Living on less than $18.00 a day for a family of four is insanely difficult alone, but now add living healthy on $18.00 a day and it becomes near impossible. This is the challenge families on food stamps are confronted with daily. In 2006 impoverished states such as Alabama, West Virginia and Louisiana have had growing rates of obesity. For example in 2006 Mississippi was the first state to have 30% obesity among its population according to WebMd.com. USA Today reports five of the poorest states were in the top ten most obese states (Mississippi, Kentucky, Louisiana, West Virginia and Alabama) showing a direct link between income and obesity. USA Today also explains, poverty areas are generally unsafe, have few grocery stores which offer fruits and vegetables, and many housing developments in these areas are not built with sidewalks for exercise. All of these contribute to the obesity epidemic.

The average family of four can get up to $542.00 a month in food stamp assistance according to fns.usda.gov. While this may seem like a lot, when looked at over a 30 day period, this amount breaks down to about $18.00 a day to split between four people. Living on this strict budge is only made more difficult when trying to buy healthy items at the grocery store.

The typical American family of four spends roughly $600.00 per month on food and more if the foods are organic, low fat, soy based or trans fat free. For an impoverished family, they need to stay within their allotted amount, and this means buying less healthy items and buying in bulk. For example, Ramen noodles are about ten cents a package which means a child can have one a day for a month for around $3.00. However not all that glitters is gold, one package of Ramen is equal to two servings. Each serving has 194 calories in it and 1960 mg of sodium (82% of our daily value). Many food stamp shoppers also shy away from buying fresh product because if not eaten right away it can go bad which means wasted money. So instead they buy fruit snacks packed with sugar, pasta, rice, tacos and greasy chips. These are all things which can be bough for cheap and on a food stamp program, however it is not helping the family to be healthy.

In 2007 Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski and his wife tried living in $21.00 a week (the food stamp budget in Oregon for a family of two). The governor found he had to say no to organic foods, Swiss cheese, low sodium Progresso canned soups and start saying yes to half a banana, Cup O’Noodles and store brand peanut butter and jelly. A worker for the Department of Health and Human Services in Oregon told the Governor to specifically look for low cost staple items such as macaroni and cheese, beans and rice all of which are high in carbs, fat, calories and far from healthy.

The Federal Nutrition Assistance Program brings nutritional education and a helpful diet for those on food stamps but it does not give more money to families to buy healthier products all it does is educate them which will hopefully help them make better nutritional choices. Dietary changes in schools have made it possible for children of low income families to at least get one healthy meal a day (lunch) and for those who qualify two healthy meals (breakfast and lunch), while they are at school.

There is no denying poverty and obesity are linked. It is difficult to fix one problem without fixing the other. Each problem also snowballs into other problems such as healthcare costs, disability cases, and unemployment. Obesity is not just one problem requiring one simple solution, it is a whole mess of problems which need multiple solutions.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Every day is your new opportunity to do something good for yourself and those around you, and it all starts with your commitment to your good health.

If youre feeling that your energy is low and its an effort just to get out of the house, how can you hope to create the kinds of opportunities and relationships in your life that you desire?

When your body is humming like a finely tuned machine then you bypass lifes little problems without slowing down. They dont even seem to matter anymore. You feel like youre King of the World because, in your own life, you are!

Take a moment and take a deep breath now.

And for a moment, just, be honest with yourself

* Are you feeling healthy?

* Are you free of illness?

* Well rested?

* Well nourished?

* Do you feel filled with energy and vitality?

* Can you stay healthy when those around you are getting sick?

If yes, then you know that good health is a daily commitment that you make to yourself; to keep you in a positive frame of mind, to eat well, to move your body more, to be better than you were yesterday.

Are you willing to take the steps that are necessary to improve your health so you can improve your life and live your dreams?

If the answer is yes, then heres something simple you can do today to improve your health and make you more fit than you were yesterday:

Today make your commitment to yourself that you will drink only water.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.