NUTR 351

Due October 11th – workbook, receipts, and diet analysis on D2L Assignments
Feed Yourself for $4 Per Day

Assignment According to the World Bank, about half of the world’s population lives on less
than $3/day. The average SNAP benefit per person per day in Montana is currently around $4.
See if you can meet your food needs on $4/day for three days, totally $12.

Conditions
 Strive for a nutritionally balanced diet
 Do not accept any free food or charity from your social network.
 You are allowed to go to the bread room at the Gallatin Valley Food Bank, eat dinner at the
Community Café, or similar community services.
 Only consume what you have purchased with your $12 or through community services.
 If you cannot meet the challenge, that is okay. Be honest in your reflection about why.

If you PURCHASE bulk items or larger packages of food (e.g., carton of eggs) and want to
divide out the cost of what you use on the $4/Day assignment you should:

1. Go to the grocery store

2. Purchase the bulk or larger package of food
3. Highlight these items on the receipt
4. Scan the receipt to turn in with your assignment
5. Make a note on the receipt or on your assignment of how much of the bulk or items from the
larger package that you used and the actual cost

If you use bulk items or larger packages of food (e.g., carton of eggs) THAT YOU ALREADY
HAVE IN YOUR PANTRY and want to divide out the cost of what you use on the $4/Day
assignment you should:

1. Go to the grocery store

2. Take a picture of the price tag of the item
3. Add all pictures and receipts to one word document or PDF
4. Make a note on your document or on your assignment of how much of the bulk or items from
the larger package that you used and the actual cost

Instructions:
This assignment has five parts. Answer the following questions below at the appropriate time as
if this was your journal. Use this workbook as your written log and submit a typed version of
your questions with answers (structured like the worksheet below), receipts, and diet analysis
on D2L Assignments.

Part I: Planning Complete your answers to Part I before you begin the experience.
Part II: Purchasing Complete Part II after you have done your shopping.
Part III: The Experience Complete Part III the day of the experience
Part IV: Analysis Complete Part IV when you have completed the experience.
Part V: Follow Up Part V has questions that should be completed during the experience and
after the experience, so read all questions now.

SEE PAGES 3- 10 FOR PROMPTS ACCORDING TO EACH PART

NUTR 351
Due October 11th – workbook, receipts, and diet analysis on D2L Assignments
Rubric

Assignment Component Points Score

Diet analysis and reciepts 10
Quality of content – spelling, grammar, sentence structure 5
Content (meal plan & evaluation, description of experience, 25
implications for profession)
TOTAL 40

SUBMISSION
 When your assignment is complete, save into a file on your computer using the following
format to name the file. You cannot use any spaces; substitute a _underscore in place of the
space. Your initial and last name_4DAY.doc (the .doc extension is automatically created when
you name the file) Example: bykershanks_4DAY.doc
 Submit to D2L Assignments 4 Dollars Per Day by October 11th at 305 PM
NUTR 351
Due October 11th – workbook, receipts, and diet analysis on D2L Assignments

Part I: Planning

Before you begin the experience, reflect on how do you think it might feel (physically,
emotionally, and mentally) to be food insecure?

I think that being food insecure is hard on people in a number of ways. Starting with
physically, not getting enough food in a day can cause malnutrition. Especially with the money
limit, it is very hard to get the healthier food. Items in the produce section and the whole grains
tend to be on the more expensive side, but it is definitely possible to eat healthy on a strict
budget with the proper education. However, I feel the money limit decreases the amount of food
one can eat in a day which increases unsatisfied hunger. Then, one gets both emotionally and
mentally stressed because of issues such as health decreasing when using all the energy you
have to make it through the day hungry, and increasing irritability due to a low blood glucose
level which causes outbursts that could may or may not be at an appropriate place. All in all, it is
very important to strategize while being on a budgeted diet plan to ensure one is getting the
right nutrients to maintain a healthy body.

Before you go shopping, what kinds of foods do you think you will buy with your $12?

