"No surprise there, except now, there are 10 to 12 million displaced people and refugees who have fled from Syria and Iraq. Already stretched thin, the World Food Program says that if pledges from the international community don’t come in, some of these refugees will be facing winter on 825 calories per day.
"To put that into perspective, a typical peanut butter and jelly sandwich on white bread (an American-specific phenomenon) has roughly 376 calories, 13 grams of protein, and 3.5 grams of dietary fiber. It’ll work for a little while, but nutritionally, it’s close to a starvation diet. The average middle-aged adult aged 31-50 years old needs between 1,800 to 2,200 calories to stay healthy (according to WebMd.com).
"Or, take a look at a typical World Food Program ration that’s roughly 850 calories:
- 3/4 cup of grain, sorghum, or millet (whatever is locally available)
- Two tablespoons of mature seed lentils
- Just under two tablespoons of cooking oil
- One teaspoon sugar
- One teaspoon salt