I agree with Adell Dailey’s Jan. 29 letter, “Teach people how to choose food,” and the quote about teaching a man to fish. Another one comes to mind: “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

Beyond teaching food-stamp recipients the value of good nutrition by requiring smart purchases, how far could we go to reduce health-care costs with another government program, Medicaid?

When waiting in line at the checkout, I can’t help but observe the correlation between the food purchased and how that individual appears physically. There is no doubt that we are what we eat. I don’t think anyone should be deprived of an occasional indulgence, but I would eliminate beverages with sugar added.

Why not a system that identifies items that qualify for purchase like the WIC program? Include a succinct statement of the food properties, good or bad, maybe an award system that provides a bonus to stretch the food dollar farther for good content and a slight penalty for those items that carry few redeeming qualities. This can be educational and rewarding and, most importantly, provide a better quality of living by using good food choices as our best medicine.

Jenny Vaughn

West Columbia