And along came Day 21 of 21 Days for World Hunger. This journey is coming to a conclusion. This will be the last day I will be mimicking the diet of the world’s hungry and eating about 1,000 calories a day. I’m ready to hang up my hunger hat and get my life back. This has been an all-consuming project taking up nearly every non-working waking hour – putting all the unessential tasks on the back burner. I’m ready to spend quality time with the husband who has been increasingly patient with me these past three weeks. He’s been picking up my slack and has essentially taken over dog walking duty – one of the more fun jobs we share together. I want to walk the pup. Read my book. Sleep. But I won’t abandon this World Hunger project. I will come back and post more about solutions to world hunger.
I look forward to having more energy and to giving the house a good cleaning. The dust balls have formed little armies and are in combat with puffs of blowing dog hair for prime real estate corners of the house. Some have joined forces in a grander scheme to infiltrate larger spaces under the bed and sofa. And the dogs have seized control of the back yard in a poo d’état.
Emails, mail and dirty laundry have piled up. Hygiene has taken a back door with infrequently washed hair, unclipped nails and barely flossed teeth. The puppy has been increasingly cuddly in what I interpret as a need for attention.
Physically and mentally I semi-transcended the reduced calorie diet habituating to one meal a day – outside of two days I created my own adapted version of this World Hunger Diet – aka cheating. These last several days, I have found myself feeling cold, presumably due to having a little less fat on my body. I’ve noticed bones in places that have been hiding behind good living, and the bags under my eyes are well-earned in the face of self-imposed increasing pressure combined with sleep deprivation.
For me, the diminished sleep (a result of working my day job and spending my nights researching and writing) has been harder than the lack of energy caused by the reduced caloric intake. The two combined have been a real challenge. And the pressure…how do I explain it? I made a commitment to learn as much as possible these three weeks. I had no idea how taxing it would be.
I also have a sense when I read back through these 21 posts after I rest up; I’m going to think huh? That makes no sense. What was I thinking? What exactly was I trying to say here? Huh? I realize a good deal of this series was written in a fairly dazed state. I expect there will be some re-writing – later.
And yet, while I’m ready to feel like the old me again and to get my act together, I have a nagging sense of disappointment. I set high expectations for myself with this journey, and from my perch, I’ve fallen short. Some folks in my life tell me that the expectations were unrealistically high. Maybe so. Still, I was hoping to cover more territory and give more attention to some parts of the world that I barely, if at all, covered. I wanted to talk about malnutrition and obesity in the U.S. among many other things. There are so many layers to the problem of world hunger.
Obviously, I am no expert on the matter of world hunger. One of the reasons I chose this topic was not only because I care about humans, the earth and her inhabitants, but because I wanted to learn more for myself. I wanted to better understand the situation, and I wanted to share what I learned with you. Admittedly, I started this journey innocently expecting to get a good grasp of the problem. What I’m walking away with is that I barely scratched the surface. Basically I’ve learned enough to know that there’s a lot more to learn.
A Statistical Review of the Past Three Weeks
First off – today’s nutritional intake. Dinner was selection of leftovers – easy and fantabulous.
| Day 21 | |||||||||
| Food | amount | calories | fat | carbs | fiber | protein | sodium (mg) | sugars | K |
| Chai Tea | 12 oz | 192 | 4.25 | 30.5 | 0.75 | 0.75 | 65 | 25.5 | 0 |
| Coconut Milk | 1/3 Cup+ | 175 | 17 | 4 | 0 | 1.3 | 25 | 1.3 | |
| Brown Jasmine Rice | 1/4 Cup Dry | 170 | 1.5 | 35 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Potato | 1 | 278 | 0 | 63 | 7 | 7 | 30 | 4 | 600 |
| Spinach | 1 cup | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 24 | 0 | 200 |
| TOTAL | 822 | 22.75 | 133.5 | 10.75 | 14.05 | 144 | 30.8 | 800 |
- Total food costs equal $119.23 – that’s for two people.
- I consumed an average of 988 calories – one meal a day.
- I lost a total of 8 pounds weighing in at 112 this morning. The husband lost 10 pounds. Tomorrow will be the final weigh-in – just before I eat breakfast!
- I wrote 51,088 words spanning about 105 pages.
- I worked approximately 150 hours on this project – mainly nights and weekends.
What Next?
