# Gwyneth Paltrow's Food Stamp Diet
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gwyneth-paltrows-food-stamp-diet/717655
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [April 14, 2015, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gwyneth-paltrows-food-stamp-diet/717655 "2015-04-14T16:24:13Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 8
### Author:  [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2015, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gwyneth-paltrows-food-stamp-diet/717655/141 "2015-04-16T20:05:55Z")
> [@lorene](#):
>
> Do benefits offices offer classes in how to stretch the money/maximize your food stamps?
Hell, no! That would cost the taxpayers money.
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### Author:  [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2015, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gwyneth-paltrows-food-stamp-diet/717655/142 "2015-04-17T02:34:14Z")
FWIW, she made it for 4 days on what she bought.
> [@](#):
>
> Sure, but frankly the people who are in favor of cutting food stamps would not have been convinced by any argument. If the picture showed meat, they’d say they could get it for less or ask why people on food stamps need meat. If the picture didn’t show meat, they’d demand to know why people are doing fad diets like vegetarianism on food stamps. If the picture was extreme: “You’re just making it up to make it look bad.” If the picture showed bounty: “See, you can live on that!” If the picture showed more calories: “See how piggish poor people are.” If the picture showed fewer: “Right, like anyone eats like that.” If the picture had no veggies: “Eating right is just as cheap as eating wrong, but you have to work for it.” If the picture were all veggies: “Even I with my mansion and yacht can’t afford these luxury items!” If it were all carbs: “This is why poor people are fat. You don’t have any willpower.” If it had no carbs: “What, you can’t stoop to eating rice?” If it were midwestern: “Americans are so spoiled. Look to other cultures. In Mexico, they eat rice and beans and it’s a complete protein.” If it were “exotic,” well, we’ve seen that.
QFT
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### Author:  [@keturah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/keturah)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2015, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gwyneth-paltrows-food-stamp-diet/717655/143 "2015-04-17T03:38:44Z")
> [@Broomstick](#):
>
> Hell, no! That would cost the taxpayers money.
[https://snap.nal.usda.gov/resource-library/handouts-and-web-sites/meal-planning-shopping-and-budgeting](https://snap.nal.usda.gov/resource-library/handouts-and-web-sites/meal-planning-shopping-and-budgeting)
Looks like there is a bunch of info out there funded by tax payer dollars.
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### Author:  [@JKilez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKilez)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2015, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gwyneth-paltrows-food-stamp-diet/717655/144 "2015-04-17T03:59:26Z")
> [@Weedy](#):
>
> It’s interesting that no one buys flour, to make tortillas, or bread, or anything. Too time consuming? No oil or butter either.
When bread can be had for under $1/loaf and tortillas are less than $2/50, it is hard to justify making them from scratch simply as a cost saving measure. You can make them healthier that way, but for these staples, the cost of the raw ingredients is only slightly less than the cost of the finished product.
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### Author:  [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2015, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gwyneth-paltrows-food-stamp-diet/717655/145 "2015-04-17T04:02:18Z")
> [@jz78817](#):
>
> meanwhile, even poor people in this country have high rates of obesity because the only junk they can afford sufficient amounts of are making them fat.
And that’s absolute bullshit as a general statement. Around here, the Hispanic markets are FULL of excellent quality produce at bargain-basement prices, and those folks don’t have much money. My guess (like I said earlier in the thread) is that Gwyneth Paltrow’s list could have been bought for $15-20 bucks at a local hispanic grocery chain. I’ll even go it one further, and point out that had she got store-brand corn tortillas, she could have got 80 of the things for less than 18 of the Guerrero name-brand ones, since the store-brand ones are usually around $1-1.50for 80 corn tortillas, that you can often get while they’re still warm from being cooked.
Strangely enough, my local Kroger, which has a strange mix of low-income black people and affluent white people has mid-range produce prices, but anecdotally, you don’t see the black people loading up on the produce; instead the common shopping cart loadouts are heavy on convenience foods and high calorie stuff.
I personally think it’s a cultural thing where the black population doesn’t value the fresh produce in the same way that the hispanic population does. It’s not a judgement; more of an observation.
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### Author:  [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2015, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gwyneth-paltrows-food-stamp-diet/717655/146 "2015-04-17T06:03:11Z")
> [@JKilez](#):
>
> If you are willing to spend time cooking and baking, it is not that hard at all.
