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Post-Reflection

I DID IT! So happy that I no longer have to eat toast and pasta every day. Today I went to the Chinese buffet with my friends for dinner to celebrate. I probably ate more calories in one sitting than I had ate all day yesterday. I was finally able to socialize and eat food with people somewhere other than my house. I am looking forward to having my family over for dinner on Sunday as well. I have learned so much throughout this food challenge.

The first thing that I learned, is that food has a huge influence on concentration and focus. One of the first things that I noticed was that I was having difficulties staying focused in school and at work. It was really hard to motivate myself to get out of bed every morning and complete the tasks that needed to be done. This was not a good feeling because I knew how much stuff I needed to accomplish but I just couldn’t find the energy to get it done. Filling your body with preservatives, sugar, and sodium instead of fruits, vegetables, and protein likely causes a decreased level of energy. If I was living in poverty I think that my school grades would drop significantly. I now understand why it is so difficult for some children to succeed in school because they aren’t set up for success. 

The second thing that I learned, is that food can have a major impact on ones mood. My emotions have fluctuated so much throughout the week. I have been sad, anxious, irritable, and angry more than I normally am. I think that long term food insecurity can contribute to depression and anxiety. The uncertainty of knowing whether or not you will have enough money to eat combined with the poor food choices lead to increased levels of stress. I honestly cannot imagine living in poverty and having an entire family to feed. If your children were hungry you would have to give them food from your portions to keep them full. I don’t have kids, but I do have a dog. If I were living on a budget of $21 per week for food I wouldn’t be able to afford his dog food which costs $80 each month.

The third thing that I learned, is that I am extremely fortunate to have the things that I do in life. I have the privilege to walk into any grocery store without thinking twice and purchase anything that I desire. If I am feeling hungry, I can quickly stop and pick up more food. I have realized how much food I waste during a normal week. During this challenge, I didn’t waste any food, I ate everything on my plate and didn’t let things expire. From now on, I will not waste food because there are millions of people around the world who are experiencing hunger and would give anything to have the food that I threw away. 

After this experience, I hope that I can raise some awareness about food insecurity in the world. Pope Francis (2013) once stated “we are in front of a global scandal of around one billion – one billion people who still suffer from hunger today. We cannot look the other way and pretend this does not exist.” I agree with this statement, we cannot pretend that hunger does not exist, we need to face this issue head on in order to improve peoples well-being. FoodCaritas.Org has started the One Human Family, Food for All campaign which outlines the following goals: raise awareness of the hunger crises, explore how caritas programmes are helping families feed themselves, encourage people to learn more about hunger and ways to solve it, call on governments around the world to guarantee a right to food for all, and end systemic hunger by 2025. 

Caritas. (2013). Hunger campaign | together we can end hunger. Retrieved from https://food.caritas.org/

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Day Seven

I made it to the final day! I must say that today was rough. I am completely drained and feel disconnected from what is happening in my day to day life. I was feeling sick again today, both physically and mentally, so I did not attend class. 

I feel like throughout this challenge my relationship with food has become toxic. I don’t want to eat and I don’t enjoy sitting down to eat anymore. This is a huge change because I love food and usually look forward to eating. However, I have gained a new perspective on life. I have realized how fortunate I am to have the things in life that I do like clean water, access to food, safety, and so much more. 

Today I barely ate. I had one piece of toast with peanut butter. For a snack I ate my last banana, which was very squishy. I ate about two cups of rice for lunch. For dinner I cheated and ate fettuccini noodles with chicken and broccoli. I couldn’t continue eating spaghetti for dinner so I decided to go to the grocery store to buy chicken. I was much more aware of the prices of the items that were there this time than I typically am. I think that this challenge has made me much more aware of the financial aspects that are associated with food. I bought 4 chicken breasts for $12. If I were truly limited to $21 per week for groceries then that would be half of my entire budget, not to mention that it would only last two meals. 