I’ve been asked this question by several people. Regarding my food intake, I do believe things will be different. I know now that I don’t need to eat as much as I did before this journey began. For example, I could sit down and eat a half a bag, or more, of Pico de Gallo corn chips – unconsciously. One serving is about seven chips. I surely consume six servings in a single sitting – try saying that ten times fast! Just today I was at a meeting and saw someone with a bag of Kettle chips. I had my first real craving in several days watching the Kettle chip eater enjoying her crunchy, salty snack. I will surely eat Kettle chips again one day, but with a new awareness that I don’t actually need Kettle chips just because my brain tells me so. My relationship with food feels different than before. The husband and I are talking about our future meal plans, and they include some of the dishes I tried for our World Hunger Diet. I have been vegan for about eight years, so nothing will change there. Although I ate fairly healthily prior to this experience, I also had my fair share of junk food – mostly processed. That will change.
I’ll soon be moving on from the topic of world hunger and will be focusing my attention on various other environmental or social justice issues. But I will not forget world hunger. I do believe this experience has changed me, and now that my eyes have been pried open by the harsh reality of this problem, I can never again close them.
I recently took a short walk on the beach to clear my noisy mind. Looking at the ocean I saw a mama otter and her baby. The baby was feverishly swimming to catch up with her. She was doing the backstroke, and the little guy caught up and climbed onto her chest for a rest and a free ride. It was indescribably precious. I couldn’t help but reflect on the maternal instinct that a mother has to protect her babies. And naturally, given my over-consumption of world hunger thoughts, my mind shifted to human mothers. How painful it must be for a mother, who has the inherent inclination to care for her young, to not have the ability to provide them the basic need and right of food. How unjust that must feel to those mothers – and fathers. I’m grateful that I will likely never know that kind of pain, and I’m perplexed that I live in a world that can too readily disconnect from the suffering of others.
For today’s post, I was hoping to talk about solutions to world hunger, but alas, I just don’t have it in me at this moment to pull all that information together. I will work on a follow-up with solutions during the next couple of days – in a leisurely fashion. I aim to have that post out by Day 3…4…or 5 of Recovery from the World Hunger Diet. I’m also going to see Anna Lappé this coming week. She’ll be talking about her new book Diet for a Hot Planet. I aim to report back and share some thoughts on climate change and world hunger.
Here’s a shout out to the editors at Conducive Chronicle – Thank you! You all have been interminably supportive. I’m incredibly grateful for your help and your patience especially with all my late-night questions. I’m quite grateful.
Here’s another shout out to all those experts I’ve had the pleasure to meet on this journey. It brings me great comfort knowing you exist in this world – reaching out and offering your compassion and expertise to alleviate the suffering of those in need.
While I’m soooo excited about breakfast tomorrow (it feels like a special day – a holiday or a birthday or something), I am equally as eager to get some sleep.
And on that note, I bid you all good night and leave you with a few quotes.
Food is power. Are you in control of yours?
~John Jeavons
A society is defined not only by what it creates, but by what it refuses to destroy.
~John Sawhill, former president/CEO of The Nature Conservancy
Only when the last tree has been cut down,
Only when the last river has been poisoned,
Only when the last fish has been caught,
Only then will you find that money cannot be eaten.
~ Cree Indian Prophecy
To support the organizations I write about in the series, purchase a World Hunger: Be the Solution Tee. Proceeds from the shirt will go to the Small Planet Institute Fund and the International Fund for Africa. All tees are sweat free and available in organic cotton. To see the selection of World Hunger tees at Conducive’s Humanitarian & Human Rights Tee store, click here
To follow this series from the beginning, you can click the links below:
21 Days for World Hunger: Day 1
21 Days for World Hunger: Day 2
21 Days for World Hunger: Day 3
21 Days for World Hunger: Day 4
21 Days for World Hunger: Day 5
21 Days for World Hunger: Day 6
21 Days for World Hunger: Day 7
21 Days for World Hunger: Day 8
21 Days for World Hunger: Day 9
21 Days for World Hunger: Day 10
21 Days for World Hunger: Day 11
21 Days for World Hunger: Day 13
21 Days for World Hunger: Day 14
21 Days for World Hunger: Day 15
21 Days for World Hunger: Day 16
21 Days for World Hunger: Day 17
21 Days for World Hunger: Day 18
21 Days for World Hunger: Day 19
21 Days for World Hunger: Day 20
Solutions for World Hunger: Part I
Solutions for World Hunger: Part II
Solutions for World Hunger: Part III
Kenda, originally from Pennsylvania, is now a self-proclaimed Santa Crustacean residing joyfully in Santa Cruz, California. Her undergraduate studies in Organizational Communication were at Penn State, and she received a Masters in Art Therapy Psychology at Notre Dame in Belmont, Ca.
