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Title: The 2005 Dietary Guidlines For Americans: A "Daunting Challenge" for Food-Stamp Recipients in Southeast Louisiana

Author
item O'NEIL, C - LOUISIANA STATE UNIV
item STEWART, L - LOUISIANA STATE UNIV
item BURAS, B - LOUISIANA STATE UNIV
item LUNDY, S - LOUISIANA STATE UNIV
item GILLESPIE, J - LOUISIANA STATE UNIV
item TILLER, V - LOUISIANA STATE UNIV
item MONROE, P - LOUISIANA STATE UNIV
item Bogle, Margaret

Submitted to: Journal Of The American Dietetic Association
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/6/2007
Publication Date: 8/1/2007
Citation: O'Neil, C.E., Stewart, L.J., Buras, B., Lundy, S., Gillespie, J.M., Tiller, V.V., Monroe, P.A., Bogle, M.L. 2007. The 2005 dietary guidlines for Americans: A "daunting challenge" for food-stamp recipients in southeast Louisiana [abstract]. Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 107(8):A-100.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Our objectives was to determine whether food stamp (FS)-reliant individuals can meet the food recommendations of the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA). FS-reliant individuals in South Louisiana have little nutrition knowledge and diets that fail to meet 2005 DGA recommendations for fruit, vegetables, and dairy and exceed recommendations for discretionary calories. Food cost is a major barrier to eating healthy meals in this population; it’s not known whether the cost of foods would allow them to meet the 2005 DGA if resources were available to them. A market basket of 149 menu items was priced at 29 food stores in eight parishes (counties) in Southeast Louisiana over a two-week time period. Using these foods, a two–week cycle menu with recipes was planned that met the food recommendations for the 2005 DGA for a reference family of four (male, female, two children). Meals had some preparation required, relied on canned fruits and vegetables, and consisted of mostly nutrient dense foods. Incorporating variety into the meals was a major problem while keeping costs low. Although menus met the food recommendations, they were low in potassium, linoleic and alpha-linolenic acid, vitamin E, (one child was low in calcium), and high in sodium and phosphorus. At the time of the study, the maximum FS benefits for a family of four were $471/month, and the average benefit was $326/month. The mean cost of the 2-week menus was $615.89, $144.89 higher than the maximum, and $289.89 higher than the average FS benefit, suggesting that the cost of the meals exceeds benefits. Findings underscore the challenges that low-income individuals face in meeting dietary recommendations.