Lilia Beta

I'd like to share a picture I saw on Pixdaus a while ago, which I thought was really fascinating. Basically, it shows how much families around the world eat and spend on food every week (click to enlarge).

From Lilia Beta

If I were back in high school and told to "analyze the exhibit", I could go on and on about pre-packaging, food groups, family size, cultural/geographic significance, etc. Instead, I did my own experiment.

I took photos of what I ate for 4 weeks. This was before I left California, so what I eat is a bit different now. Each week's groceries usually run from $20-40. However, I ended up not eating everything in the photo in that week, due to laziness or overestimation of my appetite.

Week 1
Breakfast: Soymilk, quail eggs, cresents (to bake)
Lunch: Salad (not pictured), corn, garbanzo beans, soybeans
Dinner: Pork/ napa/ tofu soup,
Other: Roasted seaweed, coconut ice cream, tomato juice, fruit, tofu dessert


Week 2
Breakfast: Soymilk, eggs, yogurt, bread
Lunch: Salad, chicken wings, beans (did not eat), corn, soybeans
Dinner: Napa/ game hen/ mushroom soup
Other: Fruit


Week 3
Breakfast: Soymilk, custard buns
Lunch: Salad, yam
Dinner: Broccoli, mussels, noodles
Other: Mochi, tofu dessert, fruit

Week 4
Breakfast: Soymilk, custard buns
Lunch: Salad, roasted pork loin (not pictured)
Dinner: Tacos (tomato, avocado, cheese), spinach, bok choy, zucchini
Other: Fruit


What do we see here? I am clearly getting more lazy in weeks 3-4. I don't eat a lot of carbs, because I find it makes me sleepy during the day, and I don't eat a lot of meat since it is somewhat more difficult to prepare. Also, due to my new paranoia that my food is covered with pesticides, I am now addicted to buying pre-packaged organic salads (which sell for $8/lb since those small bags are only 4 oz!)

I think overall, my week's rations seems fairly healthy. I think taking the picture is helpful in getting an "overall picture" of your own diet, for both health or budget reasons :)

Lilia