Lily7
Member
- Joined
- Oct 18, 2011
- Messages
- 326
- Reaction score
- 2
Back on topic, I agree that it is annoying to see people buying junk food on food stamps... but I am on food stamps, and the only way you can have enough to eat while avoiding junk food is if you spend a lot of time and effort in the kitchen. Not everyone has that time or the energy to spend that much effort.
Keep in mind food stamps aren't just for the out of work or lazy but the majority of people on disability are also on food stamps, and whatever keeps them from being able to work also often keeps them from being able to spend that much time and energy in the kitchen and certainly keeps them from being able to tend to a garden.
It is hard enough to eat healthy on food stamps when you ARE able to spend a bunch of time and energy in the kitchen or a garden. Healthy food is EXPENSIVE. But it's much, much worse if you must buy foods that do not require much preparation. Even if you only ever bought fruits and veggies you could just rinse and bite into, it still would not be enough to stave off hunger until the food stamps are replenished.
That is the case with me, and in those cases it comes down to a choice between eating healthy foods that will only get you through less than half the month - usually only a week, or eating junk food that will keep you from feeling hungry for the entire month. In my case, I DO choose to go hungry most of the day just to be able to ensure what I DO eat is healthy. That usually means I'll just munch on a few raw fruits or raw veggies - the same amount of food that for most people would be their day's snacks. So I choose healthy food over not being hungry. But it isn't easy, and most people can't handle the hunger pains.
Let's not be so judgmental. It is very hard to be hungry. It goes against a basic human need. I do not judge those that choose junk food over hunger. I might do the same thing if I wasn't so desperate to try to beat whatever I am dealing with health-wise.
Keep in mind food stamps aren't just for the out of work or lazy but the majority of people on disability are also on food stamps, and whatever keeps them from being able to work also often keeps them from being able to spend that much time and energy in the kitchen and certainly keeps them from being able to tend to a garden.
It is hard enough to eat healthy on food stamps when you ARE able to spend a bunch of time and energy in the kitchen or a garden. Healthy food is EXPENSIVE. But it's much, much worse if you must buy foods that do not require much preparation. Even if you only ever bought fruits and veggies you could just rinse and bite into, it still would not be enough to stave off hunger until the food stamps are replenished.
That is the case with me, and in those cases it comes down to a choice between eating healthy foods that will only get you through less than half the month - usually only a week, or eating junk food that will keep you from feeling hungry for the entire month. In my case, I DO choose to go hungry most of the day just to be able to ensure what I DO eat is healthy. That usually means I'll just munch on a few raw fruits or raw veggies - the same amount of food that for most people would be their day's snacks. So I choose healthy food over not being hungry. But it isn't easy, and most people can't handle the hunger pains.
Let's not be so judgmental. It is very hard to be hungry. It goes against a basic human need. I do not judge those that choose junk food over hunger. I might do the same thing if I wasn't so desperate to try to beat whatever I am dealing with health-wise.
