Search the site...

Dinger Dives in
  • Blog
  • About Me
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • About Me
  • Contact

Welcome

Happiness Is a warm meal given to another

2/7/2016

 
Picture
​For the past two years, I have volunteered to make breakfast on a Sunday morning once a month at a homeless shelter in Alexandria, Virginia. It's early...think 7 a.m. early to start making the breakfast. But it's such a humbling and rewarding experience that I don't even think twice about waking up at 6 a.m. on a Sunday.

Me and several others then serve the residents at 8 a.m. for about 30 minutes. When it's slow or there aren't many residents, that's a good thing. That means those people have hopefully found a job or a home. But when it's packed and busy, it breaks my heart. It breaks my heart even more when I see kids in line for breakfast. They don't have a choice in being there. 

This Sunday I found myself at the homeless shelter making scrambled eggs. I wanted to post about the food aspect of this volunteer work. In the past two years, I've only helped assist with scrambled eggs, pancakes and two types of bacon. Although, I will admit, I have never offered to make the bacon.

One thing that bothers me is that the food we serve isn't all that healthy. Sure, everyone loves pancakes, eggs, and of course bacon, but is that the best way we can be treating these homeless people in a shelter? The fact that they will undoubtedly have health problems later on, not from one meal like this, but from many, almost seems unintentionally cruel. And then of course we put out the butter and fake maple syrup. There is a bowl of fresh apples that goes out with the breakfast, but it really can't counteract the unhealthy breakfast being consumed. 

Part of the reason low-income, poor, and even homeless individuals have disproportionately more health problems than other demographics is because sugar-laden, highly processed foods are so cheap. It's unfortunate that our society gives so many subsidies to the sugar and corn industries to make producing this junk food cheaper than ever. 

It drives me nuts how almost everything we eat nowadays has sugar in it. It takes me longer to go grocery shopping because I read the labels on most everything I buy and put back the foods that have sneaked in mass amounts of sugar. What's worse, is that sugar filled foods are cheaper than foods that don't have sugar. One prime example is peanut butter, an item my husband and I consume quite often. Peanut butter made simply from peanuts and salt is actually MORE expensive than the peanut butter with hydrogenated sugar, high fructose syrup, and other ingredients I can't pronounce. 

So, when someone on a very tight budget has to chose their foods and options are limited, of course they are going to chose whatever is cheapest and it will most likely be filled with sugars and artificial ingredients. Many people don't even know to read the labels on food products and have no clue how much sugar, artificial ingredients, and fats are in the products. 

I don't want to criticize the people who donate and buy the ingredients so that the volunteers like me are able to make the breakfasts at the homeless shelter, but I do wish there was more awareness about how unhealthy the food is that we are serving. And perhaps one day, when enough strong-willed, determined consumers stand up to the giant food companies, slowly more and more sugars, fats, and artificial ingredients will be eliminated from the labels and healthy foods will be cheaper than junk food. 

dan
2/8/2016 05:48:12 pm

good article ! thanks


Comments are closed.

    Author

    Thanks for taking the time to explore this healthy & mind conscious food blog. It's a mix of vegetarian/vegan restaurant reviews, health food news, and recipes. I hope you find it interesting and keep coming back for more! 

    Archives

    July 2017
    May 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    September 2015

    Categories

    All
    Appetizer
    Asparagus
    Avocado
    Baked
    Bread
    Breakfast
    Buddha Bowl
    Butternut Squash
    Cabbage
    Cake
    Chocolate
    Dairyfree
    Dinner
    Diy Food
    Fall Foods
    Food Review
    Gluten Free
    Health Benefits
    Health Food News
    Homemade
    Hummus
    Irish Food
    Irish Soda Bread
    Jackfruit
    Low Fat
    Natural
    Organic
    Peanut Sauce
    Peas
    Protein
    Quick Recipes
    Quinoa
    Salad
    Seitan
    Side Dish
    Soup
    Soyfree
    Spices
    Spring Rolls
    Tacos
    Thanksgiving
    Tofu
    Turmeric
    Valentine's Day
    Vegan
    Vegan Drink
    Vegan Menu
    Vegan Shepherds Pie
    Vegetables
    Whole Foods Market
    Yogurt

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
Photos used under Creative Commons from backpackphotography, wuestenigel, Berries.com, Joe The Goat Farmer, barnimages.com, Frits Ahlefeldt, Hiking.org, Gabriel Kronisch, star5112, compassionconnect, RLHyde, nilswedding, symphony of love, jeffreyw, mainecooncastle, Infomastern, Studio Amore, SodexoUSA, Chatsy POP.H, thedailyenglishshow, Sean MacEntee, abcdz2000