Food Stamp Living in Low Budget Free Essay Example, 750 words

ï » ¿Food Stamp: Living in Low Budget Food is a basic necessity for all living organisms. Where animals have to hunt for food, humans get the liberty to go to a convenient store and just buy what they want. Food and eating have evolved a lot since the prehistoric times. From eating raw to what is now called fast food, people have come a long way in changing their eating styles. All types of food are available in most places across the world. But the problem arises when people cannot afford to buy food and have to sleep on empty stomachs. The richer section of the society enjoys food like there is no tomorrow and end up wasting a huge amount of food, whereas the poor have to go hungry without proper meals for days. Such a miserable lifestyle leads to malnutrition, which in turn leads to several diseases and ultimately death. This assignment focuses on giving us a first hand experience of the more unfortunate group of people. By engaging in such a project we are sure to understand the pain of living in low budget. We will write a custom essay sample on Food Stamp: Living in Low Budget or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now The assignment requires for us to spend only $5 a day for four consecutive days. That amounts to a total expenditure of only $20 during the course of the project. As is expected as a commitment to this assignment, I did not accept any food offered by my family members, friends or relatives. I made all the purchases from stores nearby my residence or college. I have not traveled very far. Following is what food I consumed during the course of the assignment. However, I have not included water among these items. It has been quite a hard experience actually and I missed out on many of my favorite foods due to this. However, on the flipside, the exercise has definitely been a rewarding experience, as I have learned how to make the best use of my money on food, eating what is tasty but at the same time keeping nutritional values in mind. Day 1: Breakfast: One cheese burger - $1, biscuits – 50 cents Lunch: One Sandwich- $1 Supper: Starbucks coffee - $1, One muffin – 50 cents Dinner: Plain yoghurt- 50 cents, two bananas- 50 cents Day 2: Breakfast: Bowl of Kellogg’s Cornflakes– 50 cents, one egg- 50 cents Lunch: One Hamburger- $1.50 Supper: One glass of milk- 50 cents Dinner: Vegetable pasta - $2 Day 3: Breakfast: One glass of milk – 50 cents, one apple - $1 Lunch: Bread and bacon- $2 Supper: One cupcake – 50 cents Dinner: Instant noodles- $1 Day 4: Breakfast: One cheese burger - $1 Lunch: One Sandwich- $1 Supper: Starbucks coffee - $1 Dinner: Chappati and curry - $ 2 My source of protein and fiber were from bread, fruits etc and proteins from milk, egg and bacon. The fast food I have consumed has contained fats and carbohydrates. I have not taken any vitamin supplements. Usually, I take two capsules of Omega-3 daily. I do not think that I have been able to completely meet the nutritional needs of my body as major part of my diet consisted of fast food, within the constraint of a limited budget. I think I could have kept the provision for some fruits and more vegetables, if I have had the leeway of spending some more instead of relying merely on fast food. I have found that my routine has totally changed due to this challenge. I have felt hunger some of the times. I also have felt like my food needs have not been fulfilled. The times when my stomach did feel full, I did not feel good mentally. I have come to notice that my diet included mostly fast food. This is different from my usual diet as I am always keen on eating more fruits and vegetable s of my choice rather than a limited array a restaurant provides. The limited budget in this challenge has also resulted in reduced intake of meat. My consumption of fast food has increased during the course of the assignment and the level of fruits and vegetables has decreased. As mentioned earlier, I have really come to understand the situation and lifestyle of the lesser fortunate groups. I always felt tired and under nourished during the course of these four days. However, I have noticed that I drank more water than I usually take, which helped my stomach feel fuller and, hence, I have been able to hydrate my body amply. This experience has also made me understand the difficult life the poor people have to lead. I have really come to appreciate this assignment as it has made me realize how lucky I actually am to have a family that can provide me enough food of my choice. I have grown to understand more about the seriousness of the assignment as at first I did not really find any need for this kind of a challenge. As far as I am concerned I think this experience would benefit all the participants in such a way as to encourage them to appreciate what they have and be grateful for the life they currently lead. I felt the urge to be more compassionate and donate more for the needy. So, I think, my fellow participants may have felt the same. Another fact is that this assignment must have definitely made them realize the need to have a balanced diet daily. I am sure after this assignment the participants will be more careful about the food they consume and be more charitable as well.