Eating and Eating Well

Taking the SNAP Challenge this week has been an interesting exercise for me, and it’s made me think differently about the economics of basic nutrition. One thing it’s especially made me reconsider is the difference between what I think of as “the basic essentials” and “luxury foods.” I’ve usually thought of things like fancy cheeses, pesto sandwich spreads, exotic olives, or pricey herbs and spices as things that I would splurge on now and then because I could afford it. None of these are things that I need to have a nutritious diet. It had never occurred to me that meeting the minimum requirements of a healthy, well-rounded diet could be somewhat difficult to attain.

For instance, I’ve always taken for granted the notion that one should eat a variety of fruits and vegetables of all shapes and colors. I was surprised at how difficult it was to do this on $4/day. We managed to squeeze a total of 3 apples, a bag of spinach, and a can of tomatoes into our budget. This is better than nothing of course, but I’m used to starting every day with a smoothie containing kale, blueberries, banana, and maybe some apple, carrots, pineapple, or whatever else I happen to have on hand. I usually snack on fruits and vegetables during the day, and our dinners almost always are filled out by 2-3 different vegetables. That sort of diet seems normal and healthy to me, but it was not an option with the budget we had this week.

And then there’s the difference between whole grains and refined flour. Again, I’ve never questioned the notion that one should in general default to eating whole grains. But when it’s a choice between the $1 loaf of “enriched flour” bread or the $3.50 loaf of hearty whole grain bread, the budget demanded that we go for the cheaper, but less nutritious option.

I also got to wondering about what someone who was especially environmentally aware would do in this situation. For example, for those who think that cage-free eggs are ethically preferable to the standard factory farmed eggs, it costs an extra couple dollars to purchase eggs in accordance with their values. Likewise, many people (especially pregnant women) would prefer to eat mostly organic fruits and vegetables because of concerns regarding pesticide-treated produce. These products however were simply not available on the SNAP Challenge budget. It became clear that eating in line with one’s environmental concerns is itself a luxury available only to some of us.

What I’ve realized by the end of all this is that staying fed and not hungry on $4/day is certainly doable, if not exactly fun. The real difficulty, however, lies in maintaining a well-rounded, healthy, nutritious diet on that budget. I’m glad I participated in this exercise, because I think it’s important to be aware of the economic realities facing the less fortunate members of our society. This is especially important when we consider the effects of diet on children, who are still developing their bodies and minds. It’s repeatedly been shown that the quality of a child’s diet is directly correlated with their performance in school. Hence, it’s not enough that we make sure everyone can eat. We as a society should strive to ensure that everyone, especially children, can eat well.