"The key difference between what poor people and everyone else eat"

"In terms of energy and nutrient intake, food stamp users appear to be doing all right. They neither consume too few or too many calories. In fact, their intake is roughly on par with both poorer and wealthier Americans who are not part of the program...

"Americans are pretty poor eaters, but SNAP participants have particularly bad diets," said Andreyeva. "They don't eat nearly enough fruits or vegetables, and they consume too many fats and sugars."

Part of that, Andreyeva says, is due to the fact that participants are, by virtue of their qualifications, extremely pressed for cash. They eat fewer meals as a result, and select for more caloric foods, which tend to be less healthy, in order to adjust. Starch-heavy meals, fattier fare, and sugary foods all tend to be cheaper.

Part of it, however, might also be driven by the absence of free time to cook foods which require longer prep times (often vegetables). Convenience, in other words, can be a diet killer...

"So far, the healthy eating movement has mostly changed the eating habits of wealthier Americans," said Andreyeva. "My worry is that over time the gap between the dietary quality of SNAP participants and non-SNAP participants is going to widen.""...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonkblog/wp/2015/09/17/the-depressing-difference-in-what-poor-people-and-everyone-else-eats/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Vox%2520Sentences%25209.17.15&utm_term=Vox%2520Newsletter%2520All