Kenda spent ten years providing art therapy to high risk children – mostly children dealing with loss and grief issues. For the past eleven years, she has worked independently with diverse organizations as a staff and management development consultant and facilitator. Her blog Xtreme Customer Service www.xtremecustomerservice.blogspot.com focuses on solutions to interpersonal issues.
As the daughter of a former District Forrester, she learned at an early age the importance of conserving natural resources and caring for the earth. She plans to publish her first earth-friendly children’s book March 2011.
Kenda describes herself as vegan, an ever-evolving normal neurotic, a gardener, a painter, writer and photographer, a dog-lover, incredibly fortunate to have such a fantabulous husband and adorable step-daughter, and one who whole-heartedly appreciates wildlife and the awe-inspiring natural beauty provided by our earth.
I find it interesting that your total costs were more than we could afford in a month before we had kids, for the two of us. We budgeted at $80/month, we could not have afforded $119 in 3 weeks and I’d wager that the vast majority of the world’s hungry would be in that situation. Even now, as a family of four, we only spend around $300/month. My kids never go hungry unless they just outright refuse to eat (which my 3 year old is fond of… since she knows she can just nurse, I suppose that makes it easier to decide she doesn’t want anything we have). Although we can’t afford her preferred diet of strawberries, blueberries, steak, yogurt, broccoli, cereal and eggs. The last four, easy (WIC provides three of them), but do you know how expensive berries are when eating them as more than a garnish? lol Although more that I insist she eats a more varied diet than that.
We are at 110% of the poverty line, approximately, with almost no luxuries (and no, for a disabled person such as myself, the internet is not a luxury) and may as well have no debt (since we haven’t been able to pay any of the CCs we ran up during the gas crisis–public transportation here is nearly nonexistent and my husband works in the next state just to have a place to work)–no car payments or gym memberships or anything like that. It’s just to keep our power, gas (for hot water–which we actually can’t afford right now and are thus, relegated to borrowing showers or taking cold baths or hauling water from the hotplate–we can’t afford the electrician to wire a stove), water (to drink, flush waste, and to wash clothes and diapers–that I got all either free, secondhand or both) and the crumbling roof over our head, along with food in our bellies.
Are we stupid? No, not even average. My IQ is 132 and my husband’s is 136. Our children were planned. Why not wait until we were more “secure”? When is that going to happen? No one can tell us and honestly, this is the most money I’ve had access to in my life. I’ve watched people who “waited” (and then many had to waste thousands of dollars on fertility treatments… my bottle of vitex for my fertility issues cost $8) and had their planned families with their planned security and about 2-4 years ago, lost it all, bit by bit. Many sank lower than we’re at because they were used to money and didn’t know what to do without it. My kids have never wanted for anything that they needed, and I include toys and random “just because” gifts in that. I don’t spend a lot on them, either, nor do I have any “charity” beyond WIC.
We get to go out to eat when friends pay, as even fast food is expensive. I live on sandwiches, cereal, soup and one (usually boxed meal) a day that the whole family shares. For snacks, I might have popcorn (30 cents a bag), a piece of cheese or some baked good my mom bought to share.
The life of a post-hungry person in the US. Just saying that being hungry because you’re poor and being poor because you make stupid choices (like living on fast food), aren’t the same thing. Beyond that, probably just babbling.
I’ve really enjoyed reading most of this (some of the statistical stuff I wasn’t really interested in, numbers having so little meaning and already being more aware of hunger and grateful for the country I’ve gone hungry in–because going hungry here is not like anywhere else–than most). Even if I believe in a different human diet, I still have respect and love for my veggie and vegan friends. So I also ignored most of the pro-veggie stuff since I’ve seen it all so many times over I’m pretty tired of it.
I thank you for sharing your journey. I don’t get what people in the US eating less will do for anyone else in the world (since it’s not like the food that they aren’t eating is going to go to feed anyone), but I do appreciate the sentiment and the fact that you care.
Again, thank you for sharing your month and may you enjoy some delicious Amy’s pizza (because everything Amy’s is amazing and I wish I could justify spending that kind of money on food!) and the rest
May your recovery be free of any negative events.
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Thanks for taking the time to write such an eloquent comment, Jane.
