Snap Pros And Cons

Millions of families all over the world are not receiving a reliable income to properly feed their children or themselves. SNAP is a program that helps supply the needed families all over America with necessities to keep their families fed and healthy. SNAP stands for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. This helpful program provides families monthly with the average benefit of $4.40 per person, per day towards groceries. Given how much this program provides for the families, proponents are still arguing that they need more. It is argued that they are still not being given enough money to provide healthy and nutritious meals.

Due to the debate of SNAP not providing families with enough money, I tried developing a meal plan for me and a ten-year-old child for two weeks. With my personal experience, I found the SNAP process to be completely attainable. The amount of money given by the provider was a suitable amount for a family to get by. Additionally, the guidelines for what was and was not allowed

to be purchased by the parents was well thought out. The guidelines prevented parents from throwing their money away on things like alcohol and cigarettes and focus it solely on feeding their family.
Based on the meals I have provided for my family for the next two weeks, I find the balance in nutrition to be appropriate.

The menu I have created includes all of the major food groups important for child growth and a healthy diet. However, if any flaw was to be found, it would be the factor of variety. Given that I am a very picky eater, my eating habits tend to be similar on a weekly basis. If I was to ignore the fact that I am a picky eater and change the variety of my menu, I would add more range of protein options for my family. Protein is something that I am very sensitive to. This is unfortunate due to its importance in the human body. One challenging battle I faced dealing with my sensitivity to what proteins I eat occurred when trying to ensure that my child was getting enough calories. The meats that included high calories were usually not a part of my meal plan. This lead to me having to think of additional foods I could supply to raise calorie

intake.
Currently, there are no raising concerns about possible future long-term consequences with my diet. However, if the protein intake were to ever slow down or decrease, health problems could rise. One problem I face today is not eating enough protein and becoming weak. Not enough protein can make one’s body get the chills, sweats, dizziness, and fatigue. Once a body is weak, the possibility of getting an illness raises as well.
I feel that the amount of money provided by SNAP is more than appropriate. I was able to find snacks, drinks, and produce meals for my family with money left over. While the money provided might not open doors for the fanciest food, it still allows parents to be able to supply their kids with the food necessary for a healthy lifestyle. I chose to do my grocery shopping at commonly found chain grocery stores to more accurately ensure other families on SNAP would have the same prices as me. By taking this additional step, I am even more confident that families can make this price range work with their meal plans as well.
Overall, I find myself to disagree with the SNAP participants who are arguing that the program does not provide them with enough money to successfully eat healthy and nutritious meals. The program itself is helpful, attainable, and appropriate for the average family in need.