Of course, that adds fuel, time, and kitchen infrastructure costs.
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### Author:  [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2015, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gwyneth-paltrows-food-stamp-diet/717655/147 "2015-04-17T07:03:57Z")
> [@keturah](#):
>
> [https://snap.nal.usda.gov/resource-library/handouts-and-web-sites/meal-planning-shopping-and-budgeting](https://snap.nal.usda.gov/resource-library/handouts-and-web-sites/meal-planning-shopping-and-budgeting)
>
> Looks like there is a bunch of info out there funded by tax payer dollars.
The question I answered was “are there classes?”. No, there are not CLASSES. There is information on websites, but not _classes_ where you could potentially have one-on-one human interaction and/or group support.
Slapping a webpage on line is much cheaper than a class. I question if it is as effective, though.
> [@JKilez](#):
>
> When bread can be had for under $1/loaf and tortillas are less than $2/50, it is hard to justify making them from scratch simply as a cost saving measure. You can make them healthier that way, but for these staples, the cost of the raw ingredients is only slightly less than the cost of the finished product.
^ This.
Homemade tortillas don’t take that long, but baking bread takes significant time. It’s easy to say “take a couple hours once a week” but there’s a reason that most people buy pre-made bread - we’re all pressed for time. If you’re talking about someone who might be working 2 jobs already, might have kids who also need some time and attention, and so forth then spending a few pennies more for a commercial made loaf starts to make a lot of sense.
Poor people do not have infinite amounts of time. That has to be budgeted just like money does.
Case in point: in addition to working 40 hours a week I’ve just started a training program in hopes of a promotion at work which will add an _additional_ 10 or more hours of studying/training to my week through mid-May. 50 hours devoted to work matters, plus commuting time, plus shopping, plus laundry which requires going to a laundromat, plus the cooking time I already do, plus the time needed by the garden… and I’m supposed to add bread baking to that? And I don’t even have kids to worry about.
Really, at least in my case, it makes a lot more sense to just buy cheap bread and use that time on the garden, which will save me a lot more money over the next few months than baking my own bread will.
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### Author:  [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2015, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gwyneth-paltrows-food-stamp-diet/717655/148 "2015-04-17T08:15:37Z")
> [@Broomstick](#):
>
> The question I answered was “are there classes?”. No, there are not CLASSES. There is information on websites, but not _classes_ where you could potentially have one-on-one human interaction and/or group support.
>
> Slapping a webpage on line is much cheaper than a class. I question if it is as effective, though.
[www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/workshops/DGA\_Workshops\_Wkshp\_3.pdf](http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/workshops/DGA_Workshops_Wkshp_3.pdf)
This appears to describe a class.
If you’re wrong, you have a choice: gracefully acknowledge error, or double down on defending the literal meaning instead of acknowledging that you were using hyperbole to make a point.
So: are there classes sometimes that cost taxpayer money, but maybe not as widely available or as extensive as they should be?
Or are there literally NO CLASSES?
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### Author:  [@Weedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weedy)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2015, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gwyneth-paltrows-food-stamp-diet/717655/149 "2015-04-17T08:41:00Z")
> [@JKilez](#):
>
> When bread can be had for under $1/loaf and tortillas are less than $2/50, it is hard to justify making them from scratch simply as a cost saving measure. You can make them healthier that way, but for these staples, the cost of the raw ingredients is only slightly less than the cost of the finished product.
Hereabouts, the cheapest bread is twice the flour cost, and tortillas are 10 times. But yes, they are time consuming to make.
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### Author:  [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2015, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gwyneth-paltrows-food-stamp-diet/717655/150 "2015-04-17T08:43:59Z")
That is an _outline_ for a class, not a class. It is not a room with a human being providing guidance/instruction/facilitating discussion.
Yes, it is a resource paid for by taxpayers but it is not a class. That would cost money for a room and, well, maybe they could get a volunteer to conduct it.
There is nothing that says this outline has ever actually been _used_ to conduct a class (I sort of hope it has been used in that manner, but I see no _evidence_ of that). An outline is not a substitute for an actual class. A list of links to websites is not a class. Such resources may be useful (to people with an internet connection who can read the materials offered) but they are not a class.