You bring up many excellent points including how there may be an incorrect assumption about people who are hovering on (below or above) the poverty line. I’ve known plenty of intelligent people who are living with little means. And you’re right on, when I looked at the food costs for those three weeks, I actually thought, ‘wow, that’s probably a lot of money for many folks’. I happen to live in an area where almost everything is at a higher cost than many places in this country. My guess is that the food I purchased here in Northern California would cost about 25-30% less in most other states. And we still have plenty of dried goods remaining – I’m guessing a full week’s worth.
Mostly, thank you for stopping by and taking the time to share your thoughts. I appreciate your comments, and I think others can benefit from them as well.
With gratitude,
Kenda
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Actually, many of the organic produce in CA was cheaper than the stuff here (my husband comes from the Bay Area)–we go back and stay with his dad from time to time. It was a surprise to us, too, but I think partly that the produce is grown more locally and partly to make up for the higher cost of living than here in the Midwest.
I figured you’d probably realize the costs were more than most people’s, especially when you pointed out how much you had left.
Also wanted to say that I don’t blame you for wanting that cup of chai every day–I adore chai lattes and whenever Oregon Chai goes on sale, you can bet I grab a box!
Again, thank you for sharing your journey. It was a fascinating read.
~Jane
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YAY Kenda!
YOU DID IT! Thank you for showing us a different way of thinking about the world of hunger by bringing it into an unprecedented clear focus. Rest up and eat!
Best,
Amy
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Thanks Amy! I’ve been doing quite well in both areas – resting and eating.
Cheers,
Kenda
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Kenda,
Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for this breathtaking and heartbreaking series of articles. You managed to illuminate one of the most complex and painful tragedies on earth in a respectful, non-condescending, and compassionate way, which is a rare accomplishment.
I have learned tremendously from your research and I have recommitted myself to changing my immediate world to improve the world at large. Live simply so that others may simply live. In the course of reading and rereading these articles I have been overwhelmed with a desire to do more, to spread awareness on this topic and your work, and have been contemplating how I can best bring attention to my readers.
I would love to do a Souljourn of my own, and am ashamed at the terror the thought brings up in me. You did something so brave and beautiful, and so heartfelt, I will be thinking of this and sharing it for years to come.
Thank you again,
Natasha
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Wow, Natasha, I don’t know how to eloquently respond to your touching comment. Thank you is about all I can muster at the moment. I’m incredibly encouraged by your words.
If you decide to embark upon your own Souljourn, please let me know. I’d like to support you. I’ve also tossed around the idea of doing another World Hunger Souljourn in October – around World Food Day. Maybe we could start a movement!
Many many thanks,
Kenda
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Kenda,
I’m glad you were touched by my message, but honestly I feel that I didn’t even do your contribution justice. What you have done here is truly astounding, I have reread each entry several times. They are riveting, heartbreaking, and beautifully written. Again, thank you for doing this!
My husband and I both feel that we NEED to do a Souljourn, to raise awareness of world hunger and the people it effects. I would love to join in your movement and help you increase knowledge and awareness of this topic. I think doing another 21 day Souljourn in October is a great idea.
I’ve been thinking of some more immediate actions to take, maybe to get people talking and learning and ready to participate on their own in October. I have a vegan food blog and lots of compassionate friends in the vegan/animal rights blogosphere, so perhaps I could talk to them about joining in. If you want to email me I would love to see what you think and ask you a few questions.
Again, thank you for everything you have done and the inspiration you’ve given me, and so many others!
Tasha
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I found out about your experiment when it first appeared on Alter-net. After tracking your progress since day 1 and spent the next 5 days figuring out what to say without sounding A) Creepy, B) Offensive or C) Both. Having said that, I enjoyed reading all of your research as well as the documentation of the emotional/physical effects this can take on the body. I honestly wish I could have observed this process and documented the effects myself, it would have made interesting research on malnutrition’s effects on the human body.
