Kids’ Diets From Around The World Reveal Huge Differences

They say that we are what we eat, but it turns out that what we eat differs greatly around the world. The same can be said for children, with photographer Gregg Segal making it his mission to show what food typically makes up a child’s diet from different cultures and nations.

Over several years, Gregg Segal traveled to nine different countries and spoke to children from all aspects of wealth to find out more about their lives. The results? Some incredible views of kids’ diets from around the world that reveal huge differences in diets.

Upper Xingu Region of Mato Grosso - Brazil: Kawasaki Yawalapiti eats mostly what she can catch

Living in a preserved area in the Amazonian Basin in Brazil was Kawasaki Yawalapiti, who was just nine years old in August 2018. She is a part of the Yawalapiti Tribe and lives in the Xingu National Park, where they are surrounded by soy plants and cattle ranches. Still, Kawasaki told Gregg Segal she mostly eats what she catches.

Being isolated from the world hasn’t held the youngster back, who explained that she spends her days playing in the river and catching fish when she’s hungry. In fact, Kawasaki confessed it takes just five minutes to catch a fish with her net. When she’s not eating seafood, Kawasaki says she also enjoys nuts, fruits, and tapioca that she’s gathered.

Chembur, Mumbai - India: Anchal Sahani’s family’s low income means food is often stretched

Living in a small shack in Chembur, Mumbai, back in March 2017 meant ten-year-old Anchal Sahani often ate meals that had to be stretched as far as possible. According to the youngster, her father made under $5 a day, with her mother quickly learning how to make roti, lentils, and curry from scratch and making it feed the entire family.

As if that wasn’t enough, Anchal admitted she would love to return to the farm she enjoyed when she was born and head to school, but she instead spends her time working on household chores and helping to raise her younger brothers. Instead of eating candy, Anchal spent her time collecting colorful candy wrappers from the side of the road.

Brasilia - Brazil: Davi Ribeiro de Jesus eats mostly rice and beans with the occasional sweet treat

Despite the fact he lived near the largest garbage dump found in Latin America and his three siblings, dad, and step-mom stayed in a one-room house, Davi Ribeiro de Jesus never went to bed hungry. In fact, the 12-year-old admitted to eating rice and beans most nights, sometimes with a little added pork, all cooked by his step-mom.

However, Davi didn’t entirely rely on his step-mom, as the youngster could also cook pasta, porridge, and fried eggs all on his own. When the family had extra money, Davi got to enjoy a handful of sweet treats, such as popcorn, with the 12-year-old admitting he wants to be a police officer when he grows up.

Vão de Almas. Goiás - Brazil: Francisco dos Santos relies on the land to eat

Three hundred families come together to make up the region of Goiás in Brazil, with Francisco dos Santos living 124 miles away from the nearest town. To make matters worse, the rocky path is almost impassable during the rainy season, meaning the 11-year-old is almost completely cut off from the world for weeks at a time.

This meant Francisco relied on his father to grow a selection of food, such as sugar cane, coffee, corn, watermelon, lemon, orange, gherkins, beans, squash, sweet potatoes, and rice - something the youngster helped out with after school. The family also used burned bushes to fertilize the plants and collected local fruits, like mangoes and coconuts, for something sweet.

Dakar - Senegal: Meissa Ndiaye likes to track his diet of French bread, porridge, and goat meat

Meissa Ndiaye was just 11 years old when she was photographed in August 2017, but the youngster still lived in an area built in the ‘70s to deal with the overflow of lower-class people from the city. Dakar is a treeless, sandy area that is home to an open-air market that sells just about anything you can imagine.

The youngster kept a strict food diary throughout the week, which mostly contained French bread filled with fried potatoes, peas, or spaghetti. If Meissa wanted something sweeter, he would usually enjoy porridge and was known to love goat meat. Most of the meals were cooked by his mom or aunt, with Meissa enjoying takeout a couple of times a week.

Altadena, California - the US: Hank Segal is used to a wide variety of tastes and homegrown fresh food

Living in one of the warmer parts of the US meant 8-year-old Hank Segal and his family could grow a host of fruits and vegetables in their backyard. In fact, looking after things like watermelon, zucchini, artichokes, cherry tomatoes, pomegranates, raspberries, chili peppers, and yams were all a part of their daily routine back in January 2016.

