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Take a look at the price of 10 lbs of potatoes, then compare to a bag of chips per lb.
Compare a 5 lb bag of carrots to a single 9 oz tv dinner, per lb
Compare a 10 lb sack of brown rice to a 12 oz box of generic riceroni or mac n cheese.
Compare a head of cabbage or 5 lbs of onions to anything...
Compare 5lbs of cheap hamburger to a single box of hotpockets with beef.
Compare 2 gallons of fresh water or homemade tea compared to 2 gallons of pop or kool aide.
Do people realize the massive amounts of meals that can be made from the above mentioned nutritious whole foods?
Rice and potatoes are extremely carby, though. (So they don't solve the obesity problem in adults.) And potatoes cause the blood sugar to spike, similar to sugar. And actually, a cheap, dollar burger at McD's will fill a kid up almost as cheaply as cooking at home. Tea is pretty expensive, unaffordable to some people, unless they make herbal tea they gather themselves in nature or grow in a window box in their apartment. In any case, kids need milk (calcium), not tea or kool aid. But for adults, water should be fine. (It's always been fine for me, I'm not even into tea.)
That's one of the issues here. In our society, it's not even a question of "perhaps people should be grateful that they are getting money for food." That ended a long time ago. Now it's like "yeah, of course you should be giving me money for food, who is you?" The question is "how much" and not "whether or not to."
And if you give it, it's like "oh, yeah, don't make them feel bad that they're using food stamps, that's bad for self esteem." So we have EBT cards that are designed to look like credit cards so there's no shame. (In case some people are younger, that's a relatively new thing, by the way.) And then it used to be that if you were destitute and in poverty, you'd be fine with getting things like day-old bread which might not be the best quality but were still certainly edible. Or saying "hey, these vegetables are a little wilted and we can't display them any more, you can take these." (And actually, it used to be the total opposite, where if you got government butter, it was better quality than anything that you could buy on the shelves as a consumer because the government didn't care about cost. So poor people would be eating with better quality food in some cases than the people who were paying for them.)
Now you have these food and poverty activists who are saying you can't even give someone 75% lean ground beef because that's inhumane and disgusting. It's like they're about to open up some human rights tribunal because you suggest that eggs and potatoes and ground beef be eaten by the poor. You know ...food. Things that people have been eating for millennia up until someone decided that it wasn't good enough for the upper crust, who are out there obsessing about the insulin surge caused by Gatorade because, yes, they have that much time on their hands. While everyone else is just eating food and being healthy, they're all gaunt and pale and going "uuuuuurrrrhhh ...where's my probiotic supplement ....gaaaaahhhh."
And if you give it, it's like "oh, yeah, don't make them feel bad that they're using food stamps, that's bad for self esteem." So we have EBT cards that are designed to look like credit cards so there's no shame. (In case some people are younger, that's a relatively new thing, by the way.) And then it used to be that if you were destitute and in poverty, you'd be fine with getting things like day-old bread which might not be the best quality but were still certainly edible. Or saying "hey, these vegetables are a little wilted and we can't display them any more, you can take these." (And actually, it used to be the total opposite, where if you got government butter, it was better quality than anything that you could buy on the shelves as a consumer because the government didn't care about cost. So poor people would be eating with better quality food in some cases than the people who were paying for them.)
Now you have these food and poverty activists who are saying you can't even give someone 75% lean ground beef because that's inhumane and disgusting. It's like they're about to open up some human rights tribunal because you suggest that eggs and potatoes and ground beef be eaten by the poor. You know ...food. Things that people have been eating for millennia up until someone decided that it wasn't good enough for the upper crust, who are out there obsessing about the insulin surge caused by Gatorade because, yes, they have that much time on their hands. While everyone else is just eating food and being healthy, they're all gaunt and pale and going "uuuuuurrrrhhh ...where's my probiotic supplement ....gaaaaahhhh."
You make some good points BUT I am glad that the old food stamps are gone. When I worked in Detroit, I could head to the local supermarket and be offered them at 50% face. Toward the end of the month, the price would drop to 40% face. At least with the EBT cards, there are more controls.
Also, I don't know where you Goth the idea that USDA butter was good. I managed kitchens where we received trailers full of USDA commodity foods and they generally are not very good.
Protein is where it gets expensive. $3/lb of chicken for normal, or like $7/lb for organic. When you're getting 20lbs of meat a week, that adds up fast.
Nobody needs 20 lbs of meat each week. That is a lot of meat. You really only need 3 3oz servings of meat each day to get enough protein. That is less then a lb of meat each day, yet you are saying you need nearly 3 pounds of meat each day?! 20 lb of meat would easily feed a family of 5. And if they have some meatless meals, that 20 lb could last almost 2 weeks.
