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In the past two years, I lost my job, ran out of unemployment…long story short, I’m now on food stamps. Any tips for how I can still eat healthy and maybe organic? (I used to buy organic when I had money.) I don’t want to live on junk food.

-Jared

First off, I’m so sorry to hear that you’re struggling right now. But you’re in good, though probably far from gleeful, company: More than one in seven American households now relies on food stamps. That’s up over 58 percent since the start of the recession.

Not surprisingly, with so may people on public assistance, much of the stigma associated with government subsidies has disappeared. Last year, Salon.com ran a feature about hipsters using food stamps to supplement their diet with roasted rabbit and triple-crème brie. This, however, is not one of those articles.

Eating healthy — even organic — shouldn’t be viewed as a privilege for the liberal elite. In fact, it should be common sense. Throughout the course of human history, people weathered tough times by planting edible gardens on what little land they had and stretching out their limited meat supply with beans and whole grains. Now they waddle up to (or drive through) the nearest fast food establishment and order a double cheeseburger and fries.