Poor people can't afford healthy food

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

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.

But, that’s boring. And they deserve a treat at the end of the day. Every day. All day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I grew up poor. My single mom made minimum wage her entire life as a personal support worker. She is from southern Africa and only has a 6th grade education. We ate very healthy food. What made it work was that she cooked from scratch and we ate the same food several days in a row.

She managed the cost of food by preparing simple healthy dishes (stews and cornmeal porridge, or stews and rice).

She managed the time it takes to shop and cook by cooking one or two big pots of stew per week, so there was not so much variety in what we ate. We didn't have a car, so we took the bus to the grocery store once a week.

She got paid every Thursday and on payday we would have a treat (maybe a pizza or burgers).

Anyway, she came from a different place and a different time, but that is how you can be poor and eat healthy.

So why don't you go to a store today, armed only with $300 in food stamps for one month for 4 people and see how you do. Feel free to come back and show us how you did it.

Food stamps are not intended to fully fund a family’s food needs for the month. They are SUPPLEMENTAL assistance for food.

And where else is the money coming from? Do tell. Because there is rent and transportation and clothes and laundry and and and.

It’s coming from the budget those things are also coming out of? It’s coming from earned income?

It’s not the government’s job to make sure citizens have their priorities in order. If people would rather blow money on X rather than saving it for Y, that’s their problem.

You obviously don't know poor people. that's largely not the issue. But please, tell us how you'd survive in the DMV on 20k/year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is the OP. I am sorry I wasn't clear. My point was that I keep hearing that poor people can't afford to eat healthy, but it can be done. It just involves planning, and cooking, and accepting that you may eat the same meals several days in a row.

Not always. Thanks for your singular data point.

Stop infantilizing people who don’t have as much money as you do.
Just because they have fewer monetary resources or conveniences doesn’t mean they are stupid and need you to rescue them or teach them how to eat healthy.

Let people make their own choices and stop pretending you need to be their savior or know better than they do how to eat what they want/need to eat for their families.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is the OP. I am sorry I wasn't clear. My point was that I keep hearing that poor people can't afford to eat healthy, but it can be done. It just involves planning, and cooking, and accepting that you may eat the same meals several days in a row.

Not always. Thanks for your singular data point.

Stop infantilizing people who don’t have as much money as you do.
Just because they have fewer monetary resources or conveniences doesn’t mean they are stupid and need you to rescue them or teach them how to eat healthy.

Let people make their own choices and stop pretending you need to be their savior or know better than they do how to eat what they want/need to eat for their families.

But they aren’t doing it on their own. As long as their hands are out they will get unwanted input on how to do it right or better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I grew up poor. My single mom made minimum wage her entire life as a personal support worker. She is from southern Africa and only has a 6th grade education. We ate very healthy food. What made it work was that she cooked from scratch and we ate the same food several days in a row.

She managed the cost of food by preparing simple healthy dishes (stews and cornmeal porridge, or stews and rice).

She managed the time it takes to shop and cook by cooking one or two big pots of stew per week, so there was not so much variety in what we ate. We didn't have a car, so we took the bus to the grocery store once a week.

She got paid every Thursday and on payday we would have a treat (maybe a pizza or burgers).

Anyway, she came from a different place and a different time, but that is how you can be poor and eat healthy.

So why don't you go to a store today, armed only with $300 in food stamps for one month for 4 people and see how you do. Feel free to come back and show us how you did it.

Food stamps are not intended to fully fund a family’s food needs for the month. They are SUPPLEMENTAL assistance for food.

And where else is the money coming from? Do tell. Because there is rent and transportation and clothes and laundry and and and.

It’s coming from the budget those things are also coming out of? It’s coming from earned income?

It’s not the government’s job to make sure citizens have their priorities in order. If people would rather blow money on X rather than saving it for Y, that’s their problem.

You obviously don't know poor people. that's largely not the issue. But please, tell us how you'd survive in the DMV on 20k/year.

About nine years ago, when I did my taxes, I saw that the prior year I'd lived on $19,000, including food stamps (EBT) and unemployment. I temped whenever I could, and applied for jobs, and mostly sat home and watched Law & Order SVU - the one and only entertainment I spent money on. I had a panic attack that day. That was the year a relative and their spouse took me out for breakfast thinking they were being nice but when I looked at the menu I cried because what I really needed in life was toothpaste but a plate of scrambled eggs cost twice that.

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I grew up poor. My single mom made minimum wage her entire life as a personal support worker. She is from southern Africa and only has a 6th grade education. We ate very healthy food. What made it work was that she cooked from scratch and we ate the same food several days in a row.