IF you can produce actual _evidence_ that some government agency, somewhere, is conducting actual classes on the topic in a classroom with real humans beings I’ll say that yes, someone is actually doing that (somewhere). So far, no one has been able to produce such evidence.
For damn sure this doesn’t happen in my state - the tax funding goes to job hunting/resume/interview classes. Quite valuable, of course, because a lot of people do need help finding work. Having human beings involved adds a level of feedback you’ll never get from reading stuff on-line.
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### Author:  [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2015, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gwyneth-paltrows-food-stamp-diet/717655/151 "2015-04-17T08:52:43Z")
SNAP = Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
The key words here are “supplemental” and “assistance”!
I haven’t read the thread, but I’ve skimmed a fair amount of it and it seems that everyone, including Gwyneth Paltrow, is misapprehending what food stamps are for.
Food stamps are intended to _supplement_ people’s income and provide _assistance_ to them in obtaining the food they need to feed themselves and their families. In other words, people who receive $29 in food stamps per week are not supposed to subsist solely on that $29. They are presumed by the government to need that much _in addition_ to their other income in order to provide themselves and/or their families with a nutritionally adequate diet.
It’s interesting to see all the ways that people here are coming up with to eat on only $29 a week, but the government doesn’t expect that or regard it to be a realistic amount for people to spend in order to provide themselves with a healthy diet.
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### Author:  [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2015, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gwyneth-paltrows-food-stamp-diet/717655/152 "2015-04-17T09:01:04Z")
Actually, at the maximum benefit level food stamps ARE expected to be your main source of food.
In reality, poor people have friends and family who invite them over to dinner or take them out or barter for a meal or have a garden or some such, which are non-SNAP sources of food, but yeah, max level benefits means they probably are eating mostly on food stamps.
Now, the folks who get $50/month, yeah, it’s a supplement.
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### Author:  [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2015, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gwyneth-paltrows-food-stamp-diet/717655/153 "2015-04-17T11:07:29Z")
> [@Broomstick](#):
>
> That is an _outline_ for a class, not a class. It is not a room with a human being providing guidance/instruction/facilitating discussion.
>
> Yes, it is a resource paid for by taxpayers but it is not a class. That would cost money for a room and, well, maybe they could get a volunteer to conduct it.
>
> There is nothing that says this outline has ever actually been _used_ to conduct a class (I sort of hope it has been used in that manner, but I see no _evidence_ of that). An outline is not a substitute for an actual class. A list of links to websites is not a class. Such resources may be useful (to people with an internet connection who can read the materials offered) but they are not a class.
>
> IF you can produce actual _evidence_ that some government agency, somewhere, is conducting actual classes on the topic in a classroom with real humans beings I’ll say that yes, someone is actually doing that (somewhere). So far, no one has been able to produce such evidence.
>
> For damn sure this doesn’t happen in my state - the tax funding goes to job hunting/resume/interview classes. Quite valuable, of course, because a lot of people do need help finding work. Having human beings involved adds a level of feedback you’ll never get from reading stuff on-line.
Ok, I’ll give you ten actual classes taught:
[www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/workshops/ImplementationBestPractices.pdf](http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/workshops/ImplementationBestPractices.pdf)
> [@](#):
>
> Before being released, the Eat Healthy Be Active Community Workshops were pilot tested at 10 sites across the country, including cooperative extension, worksite wellness programs, faith-based organizations, and parent groups. The workshops were designed using low-health literacy principles and were tested with participants of varying socioeconomic backgrounds and education levels. After teaching the workshops, pilot site instructors provided feedback on their experiences. These are some of the best practices they shared.
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### Author:  [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2015, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gwyneth-paltrows-food-stamp-diet/717655/154 "2015-04-17T11:54:04Z")
> [@Bricker](#):
>
> Ok, I’ll give you ten actual classes taught:
>
> [www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/workshops/ImplementationBestPractices.pdf](http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/workshops/ImplementationBestPractices.pdf)
It does appear that classes were prepared. But unless they are scheduled and staffed, it doesn’t help the end user. If local agencies don’t take advantage of these materials, train their staff, dedicated the resources, and actually schedule the classes, no one benefits from the work that’s been done.
