The USDA Snaps Into the New Healthy Eating Incentive Plan

The government can't tell people what they can eat, but a new USDA program gives incentive to eat healthy. The Washington Post explains changes in SNAP (the new name for food stamps) that will reward people for eating fruits and vegetables. Participants will receive 30 cents for every dollar they spend on approved produce.

Meanwhile, the New York Times looks at America's culture of obesity. Health experts say that exercise and discounted produce won't make everyone fit, that societal changes need to be made to bigger problems for which overeating and inactivity are merely symptoms. Want change? Look at the number of fast food joints, neighborhoods without supermarkets, high-stress work environments, and advertising, then alter the pricing.

Diets of "Spam and jam" aren't helping matters. The Wall Street Journal reports that in these harsh economic times, the stocks for Hormel and Smuckers have reached all-time highs.

Perhaps adding new foods to the western diet will help. According to the Associated Press, the European Union has approved the import of camel milk from Dubai. If inspections go well, powdered camel milk should be available in Europe by this autumn under the brand name Camelicious. It has triple the vitamin C of cow's milk, is safe for lactose intolerant drinkers, and has been used to treat a myriad of diseases.