One piece of whole wheat bread has 69 calories, two tablespoons of peanut butter has about 140 calories, one banana has 105 calories, there is 420 calories in two cups of fettuccini noodles, a half a cup of broccoli has 15 calories, and one piece of chicken has about 284 calories. My total daily calorie intake today was approximately 1033. According Erin Coleman (2018) a moderately active women like myself should have a calorie intake of 1800-2200 each day. Today I was at least 767 calories below the recommended intake. This is drastic, especially considering that I cheated and ate more than I have in the past days. I think that if I were to continue this diet, I would begin to lose weight.

I am so glad that I am finally done this challenge but at the same time I am glad that I did it. I have learned so much about hunger and how it affects the human body from first hand experience. 

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Day Six

Today, I had to miss yet another social outing due to my food limitations. I usually go to Bo’s for wings on Wednesday with my boyfriend, but today I had to pass. I really enjoy going out to eat because it provides a new environment to socialize with others. When you are stuck to a strict budget, your social life is affected significantly. If I were living in poverty I think that I would feel socially isolated from my peers, especially considering my age. A lot of my friends like to go out on the weekend to eat and have a few drinks to catch up. 

The American Psychology Association (2013) discusses a study that was conducted in 1944 in which 36 men voluntarily starved themselves for research. The study reported that during the semi-starvation phase the psychological changes that the participants experienced were drastic. The author reports that hunger caused the volunteers to feel fatigued, irritable, depressed, and apathic. The article goes on to state that “it reminds us of the privilege we have; most of us can avoid the unpleasant sensation of hunger by simply reaching for something to eat....hunger is debilitating and tragic”. I think that this an excellent statement that captures precisely how I am feeling at this moment. 

For breakfast I ate one banana with one cup of yoghurt and for lunch I had (once again) spaghetti with sauce. I was finally able to make something different for dinner. I ate a can of beans, broccoli, and a piece of toast. This was far from a normal meal that I would eat, however it was amazing to eat something other than pasta! On the bright side, my water intake has increased substantially since it is the only thing that I can have to drink. 

A budget of $21 per week for groceries in completely unsustainable for a young, healthy individual let alone any of the worlds “at risk” population. I cannot imagine eating this diet if I were pregnant or if I had a chronic illness such as diabetes. The nutritional requirements for these individuals is much greater than mine, yet they still receive the same amount of money for food. This seems unfair. 

The World Health Organization has released a report from the UN that explains that hunger has been increasing over the past three years resembling levels that were seen ten years ago. South America, particularly Africa, has been experiencing elevated levels of hunger due to climate variability and extremes such as droughts and floods. This causes food availability shortages in addition to increased price of food and income loss due to poor crops.

This seems like a cycle that is hard to break considering the weather is uncontrollable and there are limited resources available for this population. People in low income countries rely heavily on agriculture to produce an income and as a source of nutrition. In Canada, we are fortunate enough to be able to import food from across the world. If we did not have this opportunity, we would experience a lot of the same problems. 

I am so relieved that tomorrow is my final day of this challenge! I cannot wait to return to my normal diet. 

American Psychological Association. (2013, October). The psychology of hunger. Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/monitor/2013/10/hunger

World Health Organization. (2018, September 11). Global hunger continues to rise. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/11-09-2018-global-hunger-continues-to-rise---new-un-report-says

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Day Five

Today I am hungry. I am craving all of the foods that I would normally eat. My concentration and energy are at an all time low. I am struggling as I write this blog because all I want to do is have a nap.

For breakfast, I could only eat approximately a half cup of yoghurt because I am running out of food. The little amount of food that I have to last me the next 2 days makes me feel anxious. I can understand why those who live in poverty experience increased levels of stress due to the uncertainty that they face in life. When I have an abundance of money to spend on food I feel more secure, whereas now I am constantly worried about whether or not I will be able to eat.

For lunch I had a peanut butter sandwich. I was still hungry after I ate but I had no choice but to wait until dinner to eat again. I cannot afford snacks to eat between meals which has been hard for me because I love to snack throughout the day.

