I hear SPAM is prized on Pacific islands because fresh beef is so expensive and SPAM Burgers are on fast food menu's.
I like my SPAMmich with Dr. Pepper
Posted on 09/23/2013 1:20:00 PM PDT by wbill
In my work, I see more people who want to focus on losing weight rather than gaining weight, so I don’t often stop to think about the problem of hunger.
It’s easy to overlook the fact that hunger is still a big problem in in the United States. According to statistics from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in 2011 about 50 million Americans were living with food insecurity — 33.5 million adults and 16.7 million children.
What is food insecurity? It’s the inability to provide adequate food on a consistent basis. For adults, not getting enough food can have harmful effects, but it can be especially harmful for children who need adequate nutrients for proper growth and development.
I’m familiar with the Good Shepherd Food Bank so I know hunger exists in Maine, but to what extent? Maine ranks 18th in the nation and second in New England in terms of food insecurity. Since 2004, the number of Mainers facing hunger has increased 50 percent.
The population of Maine is about 1,328,371 — the food insecurity rate is 14.7 percent of households, or 200,000 people.
Food insecurity can lead to nutrient deficiencies, delayed cognitive development, asthma, decreased immune system function and increased fatigue. A contributing factor to childhood obesity is the lack of access to healthy foods for children living in food-insecure homes.
My office is situated such that I have a big window facing the drive-thru of a fast-food restaurant. There is a pretty steady line of cars going through on a daily basis. Fast food once in awhile isn’t a big concern, but eating a quick meal from a fast-food restaurant or a convenience store on a regular basis is expensive and the food is usually higher in fat and sodium and lower in vitamins and minerals. If you were to price the items out compared to what you could purchase at a grocery store, it wouldn’t be such a deal.
When grocery shopping, nutrient-rich staples such as whole-wheat bread, brown rice, steel-cut oats, corn tortillas, dried beans and peanut butter are good choices. Fresh fruits and vegetables are healthy choices but can be expensive if not on sale. Canned fruit packed in its own juice or frozen fruit or vegetables are great choices. If you buy canned vegetables, drain and rinse them to remove sodium before consuming.
If you are affected by food insecurity, there are many resources available to help. One way to find them is to dial 211 and ask for resources in your area. Food banks, soup kitchens, etc., are located in communities throughout the state, usually staffed by volunteers. If you don’t live with food insecurity but want to help others who do, perhaps volunteering your time at a food kitchen or donating money or food to these organizations would be within your means. Every little bit helps.
SNAP is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program previously called the food stamp program. SNAP provides $5 a day to help those unable to purchase food. To see what it is like, try to eat off of $5 a day. You’ll get a little more perspective on how difficult it can be for some families in America and right in your home town. Remember that $5 has to include your morning coffee.
Want to do more? The Good Shepherd Food Bank has a calendar showing 30 Ways in 30 Days to help solve hunger. Some of the suggestions include: » Volunteer at a local food pantry or meal site. » Watch the films “A Place at the Table” or “30 Days on Minimum Wage.” » View poverty statistics for your county by googling “Map the Meal Gap.” » Make a financial contribution to the food bank.
For information on the Good Shepherd Food Bank go to www.gsfb.org. For information on food insecurity in the U.S., check out www.feedingamerica.org.
Georgia Clark-Albert is a registered dietitian nutritionist and certified diabetes educator at Penobscot Community Health Care in Bangor. She provides nutrition consultant services through Mainely Nutrition in Athens. Read her columns and post questions at bangordailynews.com or email her at GeorgiaMaineMSRDCDE@gmail.com.
I'd need to think on that one for a bit. It wouldn't be easy, but it's do-able. Questions would be how much they're willing to cook, and how old are their kids....
I could get by on $2600/month, but it would be hard. Short-term, we'd be OK. Long-term, we'd need to make some lifestyle changes. And really long-term, we'd not retire, ever.
I hear SPAM is prized on Pacific islands because fresh beef is so expensive and SPAM Burgers are on fast food menu's.
