Good Nutrition, on a Budget NYT

Good Nutrition, on a Budget NYT
Caryn Sweeney

Caryn Sweeney, a writer for an international nonprofit agency, has been writing “A Mile in Another’s Shoes,” about her experience of living on a food-stamp budget.

Before the age of fast food, poor families cooked from scratch after long hours in the fields and factories.

During my month-long challenge of living on a food-stamp budget, I chose to get the most nutrition for my dollar rather than the most food volume. Given my health problems, I could not base my menu on grains. I set out getting as much produce and protein as I could afford.

I researched in-season produce and found farmers’ markets offering deals to those receiving assistance. I adjusted those prices in my budget as if I had actually qualified. I managed an average of just over six servings of fruits and vegetables a day.

I checked the sale fliers, and made a spreadsheet of recipes to determine what to buy. I favored eggs, whole chickens and beef with bones for protein. From the leftovers I made stock to use in stir fries, soups, and rice to make them tastier and more filling.

I made multiple stops in a single grocery shopping trip for different sales. I had marathon vegetable chopping sessions on weekends, packing away sliced peppers, diced onions, blanched beans and more for use during the work week.

It’s hard work being poor, and many families on assistance are already working hard for long hours at low-paying jobs. I think a good addition to the food stamp program would be materials with time-saving tips, recipes for alternative appliances like electric skillets and toaster ovens for those who don’t have full kitchens, and ideas on how to maximize nutritious ingredients. Poor families for generations cooked from scratch after long hours in the fields, factories or mills because they had no 7-Eleven or McDonald’s on hand.

Today, too many poor Americans are both malnourished and overweight, at risk for diabetes and heart disease, because empty calories come so cheaply.