Since I have made a point to budget my foods that I have consumed in the past, I try to
save the most amount of money I can while eating a decently healthy diet, I know what I am
going to do. I plan on doing eggs, Cream of Wheat, small loaf of bread, a small jar of peanut
butter, and some apples and bananas. I may replace the bread with saltine crackers or rice
depending on what is left in my budget. With these food items, I feel as if I will still be eating a
graciously healthy diet of protein, fruits, vegetables, and some whole grains. I may have to cut
some out, but I can go with the cheapest brand to ensure I can buy all these foods.
NUTR 351
Due October 11th – workbook, receipts, and diet analysis on D2L Assignments

Part II: Purchasing Keep all of your receipts. Take a picture of these receipts and turn in on
D2L with this packet.

Describe your shopping experience. Where did you shop, what did you buy, and how much did
each item cost?

I did my shopping at Walmart. I grew up in a family of six members so my parents have

always shopped there and it is where I felt most comfortable shopping affordably. Since food is
bought through the organization that I live under, I did not actually have to buy the items but just
itemize them out. For the three days, I decided to eat a bowl of Cream of Wheat and a banana
for breakfast, an apple with peanut butter and two hardboiled eggs for lunch, and a can of
chicken vegetable soup with a piece of toast, and four five inch sticks of celery for dinner. The
Cream of Wheat was $3.48 for the whole box which contained 12 packets which would be $0.29
per packet. The bananas were $0.25 per banana, and the half gallon of 1% milk was $1.71
which amounts to $0.21 per cup. The apples were $4.47 for 8 of them, so individually they were
$0.56 each. The peanut butter was $2.18 for the jar and the two tablespoons of peanut butter I
ate each day was $0.12. The eggs were $3.27 for 12 of them, so each one cost $0.27, so $0.54
per day. Each can of chicken vegetable soup was $1.36. The loaf of bread was $1.88 for the
loaf of 18 slices, so $.10 per slice. The celery was $1.78 for the whole stalk, so each day I ate
about $0.45 per day which is one and a half sticks. At the end of the day, I ate about $3.88
worth of food.

What strategies did you use while shopping to maximize your allotted money?

Considering the fall season, I tried to find at least one item to eat each day that was
warmer to handle the cooler temperatures. Other than that, I really tried to include protein, fats,
fruits, vegetables, and a type of grain. I also looked for brands of the variety of types of foods
that were cheaper than the others to ensure I saved money. I have never been one to
specifically get a certain brand unless I have tasted a couple and prefer the taste of one better.
The last strategy I had was to exclude sugary or “junky” food. I personally have never believed
that the sugary items should be a part of any budgeted food plan because anything that those
items provide can be found in a healthier, reasonable way. So with that, I tried my best to just
get the necessities to the best of my ability.
NUTR 351
Due October 11th – workbook, receipts, and diet analysis on D2L Assignments
Part III: The Experience

State what you ate and how you felt physically, mentally, and emotionally when consuming
foods for $4 per day. Record your observations and insights.

Date and Day of the Week: Thursday October 6, 2016

What I ate:
For breakfast, I ate a packet of hot Cream of Wheat and a banana with a cup of milk.
Then at lunch I ate an apple with two tablespoons of peanut butter and two hardboiled eggs.
Finally for dinner, I had a can of chicken vegetable soup with four sticks of celery and a piece of
toast.

How I felt:
During this challenge, I did feel a little hungrier at times in the day because I am used to
a more snacking diet rather than eating three separate meals. However, I think the feeling I felt
the most was stress about not being able to eat when I wanted. I set up these three different
meals and I could not eat any of them at separate times because then I would get hungry later
and not have anything to eat. By the third day, I finally got it more under control and my body
started getting used to the new eating pattern.

Observations and Insights:

From this experience, I now know on a completely different level how intense it is to only
be able to eat $4/day. There was stress when knowing that I only had this amount of food to eat
each day. That even if I was hungry I could not just go eat the food because if I were to eat it too
early, I would be hungry later in the day, or worse, not have enough left at the end of three days.
I definitely understand how this sort of thing can cause physical, emotional, and mental anxiety.
When a person does not eat enough food, this triggers more fatigue and potentially low blood
glucose levels. With more fatigue and low glucose levels, this is when we get emotionally
strained and can start to lash out. In addition, if the food is running out, we start to get mentally
fatigued when trying to keep up with a job, family, and make sure everyone is eating on the
appropriate budget to ensure everyone is getting the nutrients they need in a day. I clearly have
not gone through it to the full extent, but I sure got a taste of what it feels like to be physically
fatigued by not being able to consume as much food as normally. However, I definitely would
change my diet and incorporate items that would both allow me to last longer without becoming
hungry and find the cheaper route to go.
NUTR 351
Due October 11th – workbook, receipts, and diet analysis on D2L Assignments
Part IV: Analysis

Complete a diet analysis. Print the diet analysis and turn in on D2L Assignments with your
packet of materials. What was your total intake for the following macro and micronutrients?
(State in amounts and percentages of recommended values). Use MyPlate
(http://www.choosemyplate.gov/supertracker-tools/supertracker.html) or other diet analysis
software.