For dinner I ate spaghetti again. I was pleasantly surprised when I realized that I still had the frozen broccoli and a can of beans that I bought at the start of the challenge (which I completely forgot about).

It feels like I am constantly forgetting things. When I was making dinner, I turned the wrong burner on the stove and it took me at least 10 minutes to realize that the water wasn’t heating up. Thankfully, I don’t have any important projects or quizzes at school which would likely be affected by my poor memory. I now understand why children who do not receive adequate nutrition struggle in school. It’s surprising to me how detrimental nutrition is to one’s cognitive function.

In the article Does Getting Enough Nutrition Affect Cognition (2018) Sylvie Trembley states that “getting enough nutrients in your diet supports cognitive functioning, while nutrient deficiencies or a poor diet decrease cognition”. The article explains that protein intake provides the body with amino acids which the body then uses to make neurotransmitters (brain signalling chemicals used for cognition). Omega 3 fatty acids that are found in nuts and fish also promote brain function. Vitamins, particularly vitamin B, C and E, are crucial to promoting cognitive health by promoting nerve conduction and preserving cognitive function as people age. Salmon and kale are two great sources of nutrition to maintain cognitive health, however there is no way that individuals who live in poverty could afford this type of diet. The only food that I bought that contains protein is my peanut butter. 

I have also noticed that I am really shaky today which could indicate that I have low blood sugar. This may be related to the decreased amount of food that I have been eating lately. My vision is cloudy and I feel “out of it”. I had to be at the hospital doing my clinical rotation today for 8 hours, so this made my day more difficult. The following video link shares some effects of hunger on the body: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3abZswA5XY&feature=youtu.be. Hunger effects all aspects of physical health and can be detrimental. 

Poverty is the number one cause of world hunger. The World Bank estimates that 10.7 percent of the world’s population (767 million people) lived on less than $1.90 per day in 2013 (The Borgen Project, 2017). This is equivalent to a mere $13 per week, less than what I have spent this week. However, one must take into account that this statistic is from 7 years ago. 

I am counting down the days until I can eat a healthy meal again!

The Borgen Project. (2017, March 15). 15 striking world hunger statistics. Retrieved January 21, 2020, from https://borgenproject.org/15-world-hunger-statistics/

Tremblay, S. (2018, December 6). Does nutrition affect cognitive function? Retrieved from https://healthyeating.sfgate.com/nutrition-affect-cognitive-function-6132.html

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Day Four

I am now halfway through the challenge!

Breakfast consisted of strawberry yoghurt and bananas today. I would have much preferred a breakfast sandwich from Tim Hortons, but as you know by now, that doesn’t fit into my budget. At the beginning of this challenge I purchased 6 bananas and the ones that I have left have started to brown. I am starting to run low on food supplies, I no longer have any instant noodles, soup, I have 3 bananas, half a loaf of bread, half a box of spaghetti, half a can of sauce, a cup of yoghurt, and some rice. I am hoping that this is enough food to last me the next three days. I don't think that I will have anything left to eat for breakfast by the final day. This morning I noticed that I am feeling more and more unmotivated as the days progress. If I didn’t have class at the College today, I probably would have laid in bed all day. 

My lunch was simple: a bowl of instant noodles. As you may recall from my previous blog, eating instant noodles more than two times per week increases risk for heart disease. I am now officially at this mark, meaning that if this was a typical weekly diet for me, over time I may see some serious side effects. The noodles contain high amounts of trans fats (15%) and sodium (25%), which is the exact reason that this meal is so unhealthy. I did not eat any vegetables, fruit, meat products, or protein during this meal. Essentially, I simply ate to fill myself up. Many people in low income countries, such as Africa, have similar eating patterns and use certain food sources as “fillers” in there diet.

For dinner I ate plain rice and it tasted awful! I usually add soy sauce to my rice to add flavor but due to the circumstances I did not. As much as I did not want to eat this, I had no choice because there was nothing else to eat. Although I am very grateful that I am able to go to a grocery store and purchase rice without thinking twice. People in low-income countries have no choice but to supply there own food. These people rely heavily on agriculture as a food source because they don’t have access to grocery stores like we do in Canada. 

