Hello Hive family, welcome back to my blog. I hope our Sunday has been restful.
Last week, while going about my usual business on WhatsApp, I received a message from an old acquaintance who happens to be a nutritionist. The message was about a five-day raw food challenge.
At first, I simply acknowledged it with an emoji and slid past, but moments later a thought crossed my mind: Why not give this a try? Perhaps it could help with my recent constipation that has been so frustrating.
Now, a little background, being a sickle cell warrior, I take a number of pain management medications, most of which are opioids. One of their side effects is chronic constipation. So, I decided to reopen that message and joined the challenge link without hesitation.
Honestly, I assumed from the start that the challenge meant eating mostly fruits. I also had a faint idea that eating raw foods for some days could aid detoxification, weight loss, better hydration, and improved nutrient retention, all good reasons to participate.
But a few days ago, when the shopping list for the challenge was posted, reality hit me. I was right about the fruits—but I didn’t expect the list to cost a small fortune!
Yesterday, I shared a post about how fruit prices have stubbornly refused to drop ( @wewarriors-28/rain-palava-who-are-the ). Since I was already at the local fruit market to buy supplies for my drinks business, I decided to also get some of the challenge items.
Honestly, by the time I left the market, I almost regretted signing up. I didn’t think stocking up would take that much. Still, I told myself there was no going back.
But the real shock came today when I went to buy some of the nuts and seeds recommended for the challenge. I chose three, groundnuts, cashews, and sesame seeds and my Nigerian folks will say “E no easy!” In fact, I spent far more than I had budgeted.
On my way back, I couldn’t help calculating and realized something striking: what I spent on fruits and nuts for five days could comfortably feed my family of five (three adults and two children) for a whole week, maybe more.
That left me wondering: Why is it so costly to eat raw and healthy? As someone living with a chronic blood disorder, I know the benefits of fruits are enormous. But maybe because I usually buy them in small portions, like slices of watermelon, pineapple, or pawpaw so I never realized how expensive it can be to stock up in bulk.
Perhaps that’s one reason many of us stick more to cooked foods, or why balanced meals feel like a luxury in this part of the world.
Either way, I’m still grateful I could afford it this time and I’m looking forward to experiencing my very first raw food challenge. I’m eager to see how it feels and the difference it will make. Wish me well as I begin tomorrow, Monday, 8th September. I’ll be sure to keep you posted on the journey.
Wishing us all a beautiful week ahead.