She managed the cost of food by preparing simple healthy dishes (stews and cornmeal porridge, or stews and rice).

She managed the time it takes to shop and cook by cooking one or two big pots of stew per week, so there was not so much variety in what we ate. We didn't have a car, so we took the bus to the grocery store once a week.

She got paid every Thursday and on payday we would have a treat (maybe a pizza or burgers).

Anyway, she came from a different place and a different time, but that is how you can be poor and eat healthy.

So why don't you go to a store today, armed only with $300 in food stamps for one month for 4 people and see how you do. Feel free to come back and show us how you did it.

Food stamps are not intended to fully fund a family’s food needs for the month. They are SUPPLEMENTAL assistance for food.

And where else is the money coming from? Do tell. Because there is rent and transportation and clothes and laundry and and and.

It’s coming from the budget those things are also coming out of? It’s coming from earned income?

It’s not the government’s job to make sure citizens have their priorities in order. If people would rather blow money on X rather than saving it for Y, that’s their problem.

You obviously don't know poor people. that's largely not the issue. But please, tell us how you'd survive in the DMV on 20k/year.

Sure! I wouldn’t. Nobody is forcing anyone to stay in an incredibly expensive area. We have freedom of movement in this country.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I grew up poor. My single mom made minimum wage her entire life as a personal support worker. She is from southern Africa and only has a 6th grade education. We ate very healthy food. What made it work was that she cooked from scratch and we ate the same food several days in a row.

She managed the cost of food by preparing simple healthy dishes (stews and cornmeal porridge, or stews and rice).

She managed the time it takes to shop and cook by cooking one or two big pots of stew per week, so there was not so much variety in what we ate. We didn't have a car, so we took the bus to the grocery store once a week.

She got paid every Thursday and on payday we would have a treat (maybe a pizza or burgers).

Anyway, she came from a different place and a different time, but that is how you can be poor and eat healthy.

So why don't you go to a store today, armed only with $300 in food stamps for one month for 4 people and see how you do. Feel free to come back and show us how you did it.

Food stamps are not intended to fully fund a family’s food needs for the month. They are SUPPLEMENTAL assistance for food.

And where else is the money coming from? Do tell. Because there is rent and transportation and clothes and laundry and and and.

It’s coming from the budget those things are also coming out of? It’s coming from earned income?

It’s not the government’s job to make sure citizens have their priorities in order. If people would rather blow money on X rather than saving it for Y, that’s their problem.

You obviously don't know poor people. that's largely not the issue. But please, tell us how you'd survive in the DMV on 20k/year.

Sure! I wouldn’t. Nobody is forcing anyone to stay in an incredibly expensive area. We have freedom of movement in this country.

And with what money/resources saved up are people who currently live in (and likely born into) high-cost areas supposed to rent a UHAUL and load up all their stuff and move to a lower cost area where they can get a job, pay a deposit of first and last months rent plus have $ for “one-time fee” utilities hookup on top of monthly utility payment plus alll new food in the fridge and transportation to DMV to get new ID with new address, etc etc.
Moving is exceedingly expensive for those who are living paycheck to paycheck and do not have help from relatives who can float them a loan or gift them a couple thousand dollars to get started.

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

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.

You're presuming these poor people have a microwave oven and a stove.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is the OP. I am sorry I wasn't clear. My point was that I keep hearing that poor people can't afford to eat healthy, but it can be done. It just involves planning, and cooking, and accepting that you may eat the same meals several days in a row.

Not always. Thanks for your singular data point.

+1 organic broccoli for 4 of us for a single dinner was $8. Why isn’t the US subsidizing organic green veggies? It would reduce healthcare costs considerably and is better for the planet than dairy and corn.

Healthy food is grossly expensive.

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

do you have education about nutrition and actually know what to buy?

This. I wish I could remember what it was but I saw a documentary focusing on a few families and their struggles to eat healthy food.

A single mom with an obese daughter was heartbroken and frustrated that her daughter was not losing weight. They were eating lots of cold cereal. They thought it would help because they bought whole grain cereal. They thought that was the most important thing.

A lot of people don't know, and there are many reasons why that might be the case.

I’m your basic white girl and grew up with a divorced mom who worked in a crappy private school, but had severe depression. She’d buy some random groceries every week, and we 3 under 10 had to manage. We’d eat frozen corn and crackers with peanut butter and pickles for dinner. Cereal for breakfast and usually lunch. The OP assumes so much. If you looked at me then (in a suburban house) or now, you’d never know I grew up with food scarcity.

[Anonymous]

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.