My diet over the last four days has consisted primarily of macronutrients (proteins, fats, and carbohydrates) and has severely lacked in micronutrients (minerals, vitamins, and trace elements) which are needed in small amounts yet are crucial for body function (UNICEF, n.d.). Those who experience poverty around the world cannot afford to purchase vitamin supplements and, thus, suffer from related deficiencies. UNICEF reports that vitamin deficiencies can include the following: anemia, scurvy, beriberi, and more. They also explain that poor nutrition during childhood can lead to growth failure and poor cognitive development. I cannot imagine as a parent struggling to feed your children due to poverty. I suspect that if your children are hungry, you sacrifice food from your own meal to keep them full. 

At this point in the challenge, I am feeling drained. I have had a headache most days, my skin is breaking out, and I am just plain tired. I cannot imagine living my entire life feeling this way and it is sad that this is reality for so many people.  

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Day Three

Today I ate, once again, bread, bananas, and peanut butter for breakfast. I tried to change things up a little by making a peanut butter and banana sandwich. The meal itself was alright, but I am so sick of eating the same foods everyday. I find that the lack of variety makes the meal less appealing and less appetizing. 

For lunch I ate rice, but I did cheat and add some ground beef and chopped red peppers which were leftovers from my boyfriends meal. It was so refreshing to eat something different, even though it was a fairly simple meal. When I started to make the rice, I quickly realized that you need butter to make it. Again, I cheated and used some of the butter that I already had in my fridge. I have noticed through this process that I have decreased the amount of food that I waste tremendously. I now eat everything that is on my plate, and I am less likely to let things go to waste and throw them away. It has been challenging watching the person that I live with eat whatever they want while I am limited to the things that I could afford to buy. I imagine that this is something that people who truly live in poverty have to deal with everyday. They are surrounded by others who have more money and can afford to purchase larger quantities of food and food that they are not able to purchase. When I attend school, my peers come into class with snacks and coffee which makes me feel like an outcast because as much as I wish I had snacks, I don’t. 

I decided to skip dinner tonight because I wasn’t feeling well. I was nauseous and the last thing that I wanted to do was eat. I did have two pieces of toast with butter before I went to bed to see if it would help me feel better. I believe that my poor diet over the past 3 days has definitely contributed to this. I had the option to skip a meal, however I realize that many people have no choice but to miss dinner because they ran out of food. This thought is extremely heart wrenching, as millions of people around the world struggle to survive.

This challenge has been especially damaging to my mental health. I have noticed that my emotions fluctuate more and I seem to get frustrated easier. I guess you could say that I am getting “ hangry”. In my normal day-to-day life I use food as a form of comfort. For example, if I had a bad day or I am stressed I like to eat things like chocolate or have a nice home cooked meal. This is obviously something that I cannot do anymore so I feel as though I lost one of the things that is a significant part of my life. 

According to the article, The Effects of Poor Nutrition (2017), Ripa Ajmera explains that eating a poor diet can lead to hypertension, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, cancer, and high cholesterol. Canadians who live in poverty and are allocated only $21 per week for food expenses will likely suffer from one of these health complications in there lifetime. I can understand why, as the majority of food items that I could afford to purchase were unhealthy. They contain a high sodium and fat content which are only healthy in small proportions. With this in mind, providing all humans with nutritious food options would promote primary health prevention by reducing the number of chronic illnesses that people experience secondary to poor nutritional intake.

I am looking forward to tomorrow as I will be over half way through the challenge!

