In the Shopping Cart of a Food Stamp Household: Lots of Soda

New York Times ^ | Jan 13, 2017 | Anahad O'Connor

[Drew68]

What do households on food stamps buy at the grocery store?

The answer was largely a mystery until now. The United States Department of Agriculture, which oversees the $74 billion food stamp program called SNAP, has published a detailed report that provides a glimpse into the shopping cart of the typical household that receives food stamps.

The findings show that the No. 1 purchases by SNAP households are soft drinks, which accounted for 5 percent of the dollars they spent on food. The category of ‘sweetened beverages,’ which includes fruit juices, energy drinks and sweetened teas, accounted for almost 10 percent of the dollars they spent on food. “In this sense, SNAP is a multibillion-dollar taxpayer subsidy of the soda industry,” said Marion Nestle, a professor of nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University. “It’s pretty shocking.”

For years, dozens of cities, states and medical groups have urged changes to SNAP, or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, to help improve nutrition among the 43 million poorest Americans who receive food stamps. Specifically, they have called for restrictions so that food stamps cannot be used to buy junk food or sugary soft drinks.

But the food and beverage industries have spent millions opposing such measures, and the U.S.D.A. has denied every request, saying that selectively banning certain foods would be unfair to food stamp users and create too much red tape.

[southern rock]

You probably think it is okay to eat baked potatoes, corn, beans and rice.

It is more than OK. It is ideal. I have been strictly whole food- plant based for over 7 years . I eat tons of brown, black and red rice, tons of baked potatoes, mostly yams but also all other kids of potatoes , All vegetables, including corn, as long as it isn't in a processed food. Beans are a staple. All kinds. Black, red, navy, chickpea, etc. All kinds. They are my main source of protein.

It is literally the best thing I ever did for myself. You couldn't pay me to go back and not eat this way. . So no ignorance here, trust me. I know exactly what I am talking about. I already said that diet soda is not good for you, but the regular has high fructose corn syrup AND contributes to diabetes and weight gain. It should not be allowed to be purchased with taxpayer money. Neither kind. Diet or regular.

[zaxtres]

You cut my text off. As a diabetic you never would eat potatoes, corn, beans and rice. The starch turns to glucose in the body and can spike it just as much as if you were eating raw sugar. Any legume is bad. Any vegetable high in starch is bad. While I am not advocating that drinking of any pop is good, I am merely stating that diet pop is worse than regular because of the artificial sweetener called aspartame, stevia, or any other artificial sweetener you want to substitute for sugar. Unprocessed is the best.

Again if you want to limit what a person buys with food stamps then change the law, until then moan and gripe all you want but you have no right dictating what people can or cannot buy with the money that is not already banned by law. (as tobacco and alcohol are). Neither does Moochelle have the right to dictate to any kid what they should eat or not eat. The kids revolted on that one. The ignorance stems from your not knowing how to change the law and lack of action to do so.

I am going to leave you with a funny story which is related:

A woman in India had been trying to have her child stop eating sugar. The kid continued to do so. One day Gandhi came to a nearby town. She and her child walked for days. As she reached the place where Gandhi was speaking, she pushed through the crowd and made her way up to Ghandi. The mother had been told she could ask Gandhi one question.

Gandhi looked at the mother and said “Ask your question.”

The mother replied, “Can you please tell my son to stop eating sugar.”

Gandhi thought for a moment and said, “No.”

The mother looked disheartened and to this Gandhi looked at the mother telling her come back in a month.

A month later, the woman, with her child in tow, pushed her way up to Ghandi. Again she was told she could ask one question. She looked at Gandhi and asked the question again. This time, Gandhi took the child’s hand into his own, looked him in the face and said, “Please stop eating sugar”.

The mother was excited but confused and asked why did he say that now. Why not say that a month ago. Gandhi looked solemnly at the woman and simply replied, “One month ago I too was eating sugar”.

[southern rock]

until then moan and gripe all you want but you have no right dictating what people can or cannot buy with the money that is not already banned by law. (as tobacco and alcohol are).

Oh, I will and yes, the law needs to be changed.

Your Gandhi story reminds me of a book called "In Defense of Hypocrisy" by Jeremy Lott

Wouldn't you want me to tell your kids to not do heroin, even if I was, in fact, sticking a needle in my arm every night? Makes Gandhi sound pretty immoral if you ask me. I also want to recommend a book for you. "The End of Diabetes" by Dr. Joel Fuhrman.

https://www.amazon.com/End-Diabetes-Live-Prevent-Reverse/dp/0062219987/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1484653323&sr=1-1&keywords=the+end+of+diabetes+by+dr.+joel+fuhrman

I have read all his work. Also "How not to Die" by Dr. Michael Greger

https://www.amazon.com/How-Not-Die-Discover-Scientifically/dp/1250066115/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1484653611&sr=1-1&keywords=how+not+to+die+michael+greger

Best of luck. Please check them out.

[zaxtres]

You failed to grasp that my diabetes did not come from poor eating habits or obesity. The damage that was done was in the treatment of my primary service connected condition through the taking of a pill prescribed to me by a doctor. The manufacturers agreed, in writing, with this back in 2001 that their product can lead to permanent diabetes, even if the patient had no prior family history of diabetes. It is one to say because someone is obese and acquire diabetes, it is another to acquire diabetes in the treatment of another condition. So please keep the links to yourself, the damage is permanent and irreversible. I have had to fight the VA to get this as a secondary condition. For years afterwards the VA has maintained that no pill can cause diabetes. It took the challenge of several claims and appeals and finally the pestering of a Congresswoman to get it changed. Now if you had that tenacity and perseverance, instead of hope, then maybe you could get the law changed. It takes action in addition to words to get the job done. If you sit back and complain and moan and hope the law will change, it will be like hoping you win the lottery without ever buying a ticket. Action speaks volumes.