Poor people can't afford healthy food

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You seem to have little or no empathy OP. Why judge people so harshly? It sounds like your mom did what she could, but that food does not seem healthy. Have you been to a store lately? Fruits and vegetables are very expensive. The only thing that isn't is Trader Joes pasta and pasta sauce. It wouldn't be healthy to eat that for long. Also, since you're so judgey, why was your mom a single mom? Why no man in the picture? She could have afforded more for you with a man in the pic.

Seriously?

Organic black Lentils are $2.99. Carrots are $3.00. Celery $2.99. Make a soup in a pot that will feed you for a week. So many excuses.

How many true blood, “North American” bred and raised people have ever eaten a lentil, much less knowing how to prepare a dried one?

And are you really making soup with only lentils, carrots, celery, water? Seems like it would taste awful. You aren’t adding flavor. You aren’t skimming. What else is being used as an adjunct? People forget about the other things that make food palatable, or a meal - spices, broth, etc. those things cost money, need storage, and need some element to skill to use. I could do it, but I know what to do. It’s like saying bread and water are a meal.

DP here. Buy a rotisserie chicken for $5 and pick all the chicken off and chop/shred it. Divide it in two. Use one batch to make a casserole with frozen broccoli (microwaved), a can of cream of chicken, a can of cream of celery, sprinkle shredded cheese on top and bake. Serve over instant white rice. This feeds our family of four (with leftovers) for $10. Use the other half of the chicken to make a soup or stew (like chicken noodle or chicken tortilla, chicken rice, so many choices online with simple ingredients.) Also a $10 meal. Eating healthy dinners for $70/week for a family of four is pretty straightforward. Oatmeal or store brand cereal, milk, and bananas for breakfast. Tuna, PB, or Turkey sandwiches for lunch with sliced apples bought in bulk (or other in season produce on a good sale.) Supplement with canned/frozen fruit and veggies. Yes, you need more than what I've listed (spices, condiments, etc. but you don't go through those every time you use them.) You are making this much harder than it needs to be.

That is very high in fat and sodium, which isn’t good for cholesterol and glucose. Apples are also part of the dirty dozen, and pesticides directly correlate with weight gain.

Right, PP’s suggestion is not perfectly optimal (as if anything is - I’m sure you could nitpick any meal)… soooo we should just do fast food instead??

No at all. But the OP stressed “healthy” food. So many people like pp have these “brilliant” solutions, but that’s not healthy per AHA guidelines.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:None of this works when the stove in your crappy apartment breaks and you’re scared to tell the landlord because if he comes in he’ll know you have more than the allowed number of occupants in your place.

Or when you have a slumlord who won’t deal with the mouse and/or roach infestation so you can’t store any food in bulk.

What? Focus. Poor people can eat healthy cheaply. They just don’t want to. Hence why they are poor.

I killed the mice in my apartment and decimated the roaches when they appeared. I didn't wait for a landlord nor hired an exterminator. I just made traps and used boric acid.
I get the OP. There are so many people, including the poster above, who accept being hapless and helpless. Moreover, they have it in their head that it is someone else's responsibility.
My parents fed our family of 7 on $60/week back in the 1980s. My Chinese mom cooked every single night, we could not afford to eat out. Our meals were cooked from scratch and nutritious with plenty of greens because she loved veggies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I replied on the first or second page, Latina, and immigrant, etc., blah blah blah. I think a lot of it really is cultural. Cooking from scratch is something my family always did in the home country and taught me. I could also live off the same meal for a week.

My husband, although he grew up poor, his parents didn’t cook and he ate mostly microwave meals. He can’t eat the same me for more than two days and so a lot of that trace is back to childhood.

+1. Same. I know how/where to buy cheap filling foods, how to season and cook, and have no issue eating the same thing for days. DH is SO bad at price shopping (idk how he somehow manages to find the most expensive variation of whatever he’s buying every time) and hates leftovers.

We both grew up without a ton of money (me lmc him very poor) but our families approach cooking and food differently. A lot of what OP is describing is based on family of origin norms

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When I was a single mom, DD and I fed ourselves off $750 monthly of food stamps. We were able to do grass-fed/organic meat & eggs, too. What I did:

Breakfast was always oatmeal + pastured eggs + fruit on sale.

Lunch/Dinner was one of these rotating items:
Chuck roast
Pork Chops
Burger patties
Tilapia
Chicken Thighs

Served with either rice, potatoes, or egg noodles.

Veggies were carrots, celery, onions, sometimes mushroom and peppers, collard greens.

I'd also rotate in in spaghetti with meat sauce, stuffed peppers, tacos, homemade chicken noodle soup.