Ajmera, R. (2017, August 14). The effects of poor nutrition on your yealth. Retrieved from https://www.livestrong.com/article/31172-effects-poor-nutrition-health/

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Day Two

For breakfast today I ate approximately one cup of strawberry yoghurt, one banana, and a piece of whole wheat toast with peanut butter. If you noticed, this is the exact same thing that I ate yesterday. I tried to switch things up by slicing my banana and putting it on my toast. I decided to wait until 10 to eat breakfast today so that I wouldn’t feel so hungry between breakfast and lunch. This strategy seemed to work pretty well. I tried to keep myself busy so that my focus would be on anything but good. I cleaned my house, played with my dog, and did some homework. I have definitely noticed that this new diet has had an impact on my memory and attention as I lost my phone today. I found it two hours later on the sidewalk at my brother in laws house (it fell out of my pocket). I don’t remember the last time something like that happened to me. 

For lunch I ate my left over spaghetti from yesterday’s dinner. I am already sick of the food that I am eating and I know that I still have 5 more days. When your budget is only $21 for a week, you don’t get much variety in your diet. 

Today I worked at the hospital from 1-9, meaning that I was supposed to pack a lunch. I was in a rush so I grabbed my can of chicken noodle soup only to realize that we don’t have a can opener at work. Since I couldn’t buy dinner, I had to wait until I got home to eat. As you can imagine, I was beyond hungry at this point. My soup was pretty good, but not as filling as I wanted it to be. I had a piece of plain toast after to help fill my stomach. 

I decided to look up some information regarding access to free food for those who are in need in Red Deer. The Red Deer Food Bank Society provides a phone number that people can use to request food. The process seems relatively easy: call the hamper request line to speak to an intake worker, provide personal information (income and number of people in the household), the food bank will determine individual needs, arrange a pick up time, and pick up your food at the warehouse. One of there mission statements is “we believe that access to proper nutrition is a fundamental human right” (Red Deer Food Society, 2018). I agree that every human should have access to healthy food, despite what there income is. Other charities in Red Deer such as The Mustard Seed and The Salvation Army help those in poverty by providing meals as well. It is nice to see that there are other resources available for those experiencing hunger. Although, I imagine that it is more difficult than people may realize to ask for help when you are struggling. As humans, we want to show people that we can provide for ourselves and our families and it is often our last resort asking for assistance from others. I think that I would have a hard time reaching out to ask for help, but if I needed too I would.

According to the Food Aid Foundation (n.d.) “around 795 million people in the world do not have enough food to lead a healthy active life”, this works out to 1/9 people in the world. That is a relatively significant number. My goal for this year is to volunteer for at least one of the previously mentioned charity organizations to help reduce that hunger in our city.

Food Aid Foundation. (n.d.). World hunger statistics. Retrieved from https://www.foodaidfoundation.org/world-hunger-statistics.html

Red Deer Food Bank Society. (2018). Red Deer food bank society. Retrieved from https://reddeerfoodbank.com/

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Day One

Today I woke up early and ate breakfast around 830. My breakfast consisted of approximately a cup of strawberry yoghurt, one banana, and one piece of whole wheat toast with peanut butter. The meal itself was fairly healthy as the banana contains potassium, the yoghurt is a dairy product, peanut butter is a form of protein, and the bread is a carbohydrate. According to Canada’s Food Guide individuals should consume plenty of fruits and veggies, protein, and whole grain foods (Government of Canada, 2020). I believe that my breakfast followed this guideline pretty well. However, the portions were small, and I was hungry within an hour after eating. The only thing that I could drink with my breakfast was water because I had no money to purchase juice or milk. I also have a headache, likely due to the fact that my body is so used to having coffee before noon. It feels like I’m constantly counting down the hours until my next meal because I am so hungry. 

The time between breakfast and lunch seemed to go by so slowly and all I could think about was how hungry I was. Today I had class at the College from 12-3 so I had to make sure that I ate lunch prior to leaving. Typically, if I was running behind I would just pick something up at the school, however I knew that if I didn’t eat lunch then I would have to wait until I returned home to eat. I made instant noodles with broccoli for my meal because it was quick, and well, because it was one of my few options. The noodles provide close to no nutritional value but they were pretty filling. Research has shown that eating instant noodles two or more times per week can increase risk for heart disease and contribute to higher cholesterol levels (M. Leung, 2016). I figured that adding the broccoli would at least provide me with some sort of nutrition. 

