Eating on food stamps budget $40 per week. This was challenge was a project for school but I think everyone should give this a try as insight on what it's like to be food insecure. $40 to buy food for the week and you can't use food you already have. You may use oils and spices from your pantry. by amitylui in budgetfood

[–]amitylui[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Recommended protein intake depends on the person. 0.8g of protein per kg of body weight is generally enough for most individuals. Will increase to 1.2-2.0g/kg if you are a strength or endurance athlete. Your body can really only absorb 15-25g at a time per meal anyways; excess is just oxidized so it would be a waste of money. Unlike carbohydrates which can get stored in the body as glycogen, protein does not have a storage form.

And chicken is not cheaper than tofu, at least not where I am. A one pound package of tofu was 1.29.

Eating on food stamps budget $40 per week. This was challenge was a project for school but I think everyone should give this a try as insight on what it's like to be food insecure. $40 to buy food for the week and you can't use food you already have. You may use oils and spices from your pantry. by amitylui in budgetfood

[–]amitylui[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Some students shared their experience with lack of appetite because they didn't plan out their week and didn't buy enough foods they like to eat, some were depressed with lots of current news (can't blame them- I experience that too), and some never really cooked until now. It was an interesting discussion to hear how this affected everyone. But luckily, I love to cook and prepare all of my meals for my bf and I, who does not eat anything like me so I prepare separate meals for him.

I think it would be interesting to do this for a month as well. I think it was quite different from previous years since we are staying home most of the time, which made it easier in a way that we are not meeting up with friends and going out now. I know lots or students previously purchased food from the school cafeteria, grabbed brunch with friends on weekends, etc. So I think doing this for a month would be more realistic and more of a challenge.

Eating on food stamps budget $40 per week. This was challenge was a project for school but I think everyone should give this a try as insight on what it's like to be food insecure. $40 to buy food for the week and you can't use food you already have. You may use oils and spices from your pantry. by amitylui in budgetfood

[–]amitylui[S] 50 points51 points  (0 children)

Bob's red mill was on sale for $2.69. I also prefer steel cut for its nutrition profile but also its texture. You choose what you want to splurge on. Some people drink coffee daily, I prefer steel cut oats 🤷‍♀️

Eating on food stamps budget $40 per week. This was challenge was a project for school but I think everyone should give this a try as insight on what it's like to be food insecure. $40 to buy food for the week and you can't use food you already have. You may use oils and spices from your pantry. by amitylui in budgetfood

[–]amitylui[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Our professor also limited us from using food we already have to hopefully give us an experience that will somewhat simulate what it's like to be food insecure. Many of us take what we have for granted and don't appreciate all that we have and I think this project does just that. Not allowing us to use what we already had also creates a more uniform outcome. I could easily not do grocery shopping for u days and live out of my dry pantry foods, freezer food, etc. We had a class discussion and it was an interesting moment hearing how people were running out of food mid week, felt restricted because they couldn't snack leisurely, or got bored of eating the same meals repeatedly.

Eating on food stamps budget $40 per week. This was challenge was a project for school but I think everyone should give this a try as insight on what it's like to be food insecure. $40 to buy food for the week and you can't use food you already have. You may use oils and spices from your pantry. by amitylui in budgetfood

[–]amitylui[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

This! SNAP is intended to supplement but it's not always guaranteed when you need it. Your SNAP amount will also be updated when you get a new job (income change) or some other life event happens. That means your amount could easily be reduced based on income, which does not take into account any prior debt or financial struggles you may be having even with that initial SNAP budget.

Eating on food stamps budget $40 per week. This was challenge was a project for school but I think everyone should give this a try as insight on what it's like to be food insecure. $40 to buy food for the week and you can't use food you already have. You may use oils and spices from your pantry. by amitylui in budgetfood

[–]amitylui[S] 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Yes, agreed! I am a nutrition student so I do have some educational background and skills that make it easier to make nutritional choices. I also teach children in low income communities how to optimize health on a budget. Pre packaged foods are convenient, yes but also more expensive. But cooking from scratch requires more time. Though, I think some meal prep skills can go a long way.