If we had extra food stamps at the end of the month, I'd get steaks or shrimp.

Honestly, I would still eat this way if H didn't complain. I was in fantastic shape.

Wait, did you really get $750 a month for just the two of you?!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When I was a single mom, DD and I fed ourselves off $750 monthly of food stamps. We were able to do grass-fed/organic meat & eggs, too. What I did:

Breakfast was always oatmeal + pastured eggs + fruit on sale.

Lunch/Dinner was one of these rotating items:
Chuck roast
Pork Chops
Burger patties
Tilapia
Chicken Thighs

Served with either rice, potatoes, or egg noodles.

Veggies were carrots, celery, onions, sometimes mushroom and peppers, collard greens.

I'd also rotate in in spaghetti with meat sauce, stuffed peppers, tacos, homemade chicken noodle soup.

If we had extra food stamps at the end of the month, I'd get steaks or shrimp.

Honestly, I would still eat this way if H didn't complain. I was in fantastic shape.

$750 for 1 adult and 1 child? Yeah, I'd think you would be eating pretty well on that, especially if it was a 5-10 years ago. Prices have gone up, wages haven't kept up. I still don't spend $750 to feed 2 people.

PP. For sure. Honestly, we could still get by on less than $750, but my freaking H eats SO DAMN MUCH. And he's picky. It's really frustrating. Grocery bills have ballooned to over $2k a month because of him. I can cook a chuck roast that would last me 3 days lunch & dinner, and he'll eat the whole thing in one sitting. While also complaining it's "bland white people food". Sigh.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When I was a single mom, DD and I fed ourselves off $750 monthly of food stamps. We were able to do grass-fed/organic meat & eggs, too. What I did:

Breakfast was always oatmeal + pastured eggs + fruit on sale.

Lunch/Dinner was one of these rotating items:
Chuck roast
Pork Chops
Burger patties
Tilapia
Chicken Thighs

Served with either rice, potatoes, or egg noodles.

Veggies were carrots, celery, onions, sometimes mushroom and peppers, collard greens.

I'd also rotate in in spaghetti with meat sauce, stuffed peppers, tacos, homemade chicken noodle soup.

If we had extra food stamps at the end of the month, I'd get steaks or shrimp.

Honestly, I would still eat this way if H didn't complain. I was in fantastic shape.

Wait, did you really get $750 a month for just the two of you?!

She also apparently didn’t work since she was making chuck roast and tilapia for lunch every day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When I was a single mom, DD and I fed ourselves off $750 monthly of food stamps. We were able to do grass-fed/organic meat & eggs, too. What I did:

Breakfast was always oatmeal + pastured eggs + fruit on sale.

Lunch/Dinner was one of these rotating items:
Chuck roast
Pork Chops
Burger patties
Tilapia
Chicken Thighs

Served with either rice, potatoes, or egg noodles.

Veggies were carrots, celery, onions, sometimes mushroom and peppers, collard greens.

I'd also rotate in in spaghetti with meat sauce, stuffed peppers, tacos, homemade chicken noodle soup.

If we had extra food stamps at the end of the month, I'd get steaks or shrimp.

Honestly, I would still eat this way if H didn't complain. I was in fantastic shape.

Wait, did you really get $750 a month for just the two of you?!

She also apparently didn’t work since she was making chuck roast and tilapia for lunch every day.

You throw Chuck roast in the crockpot in the morning, eat it for dinner, and take leftovers to lunch.

[Anonymous]

OP, you made a great point how growing up, your Mother didn’t have much yet prioritized good nutrition for you growing up.

I think your Mother sounds very resourceful & I am glad that your family was able to enjoy a healthy diet in spite of not having much $$.

However your post comes across as a little tone deaf 🧏‍♂️ in my opinion.
Perhaps that is just my interpretation of what you wrote - but I feel as if subliminally you are calling out poor families who make excuses for not eating healthy meals.

Each + EVERY family situation is so different in so many unique ways that it is simply unfair to judge the actions of others.

[Anonymous]

Wow PP…

In what state/city were you allocated $750 per month in food stamps??! 😲

That is a very large amount for only two people.

Bragging about having enough left over to purchase steaks + shrimp though makes it look bad for those depending on food stamps because this is rarely the case for most families who receive assistance.

Most people get enough food stamps to purchase food for their families for about 1/2 the month…..then the rest of the month they may have to scrimp or visit food banks, churches, etc. in order to eat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, you made a great point how growing up, your Mother didn’t have much yet prioritized good nutrition for you growing up.

I think your Mother sounds very resourceful & I am glad that your family was able to enjoy a healthy diet in spite of not having much $$.

