirical sociological studies. From the analysis of experimental data it is revealed that their formation of a food culture is formed not only from upbringing and propaganda, but also involves the stability of a whole set of motives: individual, family, group interests and needs, as well as adaptation, goal-setting, self-organization and self-regulation. Influence on them also has the social role and personality functions, statuses, prestige, which determine the general behavioral orientation of individuals. In this connection, the authors consider the culture of nutrition as a system of human life-actions, determined by the harmonious unity of physical, mental, cultural, social functions, ensuring full-fledged health.

Keywords:

nutrition culture , health , traditions of Russian cuisine , food