American journal of preventive medicine
-
Participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) may help ease economic and time constraints of cooking, helping low-income households prepare healthier meals. Therefore, frequent cooking may be more strongly associated with improved dietary outcomes among SNAP recipients than among income-eligible non-recipients. Alternately, increased frequency of home-cooked meals among SNAP participants may be beneficial simply by replacing fast food intake. This study quantified the association between home cooking and fast food with diet intake and weight status among SNAP recipients. ⋯ Strategies to improve dietary intake among SNAP recipients should consider both increasing home cooking and reducing fast food intake.
-
This paper provides a historical background for the current nutrition issues faced by the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The Food Stamp Program evolved into SNAP during a period when U. S. diets, particularly those of the poor, became less healthful. ⋯ The SNAP design has not responded to these shifts in diet and the powerful interests controlling our food system. This twist in the U. S. diet and food system presents a major dilemma to those attempting to form a healthy food program based on the results of an effective pilot project.