All of this meant Hank’s palette was pretty adventurous, with the youngster enjoying a crispy fish eyeball while eating fried Branzino with his parents at a local Lebanese restaurant. The 8-year-old also already had plenty of plans for the future, telling photographer Gregg Segal that he wants to work for NASA as a mechanical engineer when he’s older.

Kuala Lumpur - Malaysia: Beryl Oh Jynn admits her favorite meal includes lots of spaghetti

Malaysia is the 45th most-populated country in the world, meaning people here have to think outside the box to make the most of their space. Thankfully, that didn’t hold 8-year-old Beryl Oh Jynn and her family back when they met photographer Gregg Segal back in March 2017. In fact, Beryl and her two brothers had a balcony garden.

Here, they grew things like spinach and bok choy that could be used in many family meals. When talking about her earliest food memory, Beryl remembers eating things like cake and porridge but admits that her favorite meal was now spaghetti covered in carbonara sauce. However, the youngster wouldn’t eat ginger and wasn’t allowed to drink sodas.

Tambacounda - Senegal: Sira Cissokho confessed she doesn’t always get enough food to eat

In August 2017, Sira Cissokho was just 11 years old and living in Tambacounda, a city around seven hours away from the capital, Dakar, in Senegal. Here, she lived with her mother, who stayed home to care for the family, and her dad, who worked as a musician, but the youngster confessed she didn’t always get enough to eat.

Still, a lot of the food came from Sira’s backyard, where the family grew things like peanuts and millet - a type of corn. Thankfully, Sira’s mother also made her favorite dish for special occasions: chicken. The youngster also admitted she was learning to cook, having already learned how to make a Senegalese millet porridge called ngalakh.

Nice - France: Rosalie Durand already knows how to make her favorite meal of sausages with lentils

France is known as one of the foodie capitals of the world, and it’s something 10-year-old Rosalie Durand got to enjoy back in August 2017. Her parents had split, but Rosalie spent her time split between her mother and father, with the latter working as a restaurateur. Thankfully, this taught the youngster a lot about food.

As well as learning how to make her favorite meal - sausage with lentils - Rosalie’s father also taught her how to make salads and crepes. While she had an adventurous palette and was learning all about food, Rosalie did admit that she wouldn’t eat cucumber, spinach, or ratatouille but had more than enough energy for her gymnastics, rock climbing, and kickboxing.

Mumbai - India: Living as a vegetarian doesn’t hold Adveeta Venkatesh back

Being an only child and living with her maternal grandmother didn’t mean Adveeta Venkatesh missed out on quality time or delicious meals. In fact, 10-year-old Adveeta’s parents worked as scientists at a government research facility in Mumbai back in March 2017, with everyone making it home for dinner. Here, no one was allowed to use gadgets or watch TV.

Living as a vegetarian meant Adveeta enjoyed a host of delicious Indian cuisine, including dosas - pancakes made from lentils and fermented rice - with either yogurt or spicy chutney. The youngster had also come a long way from her icky eater stage a few years before, with her dad only realizing how many snacks Adveeta ate once he saw the proof.

Hamburg - Germany: June Grosser’s favorite meal is a famous German dish

German cuisine has become pretty popular across the world, with schnitzel being one of 8-year-old June Grosser’s favorite meals back in August 2017. Still, that wasn’t the only thing that filled her diet each week, with June also enjoying treats like french fries, pizza, pasta, and different melons as a part of her weekly meals.

It was only a short time before June met photographer Gregg Segal that she started to eat broccoli, but the youngster still couldn’t make herself like truffles or curry. Plus, growing so quickly meant that although June was full by the time she finished her dinner, she often got hungry again shortly after she stopped eating.

Glendale, California - the US: Leona Del Grosso Sands enjoys a variety of colorful vegetables

Her name might be Leona Del Grosso Sands, but the 6-year-old has always been better known by her nickname, Nona. That’s not all about this youngster. Nona lived with her mom and their beloved cat in an apartment found in Glendale, California, in January 2016 when the family met Gregg Segal. Here, Nona was already learning how to cook.

Apparently, the youngster could make pancakes and oatmeal, things that came in helpful when her mom was sick. Nona had also grown her own tomato plant that quickly overtook their vegetable garden. Plus, Nona’s mother always made her eat a variety of colorful vegetables, with broccoli being a favorite, before the youngster was allowed to satisfy her sweet tooth.