NUTRIENT AMOUNT PERCENTAGE OF

RECOMMENDED VALUE
Calories 981 Calories 49.1%

Fat 32% Calories 91%

Carbohydrates 120 g 92%

Protein 54 g 117%

Fiber 14 g 56%

Vitamin A 743 ug RAE 106%

Vitamin C 24 mg 32%

Vitamin E 6 mg AT 40%

Calcium 694 mg 69.4%

Iron 14 mg 78%

Zinc 6 mg 75%

Folate 176 ug DFE 44%

Considering nutrients, food groups and other important food components, how well did you
meet your nutrition needs?

I would say I did a moderate job of been nutritional needs. For the most part, I was over
50% of the daily recommended values each day which was my initial goal when taking on this
challenge. There were definitely areas that need some improvement which were more of the
vitamins and minerals. In the average diet, I have observed that it is rather hard to ensure you
are getting the full amount of vitamins and minerals in your diet without being completely aware
of what you are consuming and what those respective foods contain. One large aspect I noticed
about my diet during the three days was the limited amounts of fruits and vegetables. As the
vitamins and minerals showed, I was certainly not consuming enough. I would say that I was
better with the fruits, but the vegetable department needed some work. In addition, I also
struggled to fit a proper dairy intake daily because I hardly consume any dairy. I just had to
remind myself every day to make sure I drank the glass of milk to ingest at least some dairy.
NUTR 351
Due October 11th – workbook, receipts, and diet analysis on D2L Assignments
The food I ate was rather bland too which I could have enhanced some flavors by adding salt
and pepper or butter but those were not necessities in my opinion.

How could your diet have been improved (within your budget)?

My diet most definitely could have been improved. After completing the three days, I
really wish I would have gone the mixed vegetables and brown rice route. Both can be bought in
a larger quantity and I could have increased my intake of vegetables. I also would have liked to
work the budget out to allow me to have a few small snacks during the day. This would include
pretzels, baby carrots, snap peas, or a type of cracker. I am used to having snacks in my diet
and eliminating that was difficult, but I think I could have worked it out to fit in my budget by
changing a couple of the other meals.

What did you eat that you normally do not eat?

During the challenge, I ate Cream of Wheat which is not usually a part of my diet but is
one of my favorite hot cereals from when I was a kid. I just recently started eating raw celery
which was a change too. The biggest change was the chicken vegetable soup. I have not
consumed Campbell’s soup since I was in grade school so that was a big change.

What foods do you normally eat that you have avoided?

The foods I normally eat that I avoided during the challenge were avocados, oranges,
grapes, multigrain bread, Greek yogurt, tortilla chips, carrots, blue berries, strawberries, coffee,
and whole wheat English muffins. The reason I avoided these certain items is because they can
increase in cost pretty rapidly.

Did you have any difficulty complying with the conditions of the assignment?

For the most part, I did not have too much difficulty. The hardest part for me was when I
had to study so much and I could not grab a snack if I had already eaten my meal earlier. That
would make me get a little stressed out just due to the low blood glucose levels as the day went
on. It was also kind of hard at times because in the sorority we have a cook that prepares lunch
and dinner every week day, so when she would make the food I would have to smell it and
watch everyone else eat it. All in all, I really enjoyed learning the hands on way that some
people have to live.

Could you continue to live on $4/day? How would doing so change your life?

