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Table 1-Daily Food Servings Food Group Servings/day
Table 1-Daily Food Servings Food Group Servings/day
NUTR 4102
Low SES Meal Planning
Table 1- Daily Food Servings
Food Group Servings/day
I wasnt able to buy my groceries until yesterday, but was pleasantly surprised at
how much Aldi has improved over the last several years. I recently read that Aldi
banned six pesticides that are toxic to bees, as well have shifted focus to lesser
known organic products. They keep their prices low because they dont advertise,
Penelope Ponthieu
NUTR 4102
Low SES Meal Planning
offer plastic bags, or put much effort into dressing up their stores. As I browsed the
isles, I was happy to see a multitude of products that are $1.49 or less. Today was
my first day of eating on this menu and I honestly think that I could have done
better. The whole grain bagels are very dry and choosing to use peanut butter
rather than cream cheese is presenting a challenge. In a good light, it does drive me
to drink more water! I like the rice cakes as well because theyre almost like a
dessert. I have high hopes for the next 6 days. My snack is a bit random. For lunch I
used oil and spinach to make a kind of pasta salad. Dinner was kind of rough. I
didnt enjoy eating so many black beans! I had trouble eating all the food I had
planned to eat and feel at times as though I may be overeating.
I planned better for today than I did yesterday. Breakfast was so much liquid! Lunch was pretty
good once I mixed it all together. I really enjoyed dinner and my snack as well. I once again had
trouble eating everything necessary, but we had a pt test today, so luckily my appetite was high
from the calories I burned this morning. Im not used to eating so much bread, especially without
butter. I think in the future I will consider adding heavy whipping cream to the list. With it I
could make buttermilk and a fair amount of natural butter. I could use that as my dairy and fat
source, or cut the buttermilk with skim milk. I also had double applesauce today. Its not my
favorite, but it does motivate me to know Im eating better than I usually do.
Penelope Ponthieu
NUTR 4102
Low SES Meal Planning
Table 5- Day 3 Menu
Wednesday1 Breakfast 1 whole grain Calories 2116
bagel
2T peanut Fat 69
butter
Mandarin CHO 313
orange fruit
Cup Protein 59
Coffee with 2T
sugar free
creamer
Lunch (leftovers) Dietary Fiber 48
1.25C spinach
1.5T olive oil Vitamin A 11584
1/2Cyellow
squash Vitamin C 153
Applesauce
cup
1/2C brown
rice
Snack V8 0.75C Calcium 1025
Banana
1Rice cake Iron 18
8oz skim milk
Sodium 2266
Into my third day. I was actually having trouble being full today. The snacks actually helped
more than I thought with that. This project has made me wish I had remembered to borrow a
cheese grater, as for dinner I ended up cutting the cheese block into small chunks to mix in with
the black beans and salsa. It made a sandwich that really wasnt bad. I have to admit, Im ready
to get away from black beans and spinach. Its made me wonder if I should start giving farmers
markets a try to search for dark leafy greens. Aldi did not have a great selection.
Penelope Ponthieu
NUTR 4102
Low SES Meal Planning
Iron 16
Sodium 1154
No black beans or spinace today! I also decided to get fancy with the applesauce for dinner.
Outside of repeating applesauce for my fruit, today was great eating. I ended up cutting up the
bell peppers and putting them into the sauce, as well as finely chopping the cheese and sprinkling
it over the top of my spaghetti. I used some of the spaghetti to make a half sandwish, and ate
whatever was left over regularly. All in all, this was my favorite day of eating so far.
Penelope Ponthieu
NUTR 4102
Low SES Meal Planning
Today I made a decision to switch my lunch and dinner, but again did not change the food I had
planned to eat for the day. The Brussel sprouts and squash were not very filling, so I added part
of my snack in and had mandarin oranges with yogurt, which helped a lot. I also added to
breakfast by butting up the banana into the Cheerios. I had one of the Butterfinger cups in the
morning, then the other at night. That was a nice treat!
Penelope Ponthieu
NUTR 4102
Low SES Meal Planning
Sodium 1440
Today was my last day. I have to admit; I was not thrilled about lunch. I quickly ate the beans
and Brussel sprouts, however trying to get down the broccoli and bread was more effort than I
thought they would be. That being said, my snack and dinner were delicious. I thought I was
going to grow tired of mandarin oranges, but I actually didnt!
Penelope Ponthieu
NUTR 4102
Low SES Meal Planning
Reflection
At the start of this project, I was living on my own. Due to unique family obligations, I
had a family member move in with me during the course of this project. At the point I had
already developed a meal plan and a budget, so I chose to stick to my original parameters for a
single member household. My income was not affected by my personal situation, so staying in
Between work and ROTC my weekly income averages $425 a week, but I am lucky to
have very few bills in my current living arrangements. In 2015, the federal poverty line for a
single membered family was $11,770, or $226.34 a week2. This means an impoverished single
member family should spend around $45 each week on food, plus 130%, equating $58. I chose
to go to Aldi to buy my groceries. I forgot to buy a Butterfinger, so during the week I had to stop
and get the candy bar. I was not given a receipt, but the candy cost was $0.89. Even with this
addition, I managed to keep my total cost to $52.58. I did not realize until it was too late that it
was possible to use household staples already on hand as long as the student counted for the cost.
I believe that had I known this, I wouldnt have bought oil, coffee, or coffee creamer. This could
In the state of Tennessee, residents may qualify for food stamps if: he/she is a resident of
Tennessee and a US citizen, is employed (may average 20 hours a week if in college), and earns
under $1276 monthly, or $319 weekly3. The fine print listed in the food stamp guidelines
suggests that my monthly stipend from ROTC is not considered in determining food stamp
eligibility. This brings my income down to $300 per week, thus qualifying me for food stamps.
My integrity prevents me from taking advantage of this, however I must admit I am tempted to
Penelope Ponthieu
NUTR 4102
Low SES Meal Planning
apply. I honestly dont normally eat this much food, but it was nice being able to plan my meals
ahead of time and have most of my food already prepared without having to go out to eat and
I believe I spend much less than $58 per week on food, but this comes at the cost of
consuming a nutrient deficient diet. According to the USDA, 7.1-10% of households in Shelby
County experienced low income and low access to grocery stores in 2010. Additionally, 2.6-5%
of households have no car and low access to grocery stores4. According to the Food Research
Action Center (FRAC), Memphis had the highest rate of food insecurity in the nation in 20105. I
live in Bartlett near four grocery stores that are all less than two miles from my home. This
makes me realize I have the means to do better, but I make a personal decision not to. I have no
excuse to not be eating a healthy diet. This project has shown me that with some improvements
to the quality of my meal planning, I could develop a menu that is more palatable, yet equally
nutrient rich.
Overall, this was a great project that required budding dietitians to live out a menu they
could plan in the future. It shows that its easy to plan a meal, but entirely different to actually
1.) The Food Processor. Nutrition and Fitness Software. Esha RESEARCH. 2016.
https://citrix.memphis.edu/Citrix/UOMWeb/
2.) Department of Health and Human Services. Federal Poverty Guidelines for
https://www.tn.gov/humanservices/article/supplemental-nutition-assistance-program-
Sept. 2016.
5.) Tackling Memphis' Ranking as the Most Food-Insecure City in America for Children.
http://www.urbanchildinstitute.org/articles/updates/tackling-memphis-ranking-as-the-