Bif Naked begins B.C. welfare challenge, living on $3 a day for food

For three dollars a day we can get a non GMO organic meal bar that will nourish us for a day, and then a kombucha the next, and maybe a small bag of nuts and seeds the next. Now all we need is water. May be a bit uncomfortable, but we may only become lean and disease free.

I'll take this scenario over hearty fast food dollar menu meals every day, from now into infinity.

I've read that ancient Mayan warriors would vitalize themselves all day simply from a handful of chia seeds. I believe it, I have formatted my own diet to support such a claim.

I'd rather be "hungry" and dis-ease free then full and full of dis-ease.

The word “Chia” comes from the Mayan language and means strength. Chia seeds are a balanced blend of protein, carbohydrates, fats and fiber. It is said that 1 tablespoon of Chia can sustain a person for 24 hours. Athletes have reported that Chia seeds help them perform at optimal levels for much longer periods of time

a reply to: GoShredAK

I can tell you after being a professional fighter that it's impossible to eat a handful of chia seeds and stay alive longer then a month while training,

Kudos to Bif for attempting to raise awareness.

Hunger is not something that should happen in developed countries.

a reply to: onequestion

But it may be possible to just survive for an average person.

I workout every morning, skate, surf, snowboard, and am an aspiring mma practitioner, so I respect.

Chia seeds are one of nature's most perfect natural food, and regarded by many nutritional experts as the pinnacle superfood. Chia is a food that gives you high sustained energy, high fiber, and high perfectly digestable protein for muscle, and tissue regeneration.

There are immediate benefits and accumulated sustained health benefits from including chia seeds in your eating habits. Some like energy, and healthy regularity, you will notice right away. Others like joint support, cardiovascular health, weight loss, muscle regeneration, etc. will exhibit itself after prolonged use.

Overall, your health will be greatly improved with the regular addition of chia seeds to your daily eating habits. Small healthy changes to our daily habits that will become part of our enjoyed healthy daily routine will become second nature and greatly improve our quality of life.

Many respected experts say if they could have just one cup of food a day, chia seeds would be it. Not only does it have super nutritional value, but it tastes good, is inexpensive, goes well with many other foods, supports weight loss, and helps with a variety of medical conditions.

A fighter requires much more nutrients than average joe, as you know, still though I would eat the chia seeds over the burguesa. (generally speaking, not assuming you eat lots of burgers)

I guess the point I delivered, poorly. Is that we are all too obssesed with the need to be constantly digesting, and if we could make it back to our roots we would see that we don't need so much, and that most mainstream food is poison.

I know three dollars is boarderline unrealistic, but folks on welfare can manage, and are better off than much of humanity.

whatscookingamerica.net...

www.healthy-eating-guidelines.net...

a reply to: Ettenurb

It's not something that should happen period. No one on this planet needs to be without food. We are more that capable of feeding everyone in huge abundance but we don't do it. ((Look to the original post for how))

I once took a challenge, to live for a month without money or help from anyone. I ate earthworms and plants, and one rabbit, found out I am not a good hunter, You would be surprised how good you feel off of earthworms. Would I do it again, no!!. , But now I know I could survive if I had to.

a reply to: GoShredAK

Until you actually are struggling to afford basic food, I don't think you should be saying that "folks on welfare can manage" I find that very insulting as someone who is struggling myself.

Yes I agree with you that we need to be eating healthier foods, I disagree with your statement about

Is that we are all too obssesed with the need to be constantly digesting

You are supposed to have 6 small meals in a day and snacking (only on healthy things) is encourage for a health diet ((I know this because I have seen a dietician and my older sister is a personal trainer))

I encourage you to take the $3 a day challenge, if you don't cheat, you will get a small sample of what some people have to suffer through. If you really want to know what it is like, go live on the streets for a month. Try it out.

a reply to: Sabiduria

No insults intended, I apologize for any offense.

