This marks the first day of the Welfare Food Challenge. I’m tired and hungry, and my head aches from little food and no coffee. It’s been an overwhelming day, knowing that this is one snippet in time for me and that many people – too many people – across British Columbia live this life daily. I am feeling more grateful today than ever, for having been raised in a situation of plenty, having never had to go hungry. I am irritable, but feel guilty for being so, since it has been less than 24 hours that I have been eating a limited diet. British Columbia has the highest poverty rate in Canada, a title it has held for many years. I feel sad and frustrated that more is not being done. Every person in this Province deserves the best chance possible to thrive, and adequate nourishment is the first step.
Below are my meals for the day and the macronutrient and calorie breakdown. By the end of the day I was quite lacking in many nutrients and calorie count, a reality that many people are facing everyday.
Breakfast: 1 cup of plain oats cooked in water, 1/2 cup of plain yogurt and 1 medium sized banana
Protein – 8g
Fat – 5g
Carbohydrates – 36g
kcal – 215
Snack: 1 hard boiled egg
Protein – 7g
Fat – 5g
Carbohydrates – 0g
kcal – 80
Lunch: 3/4 c of cooked brown rice, 1 cup of chili with mushrooms, onions, plum tomatoes, carrots, mixed beans (black, kidney, chickpeas) and 1 slice of rye bread
Protein – 10g
Fat – 1g
Carbohydrate – 36g
kcal – ~205
Snack: 1 large carrot and 1/2 cup of roasted chick peas
Protein – 10g
Fat- 2g
Carbohydrates – 30g
kcal – 148
Dinner: 1c of white spaghetti noodles with 1/2 cup No Name zesty pasta sauce with 1 slice of rye bread
Protein – 11g
Fat – 1g
Carbohydrates – 59g
kcal – 310
Total Macronutrient Intake for Day 1:
Protein – 35g
Fat – 12g
Carbohydrates – 116
kcal – 958
This is less than half the required amount of calories I should be consuming per day. I was afraid to eat too much for first day for fear of running out before the week is through. Imagine that life, wondering if you’ll have enough food to sustain you from day to day. This is the reality for many people living in poverty in B.C. if they even qualify for social assistance.
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Sign the petition – https://www.change.org/p/christy-clark-raise-social-assistance-rates-in-bc and ask Christy Clark to raise the Welfare Rates in B.C.
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