You link shows that class materials were created. Do you have links that show local agencies scheduling those classes?
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### Author:  [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2015, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gwyneth-paltrows-food-stamp-diet/717655/155 "2015-04-17T12:00:51Z")
> [@bump](#):
>
> And that’s absolute bullshit as a general statement. \*\*Around here, the Hispanic markets are FULL of excellent quality produce at bargain-basement prices, and those folks don’t have much money. \*\* My guess (like I said earlier in the thread) is that Gwyneth Paltrow’s list could have been bought for $15-20 bucks at a local hispanic grocery chain. I’ll even go it one further, and point out that had she got store-brand corn tortillas, she could have got 80 of the things for less than 18 of the Guerrero name-brand ones, since the store-brand ones are usually around $1-1.50for 80 corn tortillas, that you can often get while they’re still warm from being cooked.
>
> Strangely enough, my local Kroger, which has a strange mix of low-income black people and affluent white people has mid-range produce prices, but anecdotally, you don’t see the black people loading up on the produce; instead the common shopping cart loadouts are heavy on convenience foods and high calorie stuff.
>
> I personally think it’s a cultural thing where the black population doesn’t value the fresh produce in the same way that the hispanic population does. It’s not a judgement; more of an observation.
Your second sentence (which I’ve bolded for emphasis) is an odd statement; you seem to be suggesting that all Hispanics have little money.
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### Author:  [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2015, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gwyneth-paltrows-food-stamp-diet/717655/156 "2015-04-17T12:12:59Z")
> [@Telemark](#):
>
> It does appear that classes were prepared. But unless they are scheduled and staffed, it doesn’t help the end user. If local agencies don’t take advantage of these materials, train their staff, dedicated the resources, and actually schedule the classes, no one benefits from the work that’s been done.
>
> You link shows that class materials were created. Do you have links that show local agencies scheduling those classes?
Post #154.
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### Author:  [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2015, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gwyneth-paltrows-food-stamp-diet/717655/157 "2015-04-17T12:34:05Z")
> [@Bricker](#):
>
> Post #154.
My post is 154. Do you mean your post 153? If so, the PDF you linked to doesn’t have a list of the 10 classes that you mentioned in the text. Perhaps that link is incorrect? I’m perfectly willing to believe that the classes have been scheduled, but your link didn’t show that.
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### Author:  [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2015, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gwyneth-paltrows-food-stamp-diet/717655/158 "2015-04-17T12:47:53Z")
> [@Telemark](#):
>
> My post is 154. Do you mean your post 153? If so, the PDF you linked to doesn’t have a list of the 10 classes that you mentioned in the text.
I assume he means the link you quoted, which states -
> [@](#):
>
> Before being released, the Eat Healthy ● Be Active Community Workshops were pilot tested at 10 sites across the country, including cooperative extension, worksite wellness programs, faith-based organizations, and parent groups. The workshops were designed using low-health literacy principles and were tested with participants of varying socioeconomic backgrounds and education levels. After teaching the workshops, pilot site instructors provided feedback on their experiences.
So the classes were taught 10 different times. 10 = 10.
Regards,
Shodan
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### Author:  [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2015, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gwyneth-paltrows-food-stamp-diet/717655/159 "2015-04-17T13:06:04Z")
Ah, I see. That was a pilot program to vet the course materials. 10 courses were taught as part of developing the program. That’s good, but it’s really not beneficial to the vast majority of people who need the information. I think the question was more about ongoing courses that people getting SNAP today can take advantage of.
Yes, 10 courses were taught as part of developing the materials. Has there been followup and are courses being taught today? Can we go to a local food assistance agency and find these courses being offered? I honestly don’t know the answer to that question, and they may very well be offered all over the country. But this link doesn’t answer it, and that I believe was what was asked.
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### Author:  [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2015, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gwyneth-paltrows-food-stamp-diet/717655/160 "2015-04-17T13:17:27Z")
> [@emacknight](#):
>
> In California, where I believe she lives, the list she posted is incredibly cheap because what she bought was fresh and local in Southern California. **Avocados can be as cheap as 4 for $1, limes can be 5 for $1** , and yes they’re probably organic. **Green onions and cilantro are practically free**.
Belinda Carlisle didn’t lie to me. Heaven \*\*is \*\*a place on Earth!
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