And if you are poor, you don't need to buy $7/lb organic free range chicken. The boneless chicken breast that is under $2/lb at Walmart or a lot of other stores is perfectly fine. You can even get other cuts of chicken for cheaper then that.
You make some good points BUT I am glad that the old food stamps are gone. When I worked in Detroit, I could head to the local supermarket and be offered them at 50% face. Toward the end of the month, the price would drop to 40% face. At least with the EBT cards, there are more controls.
Also, I don't know where you Goth the idea that USDA butter was good. I managed kitchens where we received trailers full of USDA commodity foods and they generally are not very good.
Oh, yeah, there was fraud, but there's still rampant fraud. I'm not sure how it works, but it apparently does.
As for the butter bit, I only know from talking to older people than myself. I'm referring to apparently back in the '40s and '50s or thereabouts.
Rice and potatoes are extremely carby, though. (So they don't solve the obesity problem in adults.) And potatoes cause the blood sugar to spike, similar to sugar. And actually, a cheap, dollar burger at McD's will fill a kid up almost as cheaply as cooking at home. Tea is pretty expensive, unaffordable to some people, unless they make herbal tea they gather themselves in nature or grow in a window box in their apartment. In any case, kids need milk (calcium), not tea or kool aid. But for adults, water should be fine. (It's always been fine for me, I'm not even into tea.)
The thread is about foods that are healthier. Rice and potatoes might have carbs (), but its healthier then the sodium filled foods that you would get at Mcdonalds. So while it might be about the same price to just buy a single hamburger rather then cook a home made meal, its not going to be a healthy alternative. And no one is suggesting a meal of just rice and potatoes, but for it to be a part of a balanced meal.
And tea can be bought for fairly cheap. I bought a box of green ice tea bags, and it was less then $2. I think there are about 24 bags in the box, so that will make 12 pitchers of tea. A sweet tea from McDonald's is $1, but I can make it at home and have that same amount for about 4 cents a cup. And of course I don't drink it from such a large cup as what McDonald's serves it in.
The thread is about foods that are healthier. Rice and potatoes might have carbs (), but its healthier then the sodium filled foods that you would get at Mcdonalds. So while it might be about the same price to just buy a single hamburger rather then cook a home made meal, its not going to be a healthy alternative. And no one is suggesting a meal of just rice and potatoes, but for it to be a part of a balanced meal.
And tea can be bought for fairly cheap. I bought a box of green ice tea bags, and it was less then $2. I think there are about 24 bags in the box, so that will make 12 pitchers of tea. A sweet tea from McDonald's is $1, but I can make it at home and have that same amount for about 4 cents a cup. And of course I don't drink it from such a large cup as what McDonald's serves it in.
The rule of thumb for me is: if you're busy turning down rice and potatoes because they're too high in carbs, you're too rich to be receiving food and come back to me when you've learned not to be so picky. And a poor person doesn't need to be drinking tea, that's a luxury item. Water is fine for drinking, and not bottled water. There's water that comes from your tap.
The rule of thumb for me is: if you're busy turning down rice and potatoes because they're too high in carbs, you're too rich to be receiving food and come back to me when you've learned not to be so picky. And a poor person doesn't need to be drinking tea, that's a luxury item. Water is fine for drinking, and not bottled water. There's water that comes from your tap.
They should also be wearing sackcloth and ashes apparently
By george, you're right! You've got a tiny bit of fiber and protien, and some B vitamins! All hail the conquering health food.
Japanese Soba (Buckwheat) Noodles are better than that. Make a veggie (endless possibilities) stir fry with about a cup of shredded chicken, and Soba Noodles, and that is a lot healthier, dietic, protein, than pasta and meatballs. I say this as an Italian American who grew up with pasta, BUT my Nana did make a lot of soups with just chicken broth (from scratch), kale, escarole or dandelion greens, and (dried) garbanzo, canelloni, or kidney beans. That is VERY cheap, and a lot of protein.
You really just have to be willing to take the time to actually COOK all these things.
And a poor person doesn't need to be drinking tea, that's a luxury item. Water is fine for drinking, and not bottled water. There's water that comes from your tap.
Some people don't like to drink nothing but water. So it is a better alternative then going out and buying soda. A pitcher of tea costs me 16 cents to make. A 2 liter soda is going to cost at least 6 times that much.
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), but its healthier then the sodium filled foods that you would get at Mcdonalds. So while it might be about the same price to just buy a single hamburger rather then cook a home made meal, its not going to be a healthy alternative. And no one is suggesting a meal of just rice and potatoes, but for it to be a part of a balanced meal.