However your post comes across as a little tone deaf 🧏‍♂️ in my opinion.
Perhaps that is just my interpretation of what you wrote - but I feel as if subliminally you are calling out poor families who make excuses for not eating healthy meals.

Each + EVERY family situation is so different in so many unique ways that it is simply unfair to judge the actions of others.

Op here. Thank you for this post. I should have been more careful in my wording. Of course there are reasonable causes for people not eating healthy. My point was only that in can be done, even under not ideal circumstances.

Saying that something can be done does not mean that if people don't do it they are defective. It is possible for me to train harder to swim 3k in open water. The fact that I can't do it does not mean I am defective.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, you made a great point how growing up, your Mother didn’t have much yet prioritized good nutrition for you growing up.

I think your Mother sounds very resourceful & I am glad that your family was able to enjoy a healthy diet in spite of not having much $$.

However your post comes across as a little tone deaf 🧏‍♂️ in my opinion.
Perhaps that is just my interpretation of what you wrote - but I feel as if subliminally you are calling out poor families who make excuses for not eating healthy meals.

Each + EVERY family situation is so different in so many unique ways that it is simply unfair to judge the actions of others.

Op here. Thank you for this post. I should have been more careful in my wording. Of course there are reasonable causes for people not eating healthy. My point was only that in can be done, even under not ideal circumstances.

Saying that something can be done does not mean that if people don't do it they are defective. It is possible for me to train harder to swim 3k in open water. The fact that I can't do it does not mean I am defective.

$750 for 2 people makes zero sense. The current MAX amount is 291/person.

As to eating on food stamps, I got them for myself and my kid in the 1990s. I always had left over food stamps. But my own mom grew up on a Depression/WII era farm ( depression but then rationing) so cooking from scratch and cooking cheap was what she knew. Plus, and it think this helped, home ec was still required for girls when I was in grades 7 and 8. My kid liked tuna helper so I figured out how to make it homemade. OTOH, I also lived in public housing, and was able to manage working part time (taking college classes part time as well).
The other thing, since I am anonymous, was I actually did get grocery store dumpster items (actually learned about this from a guy I knew in college who was from a very affluent family)--like produce, which I would wash and can or make juice (not raw juice), not meat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow PP…

In what state/city were you allocated $750 per month in food stamps??! 😲

That is a very large amount for only two people.

Bragging about having enough left over to purchase steaks + shrimp though makes it look bad for those depending on food stamps because this is rarely the case for most families who receive assistance.

Most people get enough food stamps to purchase food for their families for about 1/2 the month…..then the rest of the month they may have to scrimp or visit food banks, churches, etc. in order to eat.

This was in a blue state that’s pretty good about public services.

Not sure how this makes anyone look bad. I really hate the idea that people on public assistance should be living off of dried beans and rice. It’s not like we were eating steak every night - once a month is not that unreasonable. And, I wasn’t bragging, you’re projecting your own beliefs about people in poverty onto me.

I left an abusive marriage, got a minimum wage job after years out of the workforce, needed some help, and now years later support myself with my own business that employs others. The system worked.

Overall it’s better for everyone if families get the help they need, so they don’t have to spend hours trying to find food when that time can be put towards work. WIC was frustrating because I had to go multiple times and wait around for hours just to get a gallon of milk and some cans of beans. That’s time I could have spent job hunting or working. Making people jump through hoops for a few bucks keeps them in poverty.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When I was a single mom, DD and I fed ourselves off $750 monthly of food stamps. We were able to do grass-fed/organic meat & eggs, too. What I did:

Breakfast was always oatmeal + pastured eggs + fruit on sale.

Lunch/Dinner was one of these rotating items:
Chuck roast
Pork Chops
Burger patties
Tilapia
Chicken Thighs

Served with either rice, potatoes, or egg noodles.

Veggies were carrots, celery, onions, sometimes mushroom and peppers, collard greens.

I'd also rotate in in spaghetti with meat sauce, stuffed peppers, tacos, homemade chicken noodle soup.

If we had extra food stamps at the end of the month, I'd get steaks or shrimp.

Honestly, I would still eat this way if H didn't complain. I was in fantastic shape.

$750 for 1 adult and 1 child? Yeah, I'd think you would be eating pretty well on that, especially if it was a 5-10 years ago. Prices have gone up, wages haven't kept up. I still don't spend $750 to feed 2 people.

Yeah we eat a similar diet, and spend about 1000 for a family of 4 in a fancy neighborhood. $750 before Covid is a rich family budget.

