The food stamp program is a legitimate recourse for people who through no fault of their own are denied opportunity to earn enough income to afford decent nutrition for themselves and for their children. However, it allows many so called foods that are not foods, for example, breakfast "ceriels" such a sugar frosted fruit loops that fit the definition of candy rather than food and so called fruit juices that are 2% fruit juice in sugar water, to be accepted as food to be purchased as though they were food.
However, it does not accept many foods that are inaccurately called "body building supplements" but in fact are food to be purchased as food. Protein powders are nutrients, specifically protein with other micronutrients and macronutrient with calories that are far more healthy than commercially processed junk foods that are engineered to have the unhealthy effect of manipulating the metabolism in an attempt to induce overconsumption and better sales and are allowed under the food stamp program. Political conservatives regard such lifestyle choices as healthy food a luxury reserved only for the well employed.
But the effect of such health enhancing options, which also encourage exercise and elimination of unhealthy lifestyle habits, for those aspiring to get back on their feet will save money in health care costs and and in productivity when people re-enter the work force, assuming that the employers who hire them pay a fair wage and not expect the government to supplement what they should pay. Including protein powder foods and the like will not require any increase in the food stamp budget. That makes it the right choice.
