January 18, 2000

Food and Nutrition


Food and Nutrition

Russian cuisine is wonderful; of that there is no doubt. But, how healthy is a steady diet of it? Bread, soups, pickled fish and other daily mainstays of the Russian table can make for a hearty diet. To fully understand what we consider balanced nutrition, refer to the Food Guide Pyramid. Basically, this guide states that we should consume 6 - 11 servings of starch, 3 - 5 servings of vegetables, 2 - 4 servings of fruit, 2 - 3 servings of dairy, 2 - 3 servings of meat (protein) and a trace amount of fats and sugar per day.

Let's take a look at just one possible, basic Russian daily menu and see how it adds up:

Meal Menu Exchanges
Breakfast: black bread, eggs, cheese, sausage,
butter, tea
starch: 3
vegetable: 0
fruit: 0
protein: 2.3
dairy: 2
fat/sugar: 22

Child's Breakfast hot oatmeal (plain)
(high in Iron, B and A vitamins, etc.)
starch: 1.6
vegetable: 0
fruit: 0
protein: 0
dairy: 0
fat/sugar: .5

Dinner: pickled fish, vegetables, bread, soup, meat or fish, potato and dessert (stewed fruit) starch: 3
vegetable: 2
fruit: 1
protein: 4.3
dairy: 0
fat/sugar: 6

Supper: same as dinner, but without the soup or dessert starch: 3
vegetable: 1
fruit: 0
protein: 2
dairy: 0
fat/sugar: 1.5

Grand Totals:
Keep in mind these are rough estimates
starch: 9 (6-11 suggested)
vegetable: 3 (3-5 suggested)
fruit: 1 (2-4 suggested)
protein: 8.5 (2-3 suggested)
dairy: 2 (2-3 suggested)
fat/sugar: 34.5 (trace suggested)
 

At a glance, it would appear that the average Russian diet is not anymore unbalanced than that enjoyed by Americans. It needs more fruit, could do with more vegetable and would benefit from a reduced fat intake. Sound familiar?

Unlike Americans, the heaviest meals of the Russian day are breakfast and dinner. The evening meal, supper, is light. This is a much healthier habit than eating little, if any, breakfast and a large evening meal. Much of the fish and vegetables are pickled or marinated. Vinegar is very high in potassium and, also, contains calcium and iron.

Below are some common food items and their nutritional breakouts.

Black Bread - Nutrition Per Serving
(16 servings per loaf)
Total Calories: 155
% from fat: 14 % from carbs: 77 % from protien: 9
Total Fat: 2 grams; 4%
( percentages are of daily allowances based on a 2,000 calorie per day diet)
Saturated fat; 1 gr.; 6%
monounsaturated fat: 1 gr; 6%
polyunsaturated fat: trace; 1%
Cholesterol: 4 mg; 1% Potassium: 162mg; 5% Sodium: 151mg; 6%
Total Carbohydrates: 30 gr; 10%
Dietary Fiber: 2 gr; 7%
Protien: 4 gr; 7% Iron: 1 mg; 8% Calcium: 18 mg; 2%
Zinc: 1mg; 3% Vit. A: 57 IU; 1% Thiamin: .2 mg; 13%
Riboflavin: .1 mg; 7% Folacin: 39 mcg; 10% Niacin: 1 mg; 7%
Food Exchanges: 1.5 Starch; .5 Fat

Black Bread Recipe and Instructions

More . . .

Bliny - Nutrition Per Serving (roughly 20)
Total Calories: 174
% from fat: 15 % from carbs: 71 % from protien: 14
Total Fat: 3 grams; 4%
( percentages are of daily allowances based on a 2,000 calorie per day diet)
Saturated fat; 1 gr.; 7%
monounsaturated fat: 1 gr; 4%
polyunsaturated fat: trace; 1%
Cholesterol: 27 mg; 9% Potassium: 141mg; 4% Sodium: 143mg; 6%
Total Carbohydrates: 30 gr; 10%
Dietary Fiber: 1 gr; 4%
Protien: 6 gr; 12% Iron: 2 mg; 10% Calcium: 81 mg; 8%
Zinc: 1mg; 3% Vit. A: 105 IU; 2% Thiamin: .3 mg; 20%
Riboflavin: .3 mg; 18% Folacin: 22 mcg; 6% Niacin: 2 mg; 11%
Food Exchanges: 1.5 Starch; .5 Fat

Blini Recipe and Instructions

 

Pickled Herring - Nutrition Per Serving
(1 cup)
Total Calories: 366
% from fat: 63
Total Fat: 25 grams; 39%
( percentages are of daily allowances based on a 2,000 calorie per day diet)
Saturated fat; 3.3g; 16%
monounsaturated fat: 17g; 75%
polyunsaturated fat: 2g; 10%
Cholesterol: 18 mg; 6% Potassium: 97mg; 3% Sodium: 1218mg; 50%
Total Carbohydrates: 15.5 gr; 4.5%
Dietary Fiber: 0gr; 0%
Protien: 20 gr; 40% Iron: 1.7 mg; 9.5% Calcium: 108 mg; 11%
Zinc: .75mg; 5% Vit. A: 1250 IU; 24% Thiamin: .05 mg; 3%
Vit. C: 0mg; 0% Vit. B12: 6 mcg;100%
Riboflavin: .2mg; 11% Folacin: 3.5 mcg; .8% Niacin: 4.5 mg; 23%
Food Exchanges: 2.8 Meat; 3.5 Fat

 

Cavier - Nutrition Per Serving
(1 tablespoon)
Total Calories: 40
% from fat: 58.5
Total Fat: 3 grams; 4.5%
( percentages are of daily allowances based on a 2,000 calorie per day diet)
Saturated fat; .64g; 3.2%
monounsaturated fat: .74g; 3.3%
polyunsaturated fat: 1.2g; 5.5%
Cholesterol: 94 mg; 31% Potassium: 29mg; .8% Sodium: 240mg; 10%
Total Carbohydrates: .65 gr; .2%
Dietary Fiber: 0gr; 0%
Protien: 4 gr; 8% Iron: 2 mg; 11% Calcium: 44 mg; 4.5%
Zinc: .15mg; 1% Vit. A: 300 IU; 6% Thiamin: .03mg; 2%
Vit. C: 90re; 9% Vit. B12: 3.2 mcg; 53%
Riboflavin: .09mg; 5.3% Folacin: 8 mcg; 2%
Food Exchanges: .5 Meat; .2 Fat
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.
Jews in Service to the Tsar

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.
Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.
The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.  
Fearful Majesty

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.
A Taste of Chekhov

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.
Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Bilingual series of short, lesser known, but highly significant works that show the traditional view of Dostoyevsky as a dour, intense, philosophical writer to be unnecessarily one-sided. 
Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.
Survival Russian

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.
Woe From Wit (bilingual)

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.
A Taste of Russia

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955