Catania - Italy: Andrea Testa gets to enjoy a host of traditional Italian cuisine

When it comes to food, Italy has long known what it’s doing with flavors and fresh ingredients. Living in a house with a little garden meant 9-year-old Andrea Testa got to enjoy plenty of that back in August 2017, with the youngster having most of his meals cooked by his mother while his father served in the Italian army.

At the time, Andrea admitted his favorite food was past carbonara loaded with a ton of bacon and how he loved to smell the cherries and orange blossoms around the home. However, there’s one food Andrea wouldn’t eat: cauliflower. All of this was to fuel his passion for becoming a doctor, with Andrea knowing they can make lots of money.

Mirdiff, Dubai - United Arab Emirates: Yusuf Abdullah gets to enjoy his mom’s homemade pastries and chocolates

Plenty of families move across the world, with Yusuf Abdullah’s mom being no exception. She lived in Ireland, where she worked as a chocolatier and pastry chef, meaning she knows how to make a sweet treat or two. Thankfully, 9-year-old Yusuf admitted in August 2012 that he loved his mom’s cooking and everything she created.

Sadly, Yusuf’s parents split up, with the youngster hoping his mom would remarry so he could have some brothers and sisters. Still, it meant he had a lot of one-on-one time to learn his way around the kitchen. The result? Yusuf could already make scrambled eggs and toast on his own, with more meals in the pipeline.

Kuala Lumpur - Malaysia: Tharkish and Mierra Sri Varrsha avoid processed foods but do get takeout at weekends

Living with their parents in a busy apartment block - especially their mom, who looks after the home - meant siblings Tharkish, 10, and Mierra Sri Varrsha, 8, get to enjoy a host of home-cooked meals. For Tharkish, it's all about puttu, a dish made from steamed ground rice and coconut that's topped with sugar and bananas, but he doesn't like onions.

Mierra? She prefers chocolate and candies, noting she disliked the smell of meat. She also added her comfort meal is rice porridge, something Mierra remembers eating when she was younger. According to Mierra, she believes her diet is so healthy because her mom avoids cooking with processed foods, but they do enjoy KFC or takeout on the weekends.

Kuala Lumpur - Malaysia: Siti Khaliesah Nataliea Muhamad Khairizal loves the smell of fried instant noodles

Siti Khaliesah Nataliea Muhamad Khairizal was nine years old back in March 2017, with the youngster living with her parents and four siblings in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. While her dad worked as a care salesman, Siti’s mother was the one in charge of the house - and therefore cooking all of the meals for the family.

The youngster admitted the family isn’t allowed to talk at the dinner table or drink water before meals, but she does often get to enjoy her favorite meal of spaghetti carbonara. Plus, Siti loved nothing more than the smell of fried instant noodles, with the youngster mainly drinking water in between her meals at home.

Hamburg - Germany: Greta Moeller loves fish sticks with the occasional sweet treat

Living in Germany meant seven-year-old Greta Moeller was often surrounded by plenty of local cuisine in August 2017. Still, the youngster split her time between living with her mom and younger sister and spending a lot of time with her grandparents. While visiting her grandma and granddad, Greta enjoyed collecting chestnuts from their tree in the yard.

Back at home, Greta’s favorite meal is mashed potatoes and fish sticks, all topped with applesauce, while she would never eat rice pudding. Like plenty of other little ones, Greta also had quite the sweet tooth, enjoying fresh fruit - like strawberries - and pastries - like donuts, cookies, and muffins when she was allowed a special treat.

Dakar - Senegal: Frank Fadel Agbomenou enjoys fresh fish prepared by the family cook

Dakar is the capital of Senegal and the largest city in the country, with a current population of over one million. Still, eight-year-old Frank Fadel Agbomenou was enjoying growing up in one of the more upper-class areas of the city in August 2017, where he and his older brother were treated to a family cook.

Apparently, Frank was happy to eat just about everything, especially harvested peanuts from the family’s tree on the terrace. However, it was fish prepared just right by the cook that really got his taste buds tingling. For the most part, all of Frank’s meals were always freshly prepared, using only the best ingredients from the area.

Long Beach, California - the US: Isaiah Dedrick vowed to cut out snacks after his photoshoot

Being 16 years old at the time meant Isaiah Dedrick was one of the oldest kids that photographer Gregg Segal met on his journey around the world. Apparently, the photo shoot in March 2016 was also enough to change Isaiah’s eating habits. The teenager admitted his favorite food at the time was fried rice served with orange chicken.