Before kids in year 2016, I did paleo for $280/month only shopping at Whole Foods.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You seem to have little or no empathy OP. Why judge people so harshly? It sounds like your mom did what she could, but that food does not seem healthy. Have you been to a store lately? Fruits and vegetables are very expensive. The only thing that isn't is Trader Joes pasta and pasta sauce. It wouldn't be healthy to eat that for long. Also, since you're so judgey, why was your mom a single mom? Why no man in the picture? She could have afforded more for you with a man in the pic.

Seriously?

Organic black Lentils are $2.99. Carrots are $3.00. Celery $2.99. Make a soup in a pot that will feed you for a week. So many excuses.

How many true blood, “North American” bred and raised people have ever eaten a lentil, much less knowing how to prepare a dried one?

And are you really making soup with only lentils, carrots, celery, water? Seems like it would taste awful. You aren’t adding flavor. You aren’t skimming. What else is being used as an adjunct? People forget about the other things that make food palatable, or a meal - spices, broth, etc. those things cost money, need storage, and need some element to skill to use. I could do it, but I know what to do. It’s like saying bread and water are a meal.

DP here. Buy a rotisserie chicken for $5 and pick all the chicken off and chop/shred it. Divide it in two. Use one batch to make a casserole with frozen broccoli (microwaved), a can of cream of chicken, a can of cream of celery, sprinkle shredded cheese on top and bake. Serve over instant white rice. This feeds our family of four (with leftovers) for $10. Use the other half of the chicken to make a soup or stew (like chicken noodle or chicken tortilla, chicken rice, so many choices online with simple ingredients.) Also a $10 meal. Eating healthy dinners for $70/week for a family of four is pretty straightforward. Oatmeal or store brand cereal, milk, and bananas for breakfast. Tuna, PB, or Turkey sandwiches for lunch with sliced apples bought in bulk (or other in season produce on a good sale.) Supplement with canned/frozen fruit and veggies. Yes, you need more than what I've listed (spices, condiments, etc. but you don't go through those every time you use them.) You are making this much harder than it needs to be.

Curious, where are your costs for the soups, the cheese, and rice? Where is this magical $5 chicken coming from daily, because food safety would dictate it shouldn’t be around more than a day or two. Depending on the size of the chicken, I wouldn’t expect it to fill a family for more than a night, and if two, it needs a bit of support. What re the other ingredients for this mysterious stew?

It sounds straightforward until you have to do it. Try it. But try it without any of your “stock” items - vegetables like mirepoix, spices, broth, condiments, etc.

Yes, you can eat cheaply when you “have to”. I was homeless and lived off off 0.33 ramen (cold, because I didn’t have a way to boil water) and bacon but with ketchup sandwiches (a luxury), It’s not a life in a way that is hard in the way many people here this is hard. And it’s not a life to give children.

Boiling organic lentils and make them taste good? Well, considering half the people here talk about what their kids will or won’t eat… empathy seems scarce.

I gave you recipes I make on a regular basis. And yes, a single rotisserie chicken is good for two dinners for my family of four, including two teens. The half we don't use right away gets frozen in a ziplock bag. The soup has a carton of chicken broth (2.50?) plus two cans of black beans ($3) plus 1 can of diced tomatoes and a small chopped onion. I always buy store brand. Yes I add spices but I buy them store brand and they last a long time, even with regular home cooking like I do.

You honestly just sound like you don't cook much.

lol one chicken is good for one meal for my family of 4, I do have a athlete at home and I workout myself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:None of this works when the stove in your crappy apartment breaks and you’re scared to tell the landlord because if he comes in he’ll know you have more than the allowed number of occupants in your place.

Or when you have a slumlord who won’t deal with the mouse and/or roach infestation so you can’t store any food in bulk.

What? Focus. Poor people can eat healthy cheaply. They just don’t want to. Hence why they are poor.

I killed the mice in my apartment and decimated the roaches when they appeared. I didn't wait for a landlord nor hired an exterminator. I just made traps and used boric acid.
I get the OP. There are so many people, including the poster above, who accept being hapless and helpless. Moreover, they have it in their head that it is someone else's responsibility.
My parents fed our family of 7 on $60/week back in the 1980s. My Chinese mom cooked every single night, we could not afford to eat out. Our meals were cooked from scratch and nutritious with plenty of greens because she loved veggies.

My mom is from a Chinese province known for noodles, so she cooked that everyday. The veggie she likes to cook is potato. Then we will do chicken sometime. My diet growing up was 90% carbs. While I was thin I was also exhausted on most days, I’d fall asleep in class, need naps in the afternoon and didn’t exercise. I couldn’t travel bc I can’t walk far. It only got better when I made a lot of money and hired a trainer and dietician, and finally have good energy to handle my high paying job.

My mom is still on her 900 calorie a day noodle diet and she is very thin, but she has mild depression.