From SHTFPlan.com — Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton took part in a community challenge to live on a food stamps (known as “SNAP”) budget for one week and learned that the money you receive from the government is not sufficient to maintain a healthy and nutritious diet.  He lost 4 lbs. on a $29 per week budget (or $4.16 a day) and was annoyed by pangs hunger from the bad diet.  Article also on Huffington Post.

On day 3 of his food stamps diet, Mayor Stanton wondered on his Facebook page:

“I wonder how folks with health problems get by on SNAP.  An individual with diabetes has got to stay away from too many simple carbs, and have protein at every meal to maintain level blood sugar.  By far the cheapest food items are potatoes, noodles, tortillas and white bread.  But these are empty calories that fill you up without really nourishing you.  And they send your blood sugar spiraling if you don’t have something more substantial along with them, like meat, fish, eggs or peanut butter.  A colleague taking this challenge cannot eat grains or dairy.  She’s getting by, but it’s difficult since starches and milk are the bargains and fresh fruits and vegetables are the “splurge” items on this budget.”

Phoenix mayor Greg Stanton took part in a community challenge to live on a food stamp budget – just $4.16 to buy food per day, or about $29 per week for one person. Stanton said he was barely able to meet nutritional needs and lost four pounds, according to Fox 10 News Phoenix. He skipped meals and relied on ramen noodles, pasta and coffee, according to KTAR.

“I’m facing a long, hungry day and an even longer night getting dinner on the table, which requires making EVERYTHING from scratch on this budget,” Stanton wrote on Facebook. “It’s only for a week, so I’ve got a decent attitude. If I were doing this with no end in sight, I probably wouldn’t be so pleasant.”

Stanton concluded on Facebook at the end of the challenge: “The best ‘program’ for any struggling family is a job that pays a living wage.”