SNAP Food Benefits for Nutritious Items: Not Junk

SNAP food benefits are a blessing for the needy. I strongly support continuing SNAP.

However, I also agree with those who want to limit the benefit coverage to nutritious foods and drinks.

Far too much SNAP money is spent on carbonated soft drinks. These flavored, sweetened, carbonated sodas typically  offer few nutrients and lots of added sugars. They are not a healthy choice.

Similarly, a lot of SNAP money is expended on candy that typically has lots of added sugar, lots of calories, and few nutrients.

It's better if persons buy items like the bananas pictured below than processed junk foods and drinks.

Bananas purchased at a supermarket are even cheaper than much of the junk food and drinks people buy. At 60 cents per pound, a typical banana would cost less than 30 cents.

Suggested Food Stamp Restrictions

I support eliminating energy drinks, carbonated soft drinks, and other sweetened drinks with limited nutritional value from eligibility for buying with food stamps. I'll leave it up to the experts to decide on the specifics.

I also support eliminating most candies from eligibility for food stamps. I'd make an exception for dark chocolate with limited added sugar. And I'd urge food stamp recipients to consume that dark chocolate in moderation.

I'd also eliminate most store-bought cookies, cakes, and pies from food stamp eligibility.

United States Government Dietary Guidelines

I'm neither a dietician nor a medical professional, so I can't give dietary or medical advice. But the United States government's recently published Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2025-2030 provides useful advice.

Among other things, those guidelines encourage the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables, protein sources, dairy products, and whole grains.

The guidelines urge consumers to limit the intake of added sugars, highly processed foods, and saturated fats.

My Personal Perspective on the Guidelines

I basically agree with the federal government guidelines.

But I'm trying to adhere to a vegan diet. I use enriched, unsweetened soy milk in place of dairy products. I also eat lots of beans, nuts, and seeds, rather than consuming fish, poultry, or red meat.

And I confess I do indulge in buying and eating some things like potato chips and sweetened dark chocolate. But I aim at moderation.

I'm not on food stamps. But I'd support food stamps covering dark chocolate and potato chips. They are not as devoid of nutrients as carbonated soft drinks or candy that is almost all sugar.

Home Cooked Meals

We all have limited time.  Preparing nutritious, meals at home using whole wheat flour, whole grain corn meal, and dry beans soaked for several hours then cooked a couple of hours takes much time and effort. But it's worth it when time permits.

Cooking big batches of beans, vegetable soup, etc., then refrigerating (or freezing) leftovers to prepare later is a nice time saver.

Furthermore, though I support eliminating most store-bought cookies from food stamp eligibility, home-made cookies are different.

For example, home-made oatmeal-raisin cookies prepared with whole wheat flour and sweetened with applesauce can be a tasty, somewhat nutritious snack.

I sometimes sweeten my home-made cookies and home-made banana-walnut bread with 100% stevia which I order online. In my personal opinion 100% stevia is the best of the sugar substitutes. But I seek to limit my use of it too. I don't think it is nutritious. 

I'd allow 100% stevia to be purchased with food stamps. It may be better for our teeth and for diabetics than sugar, however, as noted earlier, I'm not a dietician or a medical professional and can't give dietary or medical advice. Also, note that most stevia products sold in supermarkets are not 100% stevia.

In general I think preparing beans, vegetables, and breads at home is better than buying them ready-to-eat. And I limit my bread baking to things like biscuits, corn bread, and other quick breads that don't require the time-consuming process of using yeast. But I commend those of you with the time and skill to successfully bake yeast breads from scratch.

U.S. Government Regulations on Food Stamp Junk Food Purchases

At the national level, purchase of junk food and drinks with food stamps is not limited.

However, federal officials have approved restrictions for 18 states that took effect earlier this year or will take effect later this year, according to a United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service webpage titled "SNAP Food Restriction Waivers that was last updated on January 2, 2026.

The specific limitations vary by state, as noted in the article linked to in the last paragraph.

I think it would be great if all states passed some type of similar restrictions, assuming the federal government doesn't make it mandatory for all states.

What do you think?

Disclosure: I work part-time as a store clerk in a retail store that sells candy and carbonated soft drinks, among many other things.