PovertyChallenge

My boyfriend has been staying over this weekend. Firstly I want lots of credit because I made him toast and honey, and didn't even ahve a little nibble. I did it because he wasn't feeling well, and we tried to give him lots of food to eat and drinks and medication to nurse him back to health. Secondly, it made me think about the people who have to cope with illness and a limited diet at the same time. Not, of coures that he had anything terrible, just man flu, but we could do so much to help him fell comfortable and alleviate his symptoms; hot drinks, warm water, central heating and lots of fruit and veg. Yet there are people who have to try to cope with disease in the most difficult and harsh of conditions. 

The sixth Millennium Development Goal is to stop and reverse the spread of infectious disease by 2015. There is progress being made, but I think more could and should be done. 

I am also really pleased that this is going to be my last day of boring foods. Just one week and I am really pleased that it is over. Do you think this will make a reasonable breakfast?

Of course for so many people in poverty, the end isn't in sight. As my poverty experiment comes to an end, my hope that we can work to end the challenge of poverty. 

Yesterday I went to Dore primary school, where lots of the children are all taking challenges. Speaking to a lot of them they had some really great ideas and it was really inspiring to see how much they cared about people in poverty. They had made a lovely piece of art with all their hand prints which said " with all our hnds together , we can make a difference". That really well sums up why I am involved in the challenge. I think we can all make a difference and help imporve the lives of those who face difficult challenges!

Some of them had even given up luxury food as well, although they seemed to be coping a lot better than I am! Is sniffing a gin and tonic cheating?

I went for a run this morning. I really didn't feel like I could go as far as usual. It is probably psychological, but I felt it might have been a lack of protein, so I had an egg. It made me realise how difficult it must be for people who have limited diets, or a lack of food and also have really physically demanding lives. I also felt guilty about my egg. 

Whilst I ate it I did play this song in my head.

Then later, as I was eating another bland meal, it all got put into perspective, as I watched a news report about the hurricane that is expected in Haiti. So many people who lives, homes and families have already been shattered by the earthquake are set to face even more devastation. There are over one million people living in camps and outbreaks of cholera who will now have to face a terrible tropical storm. It made me realise how much people have to cope with in circumstances that are totally out of control, and how hard their lives really are. At teh same time it also reminded me of why I am involved in this campaign, because I think more could be done to help those in poverty.

Today has been hard. I wasn't working today, so I was dangerously close to my kitchen. I had rice for lunch

 yummy. And NO TEA, which is horrid.

Although on the up side I have had interest in the story from my local newspaper the gazette, and a man came and took my photo taken with some, you guessed it rice. I also took a look through lots of the other blogs from the challenge, and I was very inspired about what everyone else is getting up to!

I also understand that not having the odd treat here and there is nothing compared to the huge challenges faced by people in poverty. 

Watching Masterchef probably wasn't the best idea tonight! I don't think I have ever thought so much about food, just because I know that I can't have certain things. Which made me wonder how many people go to bed hungry. 

Well the UN estimate it at 850 million people.

Today I have been stricter about what counts as luxury and I have mostly been eating rice.

As you can see, rather a lot of it. Whilst my issue is that this food is a bit boring, I don't have to worry about malnutrition. It is estimated that 684 000 child deaths could be prevented by increasing access to vitamin a and zinc.

Also. all this talk of rice made me think about hunger at home. Somehow poverty and hunger are often thought of as something that happens far away. When I looked that up I found that in 2009 there were over 13 million people living in low income households in the UK and found a shocking story about the surge in demand for emergency food supply boxes in the uk. With the effects of the recession and the spending cuts, I would like to ask my MP Ben Wallace how he thinks the cuts will affect poverty and hunger in the North West.

Tomorrow I need to get rid of the final luxury that I am still holding on to- tea. I am not sure how I am going to face the day with out my cup of tea in the morning. Wish me luck

Well I am in to the first day, and I am not sure if I am really challenging myself enough with this challenge. I had marmalade and cheese, which I think can probably be considered as luxury, and indeed definitely are by Paddington bear. However, I did go without meat for the day which has itself been interesting.

 I came across the meat free Monday campaign which suggests that not eating meat can help the environment, make me healthier and even saves lives. Meat production is responsible for 18% of global greenhouse grass emissions. It is estimated that 20 vegetarians could be fed from the amount of land it takes to produce enough food for just one person with a meat based diet. And a Friends of the Earth report has found that Britain's appetite for meat contributies to the destruction of the Brazilian rainforest. 

So meat is perhaps more of a luxury than I had ever realised. 

Even so, I think I should probably give up the marmalade too tomorrow!

I have 2 days to eat all the meat, chocolate cake and sweets I can, which I will wash down with copious amounts of red wine, milkshake and cola. Oh wait, that wouldn't really be in the spirit of things would it?

Actaully I am kind of nervous about starting the challenge. I haven't ever really dieted before, and I am going to try as hard as possible to stick to the most basic of foods.

Remember when your mum used to say "you shouldn't leave your food when there are children dying of hunger in other countries". Well this challenge is hopefully a more sophisticated take on that principle. With so many people living in hunger, or surviving on just the smallest amount of food each day, I want to have some insight into what it is like to have a really restricted diet. I also think it will make me more aware of the amount of food that I waste or pick over.