Health, Schmelz

My meals and suggested daily menu plan don’t meet the USDA’s RDAs for good nutrition. They are typical meals most people make.

This website does not explore meeting the USDA RDAs because the majority of people who use food stamps absolutely aren’t going to give up pizza, soda, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, bacon and eggs and other comfort foods and will leave a website that tells them they have to do so.

If someone tells you they are going to show you how to eat cheap, but only if you eat healthy and you can’t eat many of your favorite foods, you’ll get turned off.

Once you learn how to eat well for less than $5 a day, you will probably want to start  using your extra money to add more fruits and vegetables, which you can only do inexpensively with Smart Shopping.

If your food allotment is $6 per day and you only spend $4 one day (on comfort food meals), you’ll have $8 tomorrow, and you can buy a healthy salmon filet, chicken breast or piece of lean beef.

By the way, the #1 purchase Americans make with foods stamps is…soft drinks. Milk, juices and sodas make up a big chunk of your budget, by the way. If you can swap out a glass of ice water once each day, or make a glass of instant iced tea, you’ll be able to stretch your budget even further, and remove lots of sugar from your diet.

Now, what if you can feed yourself or your family three nice meals each day and still have $1 or $2 left over? You’ll probably start adding more fruits and vegetables, or have more lean protein like salmon or beef each week.

I’ll work on healthier menus later, when I have time, or if I get a sponsor, but for now, learn how to smart-shop and make lots of food each day for less than your SNAP allotment. Remember, if you don’t get the maximum from your state because you have some income, you’ll probably need to add an extra $1 a day to your food budget.