Question 2
The “food stamp cycle” is described as a 3 week period of overeating when food stamps and money are available followed by a 1 week period of involuntary hunger because resources have been depleted, followed by overeating in the beginning of the next month because food allotment has been restored. As a practicing RD, what regulations would you encourage the government to enforce with the Food Stamp Program in order to reduce the occurance of this cycle happening? (Note: the only requirement for families to receiving Food Stamps currently is economic status)
posted by JoAnna @ 11:47 AM
12 comments
12 Comments:
I would definitely recommend changing the disbursement structure for the Food Stamps to weekly rather than monthly. This seems like an easy fix; you wouldn’t really have to change any major internal structure or funding, simply issue the checks at smaller intervals so participants can’t blow all of their money in the beginning of the month and still have another 30 days to survive. Increasing the amount of education given to clients may also be helpful. Dietitians could provide education about stretching the food dollar and still being able to purchase healthy items.
I also think that it might be better to disperse the food stamp checks on a weekly or biweekly method to try to relieve this problem. However, if this is not an option as an RD, I would recommend to clients to make a food budget and help clients to plan what they are going to buy and how to stretch their money so that they can eat appropriately during all weeks of the month. This would not only be beneficial from a food standpoint but it would help teach how to manage financial limitations and how to make wise healthy food choices and not waste money on expensive products. For example, a lot of products are overly expensive like premade meals and clients on a limited budget should refrain from purchasing overpriced premade products that they could make at home.
The only way that the government could help this problem would be to provide food stamps and money on a weekly or bi-weekly basis to help control the individuals spending. I think that RD’s could help this problem without going to the government. The clients receiving these food stamps need to be educated on smart grocery shopping, healthy but inexpensive foods, and how to stretch the food supply throughout the month.
It clearly makes sense to issue food stamps on a weekly or bi-weekly basis, but if that is not feasible (for whatever reasons they do not already do this) then education would have to be emphasized. The problem with the latter solution is that this population is not always the easiest to reach. While there may be a few who are genuinely interested by what you have to say and how proper nutrition benefits them despite the limited immediate results, most of them just want to get their food stamps with little interference. The best way to reach them during educations is to emphasize that smart shopping saves them money. Then perhaps focus on foods that you feel are better choices (and not ones they will “binge” on when they first buy them) and share advice on how those particular foods will extend their money.
Steph,
I agree with your point that we don't need the government to make issue changes with dispersing food stamp funds but rather focus on education. Dietitians can have a real impact in the area of helping families make wise choices that stretch their funds for the entire month. This would actually be more beneficial to families then just giving them the money more often because this actually teaches them something.
Annie & Steph- you both make valid points in that restructuring the issuing schedule for the food stamp checks may not be feasible, I mean surely somebody besides us has thought about that in the past! Therefore, education is a major need for this population. Providing them with budgeting tools, and ways to make their food dollar stretch from month-to-month would be very helpful. I also think that having an actual financial counselor to really help them budget for all areas of their lives on a monthly basis would be beneficial.
I agree with most by disbursing food stamps weekly rather than monthly. This will help to ration the amount of goods more efficently in the household. This simple change would not disrupt the current system too much. I would also recommend educating the clients on how to budget their food stamps throughout the week/month so that they do not have the 'hunger' period. I would also suggest nutrition counseling to help them make quality food choices when using their food stamps.
Annie,
I agree that we definitely need the clients to be made aware of food selections with the food stamps. The premade meals or frozen dinners can be very expensive and would not be a great choice to make with the stamps.
-Shanell
To avoid the "Food Stamp Cycle" the article suggests many options. A simple answer would be to separate the funding throughout the month rather than in one lump sum. This may help the promotion of having a consistent amount of food around the house throughout the entire month. I also liked the idea of offering discounts on certain healthy items - whole grains, fruits, & vegetables - at the checkout. This would hopefully promote the purchase of these healthful choices if a higher quantity could be purchased for the same price. I did not agree with the idea of restricting the "non-healthy" food items recipients could buy with food stamps. This does not teach healthy eating principles. The restriction of these items may induce a psychological response to binge out on these items when given the chance to consume them, which in the end is the same thing that is happening in the "Food Stamp cycle."
The government could have mandatory education sessions inorder to receive food stamps (to follow what WIC does). However, only in theory does this actually sound as if it will benefit society. Most often, people are not going to listen and will just do what it takes inorder to have their foods stamps. Perhaps, staggering when the food stamps come out would indirectly help manage the cycle of binging. This is still not teaching this population on how to budget their resources.
Typically, people who live in poverty, have a narrow concept of planning for the future as they struggle to meet basic daily needs. This has to be over come inorder to encourage them to plan weekly meals. Most often, they are often accustomed to living in the now and do not plan for the future; this could explain the quick depletion of the food stamps and hence the “food stamp cycle.” Another, method to help with this narrow future concept would be to offer a debit card system (as their food stamps) that the government would gradually add their allotted budget for the month.
Vanessa,
I liked how you brought up the question of why food stamps are not disbursed on a bi-monthly basis. As you stated, there must be reasons not discussed in the article for this. It would be interesting to know why this has not been enacted.
Lauren~
I agree that restricting “non-healthy” food is not the answer; this would increase the likelihood of a binge episode, as you stated. Restricting food would not teach these families how to eat in moderation or healthy eating habits. This is not the way to reach the families. However, if families are not ready to listen or willing to learn healthy eating habits the next step might be to implement guidelines or restrictions to food purchases.
Heather
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