Five Day SNAP Challenge

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 4^th-8^th.