Plus, Isaiah confessed he loved the smell of someone sautéing apples with cinnamon but added his mom doesn’t let him drink soda. However, things changed after Isaiah posed for the shoot, with the teenager vowing he was going to eliminate all the snacks from his diet, adding he hoped no one would go hungry around the world.

Altadena, California - the US: Being an adventurous eater is all in a day’s work for Cooper Norman

It turns out that ten-year-old Cooper Norman’s fashion sense has also helped to expand his palette throughout the years, with his love of bow ties being just one on the list. The youngster started taking karate classes at four years old and guitar lessons at five years old, with his love of bow ties coming in between.

However, it was wearing a bow tie to a wedding and being incredibly well-behaved that saw Cooper’s uncle take the youngster out for dim sum. When he’s not trying exotic flavors, Cooper tends to the fruits and vegetables that he grows at school and admits that Thai food and other worldly dishes are among his favorite things to eat.

Hamburg - Germany: John Hintze is only allowed to drink his favorite soda on the weekends

Describing himself as an omnivore was none other than 7-year-old John Hintze in August 2017. The youngster lives in Hamburg, Germany, where he gets a pretty relaxed start to the day. That’s because he loves to eat breakfast in bed, something he enjoys each morning before school, with his parents bringing toast and muesli each day.

That’s not all the youngster enjoys, with John confessing his grandma’s roast dinner is another of his favorite meals. While he also loves Chinese curry served with cashew nuts and a glass of Orange Fanta, John was only allowed to drink soda on the weekends. The rest of the time? The youngster had to drink water Monday to Friday.

Altadena, California - the US: Sisters Alexandra and Jessica get to enjoy fruit from their backyard

Having a home surrounded by natural fruits and trees meant Alexandra, 9, and Jessica Lewis, 8, got to enjoy a host of local fresh food when they were photographed in February 2016. The pair have a yard filled with grape vines and blackberry bushes, while the fruit trees provide bananas, jujubes, mulberries, guava, pomegranates, peaches, and figs.

The best bit? The sisters also kept chickens at the time and got to enjoy fresh eggs for breakfast most mornings. Still, Alexandra admitted her favorite food is mac and cheese, while she knows how to make quesadillas, pizza rolls, and Hot Pockets. Jessica? She much preferred candy and pizza topped with ham but hated sushi, chocolate, peppers, and beans.

Belpasso - Sicily: Paola Mendolaro admits his favorite food, above anything, is pizza

Despite the fact his mom works full-time for a cosmetics company, Paola Mendolaro still got to enjoy plenty of home-cooked meals as a 9-year-old in August 2017. Of course, living in Italy - and in a small Medieval village that’s been around since 1305 - meant Paola’s diet was also filled with authentic and traditional flavors from the area.

Paola’s mom made a special effort to make some of his favorite dishes for dinner, such as pasta alla norma and Sicilian cannoli. Still, there is something else that grabbed the youngster’s attention. Once a week, the pair would treat themselves to a roast chicken or head to a local restaurant for pizza - Paola’s ultimate favorite meal.

Brasilia - Brazil: Henrico Valias Sant’anna de Souza Dantas enjoys making up his own snacks

Having a mom working as an advertising executive and film producer meant Henrico Valias Sant’anna de Souza Dantas and two siblings got to live in one of the more upmarket areas of Brasilia in Brazil. Here, they had their mom, grandma, and the maid to do all of the cooking, but that didn’t stop Henrico from inventing his own snacks.

One of the most unusual is Henrico’s creation of steak covered in sliced banana, but that’s not all he eats. The 10-year-old also liked toast covered in powdered chocolate milk - his uncle’s invention - and his favorite dish: Feijoada, a stew from Brazil made with pork and black beans and served with white rice, as well as several sweet treats.

Pasadena, California - the US: Daria Joy Cullen refuses to eat fresh fruits and vegetables

Daria Joy Cullen was just 6 years old in February 2016, but the youngster already knew just what she liked - and what she didn’t. Daria admitted her favorite foods were all kinds of strong flavors, including milk chocolate, popcorn covered in butter, pasta, bacon, and ice cream - particularly a bowl or two of mint chocolate chip.

The problem? The youngster wouldn’t eat any fruit or vegetables and hadn’t since she was a toddler, even when her parents offered applesauce and mashed bananas. Apparently, her pediatrician was concerned about Daria’s limited diet and her low weight, with her parents wondering if it was down to an overactive gag reflex or if there was something more.