I was asked last week to help with the SNAP Challenge.
Several employees from Legacy Community Health Care are going to eat
for one week using only the amount of money you would have if you relied solely
on SNAP to pay for your food. The goal is to experience the
struggle that nearly 1 in 7 Americans – including nearly 25% of all American
children – face every day. You will learn first-hand how difficult it is to
afford nutritious foods, avoid hunger, and stay healthy without adequate
resources.
As the Dietitian at Legacy I was up to the challenge to help
my fellow employees with this project. Growing up in a family that had to
stretch their dollar I learned very early on how to buy and eat on the cheap. I
learned the importance of meal planning and cooking foods from scratch.
Meal planning is huge. It’s amazing how
much food we throw out if we don’t plan to eat it. Buying less convenience
foods and more healthy options is also huge. Because we often buy a little bit
of both, but then end up eating the convenience foods first when we get home
from the store (because they’re convenient), and end up letting the healthy
foods go bad. So even though healthy foods may cost more, you actually save
money by wasting less food.
What are the rules for the SNAP Five Day
Challenge?
Each person can spend a total of $22.50 on food and beverages during the
Challenge week. This budget translates to $4.50 per day, or $1.50 per meal.
Keep all receipts and track all
your food and beverage spending. Any food or beverages purchased and eaten
during the Challenge week must be accounted for in your budget. For the
purposes of this Challenge, you must include in your budget any amount you
spend dining out.
During the Challenge, eat only food that you purchase specifically for
the Challenge. Do not eat food that you already have in your pantry or
refrigerator (excluding spices and condiments).
Follow our blogs and see how we do
during our SNAP challenge for week of February 4th-8th.
