Gwyneth Paltrow is living on food stamps for a week
Gwyneth Paltrow is trying out a new kind of diet.
The actress and lifestyle guru, who regularly champions high-end healthy eating, wellness tips and luxury items on her Goop website and in her cookbooks, will spend the next week living, and cooking, on a food stamp budget.
Paltrow accepted celebrity chef Mario Batali's call to participate in the Food Bank NYC Challenge, and will spend the next week making meals from just $29 worth of groceries, or $1.38 per meal.
I nom @GwynethPaltrow @OfficialSting @BlondieOfficial 2 take a #FoodBankNYCChallenge or don8! http://t.co/IPblQlaPyA
https://t.co/6Plq0lyRdQ
— Mario Batali (@Mariobatali) April 3, 2015
According to the rules of the challenge, Paltrow can use coupons but can't rely on food from others, or use food she already bought.
On Twitter, she shared a glimpse into what that budget got her at the grocery store - with a photo displaying items including veggies, eggs, black beans, whole grain brown rice.
"This is what $29 gets you at the grocery store--what families on SNAP (i.e. food stamps) have to live on for a week," she wrote.
This is what $29 gets you at the grocery store—what families on SNAP (i.e. food stamps) have to live on for a week. pic.twitter.com/OZMPA3nxij
— Gwyneth Paltrow (@GwynethPaltrow) April 9, 2015
The Food Bank of New York City hopes the challenge will raise awareness about hunger and the struggle to afford food on a food stamp budget. "Congress cut food stamps twice since 2013 , and soup kitchens and food pantries saw an immediate increase in visitors," its website states. "New Yorkers can't afford any cuts to Food Stamps."