My Food Revolution
Hello everyone! It’s been quite a while since I’ve written on this blog and things have certainly changed since the last post. I returned from El Salvador in May and will be posting my thoughts and reflections of my trip soon. It has taken a lot of time to digest my experiences, but they have changed my outlook on community, social justice and political change. More to follow!
Today I want to talk about poverty, food empowerment, and society’s misconceptions on the power of being poor. There seems to be a commonly held belief that good, wholesome, organic, non-cancer fighting food is only available to the affluent in our country - that only rich people can actually afford foods that are rich in nutrients and vitamins. While still acknowledging the abundance of food deserts, the high prices of organic foods at supermarkets, and the amount of time and effort that is needed to make (and grow) healthy meals, I would like to question the validity of this popular belief. Yes, there are many obstacles that prevent millions of people in America from having access to healthy food, but I believe that our way of thinking is an obstacle, too. I think there are many people who give up on the idea of eating healthy, solely because they believe that they can’t afford it. This belief is perpetuated by the diet industry, the fast food industry, and all the companies that advertise cheap, unhealthy food. This not only leads to unhealthy lives (which in the end are really expensive) but a lack of empowerment over what people put in their own bodies and a belief that they have less power than they actually do. What if people who live below the poverty line actually have the power and ability to eat as healthfully as their affluent neighbors? What are the opportunities available to them and what would be the political and social implications of determining their own food sources?
As a way of answering some of these questions, I would like to do a food experiment for the next year. I plan to live as much as I can on organic, non-GMO foods, while still getting my daily intake of calories, vitamins, and macronutrients (and sleep!), while spending less than $100 a month on food. This is well below the amount given by the SNAP program for a single household - $152. I will be eating mostly a vegan diet (it’s the cheapest) of beans, rice, lentils, homemade bread and staples that I can buy in bulk. I will be avoiding processed foods mainly because the ‘healthy’ ones will be out of my budget, and growing as many vegetables as possible. I will explore the use of food stamps in Colorado, farmer’s markets, community gardens, and maybe even some dumpster diving, bartering and begging. We will see where this leads and what discussions stem from the experiment!
Stay tuned for weekly updates on what I eat and how much it costs. Any advice and/or tips would be most welcome!
Top two pictures from World Hunger Relief. Bottom is from superstock.com. (The picture was pretty, ok?)
