Okay, one thing that is a huge drag about living off $21.00 per week is the availability of fresh foods. I'm used to purchasing large quantities of fruit and veggies. This isn't possible on such a low budget. In addition, I can't take advantage of most canned or packaged foods because of all the family allergy issues. Two people can't have MSG, soy (which seems to be in everything), legumes, or nuts. Three people have difficulty with dairy, so we have to pay around $10.00 for lactaid if dairy is consumed. This means cheese can not be served often. In general we stick to fresh fruit, veggies, eggs, pasta, fish, venison, buffalo, and some beef (meat is eaten in small quantities). We don't buy soda and juice is a rarity: . Two people have sugar sensitivities. The most indulgent we get is occasional ice-cream and soy free tortilla chips with salsa, and popcorn. In addition,buying soy free food costs twice as much as regular items, so we often have to make most items from scratch. For instance one bag of soy free bread cost almost four dollars, while regular wheat is two.
Food sensitivities are very common (allergies are a bit less). It appears as rashes/eczema, behavior changes after exposure, head congestion/runny nose, headaches, and stomach/intestinal problems, and sleep issues, dark circles under the eyes, etc. It definitely effects a persons overall health and mental vitality.
I wonder how many people at this moment are forced to eat low grade food that is causing mild to severe problems in their life.
I know that if my son has soy in his diet regularly, he exhibits autistic behavior. If we hadn't figured out his behavior was caused by food allergies, what type of mind altering medication would he be on. How many kids are diagnosed as having ADHD or autism spectrum disorders that are merely trying to digest food that acts like a poison in their body. If you are living in poverty, you really don't have the luxury to be concerned about the quality of food you eat. You are really just trying to satisfy hunger.
