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> The U.S. Congress, for one, should increase funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — food stamps — on which 50 million American families de
by ng12 7y ago
> The U.S. Congress, for one, should increase funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — food stamps — on which 50 million American families depend.
This is anecdotal but I used to work at a corner store in a poor neighborhood. We received plenty of customers paying with EBT but not once (literally, not once) did someone come in and buy peanut butter, pasta, bread, canned veggies, or any of the cheap nutritious foods with EBT. It was always junk food (or worse, candy and soda). It seems to me SNAP is a very small part of the problem compared to a lack of education and resources.
- okmokmz 7y agoI shop at a local Hispanic grocery store, and I'm always surprised how many people will buy soda, sugary breakfast cereals, candy, essentially boxed fast food, and other garbage with their food stamps rather than the great fresh produce, meats, seafood, etc. that's available. It certainly isn't everyone, but it does seem to be the majority anecdotally. I agree that education is a far more important piece of resolving this issue
- Wowfunhappy 7y agoWorth noting that processed foods also provide far more calories per dollar. So in a way, they're maximizing their limited funds, albeit with long term consequences.
- ng12 7y agoMaximizing calorie per dollar almost certainly means boxes of pasta, jars of peanut butter, and bags of rice and beans. I think comfort, habit, and convenience have more to do with it than calories.
- Wowfunhappy 7y agoI think it's both! I agree, it's unlikely many people have literally thought through "what single food will best maximize my calorie intake?" However, it's relatively intuitive that spending some amount of money on cereal will get you further than spending the same amount on Apples. And so they buy cereal.
- belltaco 7y agoBut all of those need time and effort to prepare. If you put a dollar cost on the effort involved McDonalds dollar menu might come ahead.
- Sharlin 7y agoOne should not underestimate the extent to which stress, depression, and anxiety can make us crave comfort food, and rob the energy to do things like cook your own meals. Especially if you're a working poor and already tired when you get home.
- qwsxyh 7y agoNot to mention mental health issues can also make "healthy" meals just taste like shit making everything worse and driving people to get more unhealthy food.
- Sharlin 7y agoDefinitely! Depression has a habit of blunting sensory experiences, including taste.
- Reedx 7y agoTrue, but that's a self reinforcing feedback loop. Eat junk -> Feel like crap, low energy -> Eat more junk Not a good long term strategy. There are widely available low cost foods that can help break that loop. Rice, beans, eggs, frozen vegetables... In fact frozen vegetables are often more nutritious than non-frozen, unless you're eating close enough to picking time.
- qwsxyh 7y agoEat junk -> Feel like crap Put a bunch of effort into making good food -> Feel like crap Seems obvious what I pick.
- yellowapple 7y ago> Not a good long term strategy. That's exactly the point. When you're poor, you don't have the luxury of considering a long term strategy.
- Sharlin 7y ago> that's a self reinforcing feedback loop. That's exactly the point. You don't break out of those just by deciding one day to be rational.
- oposa 7y agoIt isn't particularly surprising that those with less money would limit their purchases at the corner store to non-essential items. That is usually how corner, or literally convenience, stores work.
- notJim 7y agoThis could have to do with the fact that you were at a corner store, rather than an actual grocery store. I mostly buy junk food at corner stores too, because I buy groceries at the grocery store.
- jvreagan 7y agoSame thing way back in the 80s. Only they would buy a small fruit (lime, lemon) for 10 cents with a 10 dollar stamp... then use the change to buy their liquor. And this was a middle class neighborhood. Never saw stamps used for what they were supposed to be there for. Sad.
- Data_Junkie 7y agoIt is lack of education, but those lacking the education that really matters are those making the rules that fill the food supply. Nothing will ever change as long as those responsible are allowed to hide behind cultural beliefs that they control.