I like my SPAMmich with Dr. Pepper
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Agreed. Those rotisserie chickens are not only convenient, they are a deal.
That lie about ‘living on’ the ‘average’ SNAP benefit burns me up.
The biggest problem with SNAP is that so many beneficiaries cannot or will not make good choices.
Discussions of ‘food insecurity’ should be addressed to that issue. It’s foolish of those employed in the ‘SNAP industry’ like this author to ignore that issue- one solution would be more employees in the industry.
Although I guess their long term prospects would be diminished.
I ate a lot of spam back when Mom went back to the city to school, and Dad fed us 5 kids with his more limited cooking skills. We had a garden, and from that got corn, asparagus, potatoes, tomatoes, lettuce, peas, beans, onions, squash, pumpkins, carrots, beets, strawberries, rasberries, grapes, ruttabaga, and chives. When I was 15, the garden was my summer job. We grew enough for vegetables all year round, and made wine from the grapes. Kept me out of trouble, but gave me time to hike in the mountains and play golf.
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That's the thing. Good nutrition is far more important than just about anything else.
this just shows there is a difference in what people regard as “eating well”.
Walked to the store this AM and spent $10: 2.8lb hamburger, whole wheat buns, 5lb potatoes at Winn Dixie and a loaf of bread and instant coffee from the dollar store. Grilled hamburgers today, and a big pot of hamburger fried w onions spicy peppers and potatoes tomorrow, no doubt lasting into the third day.
I could easily do it, but it would be much less desirable food.
The kids do get the free school breakfast/lunches so that should be added as a non-SNAP food benefit.
The best way to minimize costs is to timetable a six month period so that you can save money with bulk purchases and sales, instead of buying “for the day”.
Likewise, if you have the means to can or otherwise store food, especially in a freezer, that works to your advantage as well. You eat least well at the beginning of the six months, starting from scratch, and by the end of the six months, you should be eating well, with significant carry over into the next six months.
Just this past spring, there were many “ridiculous sales”, that happen intermittently, but you should exploit for their best benefit as much as possible. For example, 10 pounds of potatoes for $1, so make a lot of frozen mashed potatoes.
Seriously. Really?
:-) I might need to get this book for my M-i-L. "The Black Hand of My Wife's Mother" is a running joke in our house. She can kill plastic flowers.
Eisenhower once wrote a letter to the company which made Spam thanking them for producing their product during WWII. He said there were times when it tasted very good, but that his only complaint was that they provided so much of it.
Spam is also a word in Russian, as is Studebaker (means truck).
The problem is they are taught to make choices in government schools.
Is there are chapter on How to Kill Kudzu?
I eat on less than five dollars a day, including dog food for two small dogs, and various toiletries and the other things you buy at a grocery store these days. That would not include vitamins, alcohol, cosmetics, hair care, prescription drugs, or home-care stuff. But the food, soap, and toilet paper, yes. No problem. And I live near Washington DC, where the cost of living is not exactly modest.
Free? You think school lunches are free?
We do in my house. $5/day/person = $15 per/day for my family of 3, which is $105 for a week, or $420 a month. We eat well in my house on less than that, that's more than my monthly budget including all of the day to day non food staples such as paper products (TP, paper towels, foil, baggies, etc.)
I do know people who can't exist on that amount - but that is because they are too danged lazy to budget (including coupons), plan, or even learn how to cook. And that is why so many can not live on $5 a day food allowance.
When they assert that some large percentage of US food goes to garbage, they want you to ignore that many pig farmers get a contract to collect food garbage from government eateries (like prisons or schools) and the garbage goverment food is fed to pigs) with supplemental food used to correct for any nutrients not in the garbage.
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Very interesting. I'd be willing to bet that most people are unaware of that.
I think that the point here is not that it can't be done, but that there is a fairly substantial number in our society that believe that no one, including those on welfare and other public assistance programs should have to make ends meet. If I were accepting welfare or food stamps, I wouldn't expect to have the same diet as I have as a self-supporting citizen. No one in this country should be a slave to another.
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