Gwyneth Paltrow on $29 Diet Like Poor People? Truth Behind Her Cheap Meal Budget

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Gwyneth Paltrow accepted the Food Bank Challenge last week on Twitter in an effort to raise awareness on food stamps and the lack of food people can buy with them.

According to The Wrap, the Hollywood actress was nominated by chef Mario Batali, a board member of the Food Bank in New York City, to accept the Food Bank Challenge. It entails living on food stamps for one week, on a budget of $29 per person, which amounts to about $1.38 for each meal, explains Yahoo.

I nom @GwynethPaltrow @OfficialSting @BlondieOfficial 2 take a #FoodBankNYCChallenge or don8!https://t.co/IPblQlaPyA https://t.co/6Plq0lyRdQ

- Mario Batali (@Mariobatali) April 3, 2015

Paltrow accepted the challenge, later tweeting a picture at 10:05 pm of the food she bought from the grocery store which totaled $29. The Oscar-winning actress was apparently trying to show people that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP does not sufficiently feed families. Her attempt, however, was not received well.

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

According to Business Insider, she later tweets, at 10:10 pm, "We're walking in their shoes to see how far we get." Her tweets and effort supposedly either insulted or angered some people on Twitter, as shown by some reports. Multiple comments after Paltrow posted the picture of her groceries were negative.

For instance, Disney Princess tweeted, "Gwyneth Paltrow is trying to act all noble doing the food stamp challenge. When most women on food stamps are also trying to feed a family." There were several comments revolving around the food Paltrow bought which included brown rice, black beans, peas, eggs, tortillas, cilantro, limes, and fresh vegetables, reports The Wrap.

Apparently, her food choices would not sufficiently provide people with the calories they needed in their daily lives. The Telegraph states, "Ms. Paltrow's selection of green vegetables meant she would be consuming fewer than 1000 calories a day - that is about half what the NHS recommends for a healthy, balanced diet."

The Frisky adds, "Nutritionally speaking, [Gwyneth's grocery choices] is a vitamin bonanza. But people who live on [food stamps] don't just have to get nutrients, they have to get actual calories, because they tend to have very physical lives, doing service labour and taking care of children."

Despite all the negative comments, there are some who believe that Gwyneth made the right decision when accepting the challenge. Tony Fratto, defends Gwyneth, tweeting, "She's not doing it for herself or for you. She's doing it so people will talk about food stamps. Which we are."