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...)