I would definitely like to keep experimenting on other ways to continue to live on $4/day.
The way I went about it this time was not as efficient as I had wanted, but I think if I did the
proper research and tested out different recipes and strategies, I would be able to continue. It is
very interesting to me on how some people can eat $4/day in a healthy way, and I would be
intrigued on learning how to do it as well.
Continuing to live on $4/day would definitely help me save money and would provide me
with a lot of knowledge in a variety of ways. I would learn how to meal prep, the nutritional
aspects of certain foods that last longer, how to use different cooking techniques such as a
crock pot, how to shop with coupons or find sales, and ect. I also think I would learn a lot about
how to budget for myself to ensure all bills were paid and I could put some money away for
later.
NUTR 351
Due October 11th – workbook, receipts, and diet analysis on D2L Assignments
Did you utilize any community food resources? If so, how did they help? If not, why not?

I did not use any community food resources, but if I were to continue on with living on
$4/day I would use one. I would be most interested in finding things that I could utilize in food
that would give me nutritional benefits and last a while if I used it in a meal prep situation. I did
not use the community food resources because I wanted to challenge myself to stay within the
budget by shopping in a common place as most people would. If I were to do this again, I would
definitely experiment with utilizing the available food resources. In addition, I felt that since this
challenge entailed us as students testing the $4/day budget, I did not want to utilize a resource
that others need more than I do.
NUTR 351
Due October 11th – workbook, receipts, and diet analysis on D2L Assignments
Part V: Follow-Up

During the experience, find an application for SNAP (food stamps) online. Examine and
complete the application. Describe this experience. How difficult was it to obtain an application?
How difficult was it to complete the application? Consider how the experience might have been
different if you had poor reading or writing skills?

Prior to filling out the SNAP application, I was not very educated on the process. After
filling it out and examining it, it is a very tedious process. It was not very difficult to find an
application because they are fairly accessible online through an electronic means. The
application had a lot of different parts to it from detailed information on every member of the
household to the earned income and work history. There were many more sections that were
asked to be filled out that were not things one could know off the top of their head either. There
are many numbers and specific details involved in filling out the SNAP application which
assumes those that fill them out are completely fluent in reading and writing. If one could not
read or write, this application would be a very difficult task. The application entails so many
different aspects, I do not think someone with deficiencies in either reading or writing would
eliminate them from being able to even try to apply. I am a junior in college and I still struggled
in some areas to understand what they were asking for completely.
NUTR 351
Due October 11th – workbook, receipts, and diet analysis on D2L Assignments
What are your overall conclusions about this experience? Describe what you learned, your
observations and insights.

From this experience, I learned how to eat on $4/day, how to educate myself on different
kinds of foods and how to utilize them to stay under a budget, and how intense the process of
filling out a SNAP application is. I thought this was a very intense, eye-opening experience that I
wish everyone had to try. It really gives those of us that do not have to eat on a budget a real-
life example of how it is to only be able to eat a certain amount of food per day. I am going to
really encourage my family and friends to try at least one day just so they can understand a little
bit of what a lot of people suffer from each day. In addition, before this assignment I was not
completely sure on how bad being hungry effected physical, emotional, and mental health. I was
slightly effected by all three of these, just as anyone would be when they do not eat enough, but
now that I think it through and visualize that many people go through it every day I can
understand how it is a struggle. The most important thing I will take away from this experience is
that I really hope people take the time to understand how much goes in to being part of the
SNAP program and eating on a strict budget. Not only is the application process tedious and
difficult, planning out a budget takes a lot of time and effort to research and gather foods that
will fulfill dietary requirements and sustain energy. This was one of my favorite assignments that
I have been assigned to complete during my college career mostly because it was so hands on
and applicable to others’ daily lives.

What are the important things you learned during this experience that would benefit you as a
food system and nutrition professional?

The important things I learned during this experience that could potentially benefit me as
a food system and nutrition professional were that I now know how hard each aspect is which
makes me more motivated to help those in need with anything they may need. This could be
helping them budget out weeks at a time, fill out the SNAP application, or just sit down and
research different types of cooking techniques that produce more food and will keep for a longer
period of time. It also gave me the hands on aspect where I now have a small understanding of
how it is to have to eat on a budget and rather than viewing it as a negative, I feel like I have
enough knowledge that I could portray it as a positive. There are a lot of benefits to eating on a
budget, and one day I hope I can be an advocate to educating people on those benefits and
assisting them in planning a budget.
NUTR 351
Due October 11th – workbook, receipts, and diet analysis on D2L Assignments