I have had this argument with folks time and again. If you don’t make a decent wage- let alone are on public assistance to feed your family- it is extremely difficult to eat healthily. There are some states and municipalities that have made strides in this area by now accepting SNAP benefits at farmer’s markets but price remains an issue.

Why does 100% juice cost so much more than soda, Huggies or juice ‘drink’? Fresh produce can run you 5xs the cost of canned or frozen (although the quality of the two latter items has vastly improved). Given all of this reality, it is difficult to divorce this conversation from that of healthcare costs as well as obesity and related diseases. With that said, I stumbled across a challenge that Chef Mario Batali gave to actress Gwyneth Paltrow to raise awareness and money for the Food Bank for New York City .

Paltrow’s basket cost $24.40 and was meant to last a full week.

 As I suspected, we only made it through about four days, when I personally broke and had some chicken and fresh vegetables (and in full transparency, half a bag of black licorice). My perspective has been forever altered by how difficult it was to eat wholesome, nutritious food on that budget, even for just a few days—a challenge that 47 million Americans face every day, week, and year.

– Gwyneth Paltrow