http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,2037749_2219823,00.html

How do you see it? I saw the first picture, then a big pop up came wanting

me to subscribe to time magazine. I didn't see anywhere I could click it off

but I couldn't get to the next picture. That thing covered everything!

I really wanted to see that. It looked very interesting Mini!

How in the heck do they consume thousands of calories in a day and stay normal weight???

How do you see it? I saw the first picture, then a big pop up came wanting

me to subscribe to time magazine. I didn't see anywhere I could click it off

but I couldn't get to the next picture. That thing covered everything!

I really wanted to see that. It looked very interesting Mini!

There is a small x in the upper right corner of the pop-up.

So interesting.

I've seen it before, I find it fascinating on so many levels. For example, the African woman's diet:

FIRST MEAL OF THE DAY: Cornmeal porridge, 1.7 lb. with sour whole milk, 11.3 fl. oz.

•

SECOND MEAL: Cornmeal porridge, 1.8 lb. with sour whole milk, 11.3 fl. oz.

•

THROUGHOUT THE DAY: Sour whole milk, 26.3 fl. oz. Bird plums (not pictured as she ate what she had picked before the photo was taken), 3.5 oz. Water from nearby river, 12 fl. oz.

Shows you how so many people, especially in the developing world, subsist on an entirely vegetarian diet....but also makes you wonder about her nutritional status. Yeah, she ate a lot of food and a reasonable amount of calories, probably a good amount of Fiber and Protein, but you bet her Vitamin and mineral intake is significantly less than that of most people in North America. Yet presumably, she's doing ok - she looks to be a normal weight and her muscle mass seems to be fine.

The obese American man's diet is probably a good representation of the average North American diet - yeah, he's eating a fair amount of processed food, but there is a decent amount of fruits and vegetables in his meals; there are quite a few animal products, too. It's amazing that he doesn't eat much more than the African woman, as far as calories are concerned, although the article mentions that on other days, he may eat a lot more.

The Chinese teenager - she eats quite little considering she must be very physically active! Note that she doesn't seem to eat dinner at all. She also doesn't consume very much protein, yet she's obviously in amazing physical shape.

The young American woman from Mall of America - it's amazing how unhealthy her diet is! Just shows you how having easy access to cheap, low-quality food can egg you on to make unhealthy choices. All of these chains offer much healthier choices (e.g. grilled chicken sandwiches, juice), yet she selects the deep-fried, sugar-laden items. I can't help but wonder if a decade from now, she'll be 50+ lbs overweight.

Then compare her to the next man - his activity level is obviously limited because of his disability, but he's able to maintain a healthy weight by making nutritious choices most of the time.

The model....she eats very healthy, I think it's about as healthy as most of us can get without getting into orthorexia territory! But notice that she eats more than all of the preceding subjects, as far as the calories are concerned.

The woman from Yemen. It's interesting to compare her to the Chinese acrobat, because they are both female and very petite, yet the Chinese girl eats way less and is most likely more physically active (although you bet that the homemaker in Yemen also probably does a fair amount of physical labor and walking throughout her day). The Yemeni woman eats 1000 calories a day more and maintains the same BMI range! It's also amazing how varied her diet is, especially when you think back to the African woman.

Camel meat - I've got to try this!

The farmer from Ecuador - just shows you how much energy you need to sustain a lot of physical labor. Makes me think back to the very rich and fattening meals my grandmother always cooks and offers when I come to visit her in the countryside. They still eat as if they have to spend ten hours a day tending to the fields and the animals.....except for hardly anyone does as much physical labor anymore! Not surprisingly, my grandmother is quite overweight.

The US soldier - note how many calories he consumes, yet he's in great shape, presumably thanks to a combination of a fast metabolism and the physical demands of his work. But you wonder if he's going to proceed to eat just as much once he's done with his physically challenging training/work and balloon like so many former pro or even high school/college athletes do.

You'd have to pay me to eat a lot of the stuff the Japanese man eats.....natto and umeboshi are two of the VERY few foods I detest with a passion.

The Iranian man's diet highlighted another pattern you see in a lot of foreign diets - a lot of people like to start their day with some vegetables. This is rather rare here - the only vegetables most North Americans eat for bfast are potatoes and then sometimes some veggies in an omelet.

And I want that giant plump fish so bad!