Post

Posted by Stephanie Meyer on Nov 2, 2006 at 2:07pm

Consider this (that’s my “considering” pose, ha) – in 1929, Gandhi described his daily diet in a letter to Young India:

8 tolas of germinating wheat (about 4 oz. or 1/2 c.)
8 tolas of green leaves pounded
8 tolas of sweet almonds reduced to a paste
6 sour lemons
2 ounces of honey

I totalled the calories on fitday.com, because at first glance I thought, there’s no way he could have survived on that, but obviously he could, and did (!), on an average of a surprisingly high (given how it looks on paper) 1,143 calories/day. When you analyze the macro- and micronutrients, it’s pretty darn balanced as well. Fascinating. And when you think about it a little more broadly, he was covering the foods that we know today offer the most nutritious bang for the buck – whole grains, dark, leafy greans, fruits, and nuts. It seems implausible at first glance, but when you break it down…hey, I could (and do, lately) survive quite nicely on around 1,200 cals/day (and I’ll bet Ghandi wasn’t 5’11”)! Makes a double-cheeseburger look kinda over-the-top, huh? Or maybe it makes it looks incredible, suppose it depends upon your perspective!

I’ve always enjoyed raw almonds, but have lately become a big fan of raw cashews, I think they blow away the roasted, salted version. They’re really sweet, and crunchy but not hard. Find ’em in the bulk bins at the store and see what you think. (Raw pecans, pepitas, and walnuts are delicious too…)

Print Friendly and PDF

Older Comments

  1. By Stephanie on November 6, 2006 at 11:45AM

    Thanks for reading! And thanks for your thoughts on adapting my recipes and fitting them into your eating plan. Love knowing that, it's very cool. And the quinoa with almond milk, Indian spices, and dates sounds incredible, I'll give that a try.

    Happy Healthy Eating to you as well!

  2. By Anonymous on November 3, 2006 at 10:44AM

    I have been reading your posts for quite some time now and enjoy your entusiasm for life. I like your recipes but I have to change them a little to conform. I don't eat dairy and I changed my eating to proper food combining. Reading your posts lately, you may be interested in how the body actually breaks down or does not break down the foods we combine. I started reading Fit for Life books. Sorry can not remember the author, but there are quite of few versions. From there, I read the books they referenced. One was very small but verrrrry BIG in medical terminology. I ended up picking up Marilu Henners book 10 Makeover Tips or something like that at a used book store. Wow, she made it so easy to understand and gave loads of extra information like body brushing. There are easy to use charts and some recipes in the back. Well anyway, at 43 I was watching my arms become my mother's arms. Now, at 46, I have the body I had when I was a teenager and I eat a lots of food.

    I have found some great substitutes like using millit in spanish rice recipe, it has the texture of the restaraunts and the health of grain. Or use quinoa for something sweet. I make almond milk to put on it with indian spices and some mejool dates. mmmm Happy Healthy Eating.