Nutrition Class

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SNAP Nutrition Project 2018

For this assignment you will explore the issue of food insecurity and hunger by simulating the use of the SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). You may have heard of this by other names, such as food stamps, or Basic Foods, or EBT. People who participate in these programs do so to prevent food insecurity (although the benefits are often not enough).

Food insecurity means that an individual or household does not have enough money to buy food that is healthful, appropriate to their personal preferences and cultural norms, and can be obtained without the use of food banks or other forms of emergency food assistance. As you know, food insecurity is on the rise in the US and more and more families are dependent on food assistance in a variety of forms. Perhaps some of you have experienced this in your life at some time.

This project asks you to simulate using SNAP by exploring what it is like to live on the estimated average food stamp benefit. For 2018, the estimate is $134 per month. This is $33.50 per week. Washington State has a lower benefit level. I know that many people receive more than this amount and many receive far less. This is just the “average.” In addition, participants receive a monthly benefit, not weekly, but for the purposes of this assignment you will only plan a menu for one week.

For this assignment, please complete the steps below.

a. Create a menu for the week for one person with at least 3 meals a day for seven days. Your menu should

include ingredients to prepare healthful meals using all of the basic food groups. You may include snacks as well if appropriate. While I realize there will be some repetition in your meal plan, you must aim for healthy ingredients and as much variety as you would normally expect within your budget limits. (Turning in a menu that has the same meals for each day of the week will not earn points). Be creative.

b. Go to the grocery store and take a calculator. Try to “buy” the healthiest ingredients and include all food groups: fruit and vegetables, bread/cereal/pasta/rice, protein foods, and dairy/calcium-rich foods. You do not need to actually buy any food, but you will need exact prices, so add it up as you shop. Every penny is going to count!

c. You do not need to “buy” spices, oils, condiments, etc. Assume you already have these in your pantry. In addition, SNAP is a monthly program, so in reality you would be able to buy bulk—you can’t do this for this assignment, but you can pro-rate a larger product for what you will use in one week. For example, if I spend $3 on a loaf of bread but only use ½ for the week, I would calculate that as $1.50.

Very important: You may NOT exceed your budget.

d. Analyze your menu for food groups and nutrients:

 Enter your meals, estimating your portions into Supertracker. Use the profile you created for the Dietary Analysis assignment. Compare what is recommended to what you were able to “purchase.” Run the Calories and Food Groups Report only—you are not required to analyze nutrient data.

e. Compare and discuss your results.

 Were you able to meet the minimum number of food groups recommended for your profile?  What food groups are low, high, missing? What will this mean in terms of nutrients and

calories?  What would a sustained diet based on SNAP mean for your nutritional health in the short

and long term?

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 Discuss strategies you think you would need to prepare healthful meals using your SNAP benefit, excluding using food pantries or meal programs.

Grading: You will be graded on whether you meet the minimum requirements described above and below as well as the quality of your discussion. Please note: you must not go over your budget! If you do, you will lose 50% of available points.

Format and organization of your paper: 2 pages at a minimum, not including your shopping list and menu. You may write more, but not less. Double-space your paper Use correct grammar and spelling. Please proof-read your paper. Formatting and organization must include the following sections or reports. Please use paragraphs to separate each section and underline the titles of each. 1. Introduction 2. Methods/strategies you used to create your menu and purchase food 3. Detailed shopping list in table form with individual prices and total cost listed 4. Detailed menu in table form 5. Discussion as outlined in e above 6. Conclusion 7. Food Groups & Calories Report from Supertracker