For dinner I made spaghetti, which was not nearly as appetizing without cheese and meat sauce. The meal itself was filling but it lacked flavor which made it harder to eat. When comparing my plate to the Canadian Food guide, I can definitely say that this was not a very balanced meal. It consisted of no protein, fruits, or vegetables. On a more positive note, it was a quick and easy meal to make!

Today was definitely challenging, mentally, emotionally, and physically. I felt tired, had difficulty focusing, and just really wanted to eat the foods that I love. Being that today is Friday, things felt a lot worse because the weekend is usually a time to socialize. I was invited to a friend’s birthday dinner at Moxies’s but I had to tell her that I couldn’t come because I could not afford it. The cheapest item that I could find on the menu was Bruschetta which would cost $10.75. That alone is half of my weekly budget. I think that this will be one of the most difficult parts of this challenge. I predict that I will feel isolated from my friends and family because I will not be able to attend any events that involve eating. For example, my family always has Sunday supper which I was supposed to host this weekend but I will no longer be able to do so. I enjoy going for wings on Wednesday’s with my boyfriend but I can't do that either. I didn’t truly realize how much food and socialization go hand in hand. 

It makes me extremely sad that anyone has to go through life experiencing hunger. I think that it is one of the most terrible feelings to have and makes you feel helpless. My hope for tomorrow is to simply make it through the day and stay on track. 

Government of Canada. (2020, January 13). Welcome to Canada’s food guide. Retrieved from https://food-guide.canada.ca/en/

Leung, M. (2016, January 4). Ramen risks: Why instant noodles are bad for your health. Retrieved from https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/ramen-risks-why-instant-noodles-are-bad-for-your-health-1.1965970

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Pre-Challenge Reflection

Hey, my name is Alley and I am a second year nursing student. I will be completing and documenting my first ever Welfare Food Challenge. During this challenge I will be purchasing groceries for one week based on the weekly income portion that people living below the poverty line on social assistance are allocated for food expenses. Based on the government of British Columbia's allocations for food, I will be spending only $21 dollars on my weekly groceries. (https://welfarefoodchallenge.org/2016challenge/)

I am not going to lie, I’m a little nervous about completing this challenge due to fear of feeling constantly hungry. Another concern that I have is that I really enjoy coffee and I often stop on my way to work or school to pick one up. However, I know that this will not be in my budget as half of my money would be spent on coffee alone. 

My plan for grocery shopping includes choosing foods that are relatively cheap and can be used to make large meals. I know that rice, noodles, beans, soup, and bread are more affordable options whereas meats, fruits, and vegetables are more expensive. I think that it will be difficult to find foods that are within my budget, healthy, and will last all week. I am hoping that there will be some deals on at the grocery store so that I can save some money. 

I used the Walmart online grocery shopping website to collect a list of foods that I plan to purchase. I don’t typically plan prior to going grocery shopping as I don���t set a budget for myself, so this was slightly time consuming as I had to find the cheapest products and food options. It was disappointing because I had to remove some items out of my shopping cart as I could not afford them. I was forced to choose between items, keeping what I thought was more important.

As you can see, I purchased the following items for a total of $19.72: 6 bananas, frozen broccoli, spaghetti noodles, a can of spaghetti sauce, yogurt, one can of soup, one can of beans, a loaf of bread, peanut butter, a box of rice, and 2 packages of instant noodles. I was able to save money by purchasing no name products in addition to sacrificing healthy food options and replacing them with processed foods. It was challenging walking through the grocery store as there were so many things that I wanted to buy but I couldn’t as they weren’t in my budget. I wasn’t able to purchase any condiments to add flavor to my food nor was I able to get a great variety of foods. I have a feeling that I will be eating a lot of left overs over the next week. 

Tomorrow I will officially start my challenge, wish me luck! For now I will enjoy my last coffee.