Eating on a Dollar a Day: The One Dollar Diet Project
October 11, 2008 · Print This Article
Last month two social justice teachers, Christopher and Kerri, set out on a 30-day experiment in what it’s like to live off only a dollar worth of food each day. The couple hoped to use the experience to gain a better understanding of poverty, consumerism and waste as well as raise money for Community Resource Center and ONE, an anti-poverty organization. The project was documented on the ‘One Dollar Diet Project’ blog.
Some of the rules the couple imposed upon themselves include not accepting free food or ‘donated’ food unless it’s available for everyone in their area (i.e. dumpster diving or foraging), and that ramen noodles were only acceptable if there was nothing else to eat. They asked people to sponsor them as they went, taking donations via PayPal, and their efforts paid off – they got a total of $1,032 (their goal was $1,000).
On the first day, Kerri remarked, “It seems odd to me that we have the luxury of doing this as an experiment when there are millions of families who have to budget their meals like this everyday.” That’s what makes this experiment especially interesting – considering the fact that millions of people across the world would be ecstatic to have $1 a day to spend on food. Plus, Christopher and Kerri had the luxury of items like peanut butter, frozen broccoli or wheat gluten cutlets – things that most of the world’s poor never have access to. It really makes you realize how much we take for granted.
One thing that’s great about this experiment is that it calls attention to how much food most people waste on a daily basis. We don’t think in terms of needing every morsel of food that’s available to us, yet the food we collectively throw away could feed millions. Plus, imagine all the trash that Kerri and Christopher avoided while taking part in this experiment!
Check out their journey, which just ended on October 1st, at the One Dollar Diet Project blog.
Link [One Dollar Diet Project]
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Interesting! As someone who cant eat soy, sugar, grains or corn, for health reasons, that would never work for me, but its interesting to get a different prospective of a problem fear of us ever have to face in this country.
I’m all for raising awareness on food waste and how it can be avoided. Hopefully, people won’t have to go to such extremes to realize the importance of avoiding waste. Yet, I fear that that’s the only way to really get the message.
I did see you both on tv. I really agree that eating less is more. More feeling good physically , spiritualy, and mentally. My husband and i are starting to change our diets. I just plain out feel like Cr**…when i eat things overloaded with chemicals, sugars, etc. Also both of you doing this to bring awareness to how others have very little to eat, and how millions of people waste food…is a great idea! We can stop wasting food, get healthier, and save money!. Bring on the smoothies!
I would like to see their diet plan:
Actual food that was consumed on a daily basis?
Where the food came from?
What modifications were implemented along the way?
What did they do when the quitting urges came?
Can these questions be answered without waiting for a book?
Interesting premise, for the last year 12-07 through 12-08 I and the wife have been on a similar program not so drastic but $5 dollars a day for each of us. Gone are most of the processed foods and no carbonated beverages In – are interesting on sale cuts of beef, fish, pork, chicken, turkey. beans, vegetables, and fruits, tap water or coffee and milk and lot’s of eating at home.
We recently discovered a great product that the supermarkets have, made by Reynolds – an inexpensive vaccum sealer $5 bucks and vaccum sealer food bags. the quart size meat bags run 22 cent each at one of the big box stores. And I can with a coupon for vacuum lock bags by Ziplock – Johnson Wax folks in WI. get the gallon bags for vegetables for .29 cents each But on the food – vegetable and fruits can reuse it about 4 times Meat only once.
But the end result now 2 of us can buy in bulk ” and with vacccum packaging – the end of waste and throwing out spoiled food” and the beginning of . eating well for a lot less.
They did a great job — we’ll be taking a little bit different approach in our ”dollar a day” challenge and we invite everyone to track our progress:
http://1-dollar-a-day.blogspot.com
We’re using this experiment as not only an educational tool but also as a fundraising effort for my upcoming mission trip to Zambia; a country where living on just $1 a day is the norm.
We’ll be tracking a few more other things so please check us out!
Thanks
Karla
http://1-dollar-a-day.blogspot.com
http://www.hope-heals.org
this is awesome and amazing. Thank YOu!