Having said that, I also found your statistics on world hunger quite compelling as well. Being unemployed, I basically do computer repairs and network troubleshooting as side income, tragically this is my main source of income since I was laid off a month ago. In addition to this finding work is never easy on account that I am developmentally disabled with what is known as Asperger’s Syndrome which is a mild, high-functioning form of autism. In other words I have difficulty expressing emotions as well as reading them from other people, hence why I had to recite and review this post before submitting it, to avoid social faux pas. (Never fails, I can discuss Erwin Schrodinger’s contributions to quantum field theory at length, but when someone cries I have no idea what to do) Despite having a measured IQ of 159 (quick reference: 70 is retardation, 120 is average 160 and above is savant (Einstein’s was 164) but I think this comes off as bragging. Albeit the IQ standard is out of date) and having served in the military, it never ceases to amaze me what I am capable of subsisting on. I myself eat about once or twice a day and I haven’t omitted meat entirely, but it’s certainly not on every dish I make. (Mostly on account that vegetables and fruits, on average, are significantly cheaper than meat, but in more desperate circumstances, I’m fairly good at foraging/cooking insects/lizards which have significantly more protein than beef)
Having said that, I additionally am designing a project of my own. Since my mother has been mentioning the idea of using her aptitude at growing plants, I have successfully designed a greenhouse (complete with sprinkler system on a timer, now to wait for the materials to show up) and garden for her which she can use to grow her own food and (possibly) sell it to the rest of the community. (I’m teaching her how to preserve and can as well using a mix of my knowledge with chemistry and natural ingredients like salt).
I should probably close this before I end up rambling. (Which I am often prone to do) I would like to thank you for shedding some light on this subject and I would love to know how the recovery effort works out.
To which I leave you with the following quotes:
“But hope is not resignation; it is a commitment to continue to struggle even when things seem to warrant surrender, when hope flares, it allows human beings to overcome monstrous difficulties. It allows people to defy common sense and confound strategists. Hope experienced in the extreme, like faith and love, is miraculous.” ~ Daniel Santiago, in his book “The Harvest of Justice”.
“The scientist only imposes two things, namely truth and sincerity, imposes them upon himself and upon other scientists.” ~ Erwin Schrodinger
“Income inequality is the bane of empires.” ~ Plutarch
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To Tasha: I loved your blog – was snooping around there yesterday. I’ll contact you directly so we can take this conversation offline. Thank you again. I’m inspired by your passion!
To Jacob: Where do I begin? First off, thank you for your thoughtful, well thought-out and insightful comment. I find you amazing. I have someone very dear in my life who is dealing with Asperger’s, so I have some understanding of the struggles; makes me even more in awe of you.
I agree that observations and documentations of this process (physically) would’ve been interesting. I started to do some research on what exactly happens to the body during starvation, but I instead maintained my focus on the bigger picture. I actually did get some blood work done about two days into the project. Everything looked great – vitamin levels, cholesterol, etc. But who knows, it might have been a different picture at the end. While I was eating considerably less, I was eating very healthy, whole foods, so my guess is that overall, the numbers would’ve still looked good after only three weeks. Just a guess.
I would love to see a photo of your greenhouse. That’s quite a success story. I’m in the process of writing solutions to world hunger. If you have anything to add that would help others (designing a green house, for instance), please share. I can provide you with an email. I hope you find ways to flourish with your greenhouse.
I aim to have the Solutions posts up in just a couple of days.
Oh your quotes – fabulous! Thank you kindly Jacob!
Many thanks and much appreciation to you both!
Kenda
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I have absolutely no problem helping you out with the research as well as coming up with solutions. I collect and read books as a hobby (textbooks, manuals, works of fiction, documentaries, etc). One of my biggest fixations is on economics (particularly Chile ca 1968-1994 and even use it as a model to predict behaviors of countries) I obsess about markets and things that, for some reason, most people would find boring. If you need help crunching numbers and such I am always glad to help.
The greenhouse issue still remains incomplete. Most of this is on account of the weather as well as the fact that a few parts I ordered have not arrived, the foundation is laid out, but still remains incomplete. (waiting for the snow to stop coming down) I can photo scan and send pictures of the designs if you want to take a look at it. (otherwise it might be about a month before I finish the greenhouse and send pictures)In tandem I’m also tracking plant growth with heritage seeds as well as watering and soil requirements for each plant in order to adjust the timers on the system I am designing. I’m hoping to have this thing up and running by the beginning of May, so I can send you photos of the finished product as well if you wish.
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Thanks for your reply, Jacob! Sorry for the delayed response. I seem to be slipping behind. I may just take you up on the offer to help with research. Alas, I don’t have any current needs for your generous offer, yet I am planning to do another World Hunger Souljourn in October. Perhaps then?
No hurries on the greenhouse photos. When you have it finished, I’ll see if I can fit a photo into one of the solutions post. And if you’re willing to be a point person for others, perhaps your contact information too. Just some food for thought. No need to decide right now.
You’re welcome to send your greenhouse photos (I think when it’s completed will be best) or additional thoughts to: kendaswartz@gmail.com
Mostly, thanks for caring!
Cheers,
Kenda
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