Been homeless for three months. Lived out of a Corolla, some of the best three months of my life. Still struggling to this day, and I've seen plenty of hard times, I've got to be honest, the three dollar challenge sounds easy to me.

Maybe not to my wife, I'm always having to convince her everything will be ok, money is our biggest problem, I am currently a recipient of food stamps, I feel like I live at my job, my credit is beyond bad, I am currently a recipient of food stamps but won't panic if they go away.

Contrary to your assumption, I am plenty familiar with hard times, just not too into complaining or dwelling in negativity, but rather, viewing things in a positve manner, finding a way out, and striving on.

a reply to: GoShredAK
My apologies, it just sounded like you were being unrealistic but if it has worked out for you in the past than I'm happy it worked for you.

Not everyone can make the diet work but it is good advice for those who can make it work.

I wish your current situation was better. If I ruled the world, people would work at jobs they love, the basics of life (food, water, shelter, etc) would be free & the education system would be completely different.

a reply to: Sabiduria

Poverty in canada, vancouver in particular is mind blowing. It has to be seen to be believed, there are areas that could compete for third world status, sadly mostly native.

There aren't many programs outside of basic welfare, and that itself is meagre.

Canada is a beautiful place provided you are mentally sound or never fall on hard times. I don't believe in government handouts as a given, but for those truly in need canada's efforts are soul destroying.

a reply to: igloo
I agree, things are super bad in Vancouver. Canada has a lot to be desired for helping those in need.

I tried to get on disability so I could afford the medications my doctors want but because my fiance was making more than $750 a cheque I didn't qualify. When rent, utilities, groceries and basic household items are paid for, we have $20 left & that is not enough to pay my medications. (I'm on Fair pharmacare with as much being deducted as possible.

It pisses me off because there are people who are abusing the system yet someone like me who wants to be on it temporarily, can't get any help.

originally posted by: Sabiduria
a reply to: igloo
I agree, things are super bad in Vancouver. Canada has a lot to be desired for helping those in need.

I tried to get on disability so I could afford the medications my doctors want but because my fiance was making more than $750 a cheque I didn't qualify. When rent, utilities, groceries and basic household items are paid for, we have $20 left & that is not enough to pay my medications. (I'm on Fair pharmacare with as much being deducted as possible.

It pisses me off because there are people who are abusing the system yet someone like me who wants to be on it temporarily, can't get any help.

the whole world has a problem helping those in need.....partially because there is no incentive to help others...we live in a greed based society which is instilled from birth....in the first years of school it is already a game of "keeping up with the Joneses"....i want... i need....that is what we have to change ...the overlords are indoctrinating the upcoming generations as they have been doing for some time....it is up to us as parents to change the programming ....we are the ones responsible for how our children grow up...time for we the people to take the reigns and do what we know is right

a reply to: Sabiduria

Remove the common denominator of poverty and you will solve it. What is that common denominator? Money. The only tool used to socially stratify society. The use of money (monetary economics) alone causes poverty, hunger, crime, greed, corruption, war...etc.

The resources exist to lift everyone to a relatively high standard of living (food, clean clothes, good shelter, transportation). The catch is, you can't use capitalism...or any ism, to get there.

3$ a day worth a food will make anyone unhealthy after a while. Not enough nutrients and vitamin defiancy...

Now, what happens in Canada when someone gets sick? Our system takes the tab.
A weeks worth of hopital treatments is worth 1000-2000$ maybe more.

Is it really worth it to have poor people in the long run?

Although, if people made too much off of wealthfair, maybe they wouldn't want to work considering they will lose their "financial security" ?

Like some Scandinavians have, minimum salary to every single person sounds like a good plan.

This brings to mind the Congressman who claimed to have done this, a year or three back - only for it to come out that he was letting lobbyists take him out to eat while he was supposedly doing "Just fine" on peanut butter, beans, and rice.

