Socio-Cultural Conditions of Nutrition Styles in the Context of Visual Analyses

The aim of this article was to discuss selected social photo-documentaries depicting culturally motivated eating patterns. The analysis of socio-cultural conditionings of nutrition styles was based on two photographic projects revealing the richness and diversity of national and ethnic cultures, as well as social groups, e.g. professional and family groups. These are Peter Menzel’s photohrraph collections: What I Eat. Around the World in 80 Diets and Hungry Planet: What the World Eats. In the analysis of photo-documents presenting nutrition styles of people in diff erent cultures we discussed, among others, the components of their everyday diet, their connections with the area and cultural traditions, the relationship of nutrition styles with gender, age, health state, profession and social position of the persons shown in photo-documents, as well as social and cultural diff erences aff ecting the selection of food and culture of eating. The studies also focus on the role of new culinary trends requiring broadened knowledge of health, dietetics, cultural diff erences and new nutrition technologies. The analyses of selected visual materials prove the existence of two main nutrition determinants: the signifi cance of individual culinary preferences and eff ects of family or local traditions, as well as the external determinants connected with the position of the consumer in social structure, fi nancial resources and time they can devote to gain and prepare food. These two dimensions, individual and social, create a person’s cultural identity and form nutrition models.