Around the World in 80 Diets

To gather the data for their new book, California-based husband-and-wife team Peter Mesel and Faith D'Aluisio spent a million dollars and three years. They traveled the world and studied the daily diets of 80 people from different countries and ethnicities. The result is a fascinating book that compares the differences in national diets and their calorie content. If you're wondering, for example, how your average daily diet differs from what a Massai warrior eats for lunch, you'll find the answer here.

The book is written in a lively, engaging style and features a wealth of photographs. We invite you to take a look at some of them.

1. Chicago construction worker Jeff Devine eats his daily lunch right at his workstation—that is, on the 50th floor of a building under construction. His job is physically demanding, requiring him to spend long periods outdoors. This allows him to indulge in a hearty lunch. His daily calorie intake reaches 6,600 kcal. He is 6'1" tall, weighs 235 lbs, and is 39 years old. This means he is in excellent physical condition. Devine is mindful of his health, so he avoids fast food restaurants and prefers to bring his own food, which he prepares at home.

2. This is the daily lunch of the third of the four wives of a Maasai chief, Nulkisaruni Tarakuai, who lives with her family in a Kenyan village near the town of Narok. The simple dishes are set out on the trunk of a tree felled by a wild elephant. Nulkisaruni Tarakuai is 38 years old, stands 165.1 cm tall, and weighs about 47 kg. She consumes about 800 calories per day. She lives in a hut whose walls are made of earth mixed with dung. The main occupation of most Maasai is cattle breeding. The tribe leads a semi-nomadic lifestyle, and their staple diet consists of maize porridge and milk. Some Maasai rituals include drinking cow's blood.

3. Chinese acrobat Xiao Xiali is a professional acrobat. She performs at Shanghai Circus World. Like all performers in her profession, she must maintain a petite figure. She is now 16 years old, stands 157 cm tall, and weighs 44.8 kg. She consumes 1,700 calories per day. Her daily ration is displayed on the bench. Xiao Xiali began performing in the circus when she was still a little girl. She is still continuing her training with her fellow troupe members. She must practice for at least five hours a day. Performances at the circus take place every day. Xiao Xiali says that her greatest joy is when the audience enthusiastically responds to her routines.

4. Birqash Camel Market on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt. Camel trader Saleh Abdul Fadlallah shows his lunch to a photographer. He is 40 years old, stands 172 cm tall, and weighs 74.7 kg. He consumes an average of 3,200 calories per day.

5. Singing teacher and composer Ansi Sauka rehearses with the Riga Chamber Youth Choir in Riga, Latvia. His lunch is placed on the piano lid especially for the photographer. Sauka is 36 years old, stands 182.8 cm tall, and weighs 82.8 kg. His daily caloric intake is 3,200 kcal. A pianist's work is quite demanding. A musician with Ansi Sauka's measurements burns approximately 110 kcal in one hour of piano playing.

6. The head monk of a partially restored monastery on the Tibetan Plateau in China. His daily meals are laid out on the table. Standing 165.1 cm tall and weighing 71 kg, the 45-year-old monk consumes 4,900 kcal per day.

7. Thirty-year-old Iraq War veteran Felipe Adams shows his daily diet. He currently lives with his parents in Inglewood, California. Standing 5'9" and weighing 135 pounds, he consumes 2,100 calories per day. Felipe Adams is currently wheelchair-bound. While serving in Baghdad, he was seriously wounded by a sniper's bullet, leaving him paralyzed in his legs. He still suffers from severe phantom pain, which occurs daily in his damaged nerves.

8. Book cover: What I Eat: 80 Diets from Around the World by Peter Menzel and Faith D'Aluisio.