I'll have to Google to find it and make sure my memory is accurate about the specifics...

Either way, this is something that many people need to educate themselves about. It is so common for the idea of taxation to bring out the selfish in people and for propaganda to teach them to behave as though Ayn Rand had written a Bible and not a work of fiction. Even claims that we are inhibiting Darwinism by helping to feed the poor fall apart under scrutiny.

We live in a country where restaurant chains are ordered to dispose of ( destroy ) any food not sold. These policies are hidden behind legalese suggesting that giving a hungry person free food might open the doors for a food poisoning based lawsuit from a claimant who didn't even purchase the product. But the real motive is greed.

Imagine how easy it would be to solve hunger if corporate policies moved away from destruction and toward donation.

originally posted by: badgerprints
Back when I was a kid trying to put myself through school, I lived mostly off of dried beans and rice.
Bought them by the bucket from the feed store back then.
Also baked biscuits and cornbread from scratch
Coffee,
Tea,
Eggs (cheap protein)
oatmeal
salt
That was about it most of the time.

I lived on 15 to 20 a week but I knew how to cook and ate the same food over and over.
It is tough to make ends meet on that small a budget.

Yep...eating the same stuff day after day. Been there, done that.

originally posted by: Sabiduria
a reply to: GoShredAK
My apologies, it just sounded like you were being unrealistic but if it has worked out for you in the past than I'm happy it worked for you.

Not everyone can make the diet work but it is good advice for those who can make it work.

I wish your current situation was better. If I ruled the world, people would work at jobs they love, the basics of life (food, water, shelter, etc) would be free & the education system would be completely different.

Thank you! That was kind. I too wish your current situation was better. I couldn't agree with your last paragraph more. The system is broken and only benefits the elite and big wigs.

Education, I'm terrified of sending my little one out there and am seriously considering homeschool.

S&F for your thread and peace be with you Sabiduria.

a reply to: theMediator

In Finland, minimum wage was a bit above $20/hr, you work 30hrs a week, there is free education, free health care and if you lose your job, they help you get a new one so that you can bounce back right away. That way people aren't going to be considered a burden on the system, they will be able to go back to contributing to society.

Now, what happens in Canada when someone gets sick? Our system takes the tab. A weeks worth of hopital treatments is worth 1000-2000$ maybe more.

There is a problem with that though, in areas like Prince George, B.C and the Okanagan, B.C there are high amounts of sick children. If we had to pay for health care ourselves, there would be way more people in poverty & more homeless people. I know my family would have ended up on the streets, single Mother with an incurable auto-immune disease & younger sister with an incurable auto-immune disease. My Mom would have died and probably my younger sister too.

originally posted by: Hefficide

We live in a country where restaurant chains are ordered to dispose of ( destroy ) any food not sold. These policies are hidden behind legalese suggesting that giving a hungry person free food might open the doors for a food poisoning based lawsuit from a claimant who didn't even purchase the product. But the real motive is greed.

Imagine how easy it would be to solve hunger if corporate policies moved away from destruction and toward donation.

One of my friends used to work at KFC and they had to toss their unsold food at the end of the night in the dumpster out back. Homeless people would dig through the dumpster to get the food. The only problem though is they also would have to toss raw chicken & expired raw chicken in the dumpster as well. Homeless people would get sick and blamed KFC for it. There was a fence all around the dumpster with two big doors for the garbage guys to get at the dumpster so KFC got a chain and padlock. Three separate times the padlock & chain got snipped so that the homeless could get back into the dumpster.

The sheer desperation of some people just to get food should speak volumes to the problem at hand. Apparently it's falling on deaf ears & apathetic hearts.

a reply to: GoShredAK

I can get defensive when people who have never experienced something like poverty get so judgmental. I also apologize when I make mistakes too about someone.

If I end up still in Canada when I have a child, I'm homeschooling it. However, if I had it my way, I'd move somewhere like Finland.

Namaste