EBT, or Electronic Benefits Transfer, is an amazing program that provides assistance to low-income families via various Government programs. One such government assistance program is SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) which provides food assistance of about $55.6 billion to needy people. The question is, what can you buy with EBT Food Stamps, and can you buy Pre-workout using EBT SNAP Benefits?
As you might already know, this snap assistance program helps low-income families to buy food for free of cost or at cheaper prices. While you can buy a number of nutritious items such as vegetables, fruit, eggs, and much more using EBT SNAP benefits, a lot of people, especially fitness enthusiasts, wonder if it is possible to buy pre-workouts using EBT.
Can you buy pre-workout with EBT?
You cannot buy Pre-workout using EBT, But You can buy certain types of protein powder using EBT food stamps. EBT benefits Cannot be used to buy supplements or vitamins. However, you can buy protein powder that has ‘Nutrition Facts’ on the packaging. If the pre-workout you want to buy has ‘Supplement Facts’ marked on it, you cannot use EBT stamps in this case.
So now you know the type of pre-workout you should be looking for so as to use EBT stamps to buy pre-workout. In order to get more information about the same, you can refer to the below article, which lists the protein powders you can buy using EBT benefits.
What is pre-workout?
Pre-workout is basically a bodybuilding supplement that is used by athletes in order to enhance their performance. This supplement constitutes a number of ingredients such as creatine and caffeine. This Energy drink is typically known to be a supplement that can help you to increase your energy levels and improve exercise performance.
It is also known to stimulate muscle growth. As a result of which, a lot of athletes, weightlifters, and even runners use pre-workout supplements before their exercise sessions. Hence, it is quite famous among those who go to the gym and have athletic and fitness objectives.
What pre-workout can I buy with my EBT card?
You can use your EBT card to buy various nutritious items such as Fruits, vegetables, eggs, dairy products, and much more with the help of the SNAP program. However, there are certain limitations to what you can buy with an EBT card. There are various items, such as cooked food from restaurants, that cannot be bought using EBT benefits.
Now coming to pre-workout that you can buy using an EBT card. One of the food items that you CAN NOT buy using EBT SNAP benefits are vitamins and supplements. Consequently, this rule is also applicable for pre-workout and protein powders.
Any item that has vitamins or supplements written on it, or more precisely, pre-workouts that have ‘Supplemental facts’ written on their packaging, cannot be bought using EBT benefits. From what I have observed up until now, almost all the pre-workouts have supplemental facts written on their packaging. And so these pre-workouts cannot be bought using an EBT snap card.
Unfortunately, you cannot buy pre-workout using EBT SNAP benefits. Pre-workouts consist of supplements that are excluded from the benefits of SNAP EBT. However, you can get something else with EBT, which is a great alternative to pre-workout. Read further to know!
What are pre-workout alternatives?
Now that you know that you won’t be able to buy pre-workout using EBT, here is an amazing alternative to pre-workout that is EBT-eligible. Some of you might already know that protein powder is a great alternative to pre-workout and can actually be used as a pre-workout beverage.
The best part is that some of the protein powders are also EBT eligible, which means that you will be able to buy your pre-workout beverage at a very cheap price.
It goes without saying that food items that contain protein are a great source of energy, especially before your workout. These food items include eggs, oatmeal, peanut butter, etc.
Those who go to the gym regularly are aware of the importance of protein in their diet. Foods that contain high natural sugar content suggest bananas and apples also provide the boost of energy required for an intense workout. However, not many people would prefer this.
The best option, in many people’s opinion, is protein powder. This can be taken before your workout, just like the pre-workout. It can give you the dose of caffeine that you require.
Even if your pre-workout is not EBT eligible, you can still buy protein powders that are EBT eligible. All you need to do is while buying the protein powder, make sure to check the list of contents and see that it has “ nutrition facts” written on the label.
Note that the protein powder you are thinking of buying using EBT food stamps should not have “supplement facts” or “dietary supplement” written on the label.
Lists of EBT Eligible Protein Powders
If you are wondering What Protein Powder Can I Buy With Food Stamps, then the rule is very simple. You can buy any protein powder with EBT Food Stamps that have “Nutrition Facts” written on the label instead of “Supplement Facts.”
The majority of the protein powders are sold by their companies as food. Although you cannot buy supplements with EBT food stamps, it is possible to buy most types of foods using EBT benefits. If you are looking forward to buying protein powders, then you can use your EBT food stamps in stores where EBT is accepted, such as Amazon.
To help you out in choosing the protein powder that you can buy using EBT benefits, Here we have compiled a list of eligible protein powders that you can refer to while making your next purchase. We have classified the protein powders as plant-based and animal-based to help you in choosing your pre-workout drink.
EBT Eligible Whey Protein and Animal Protein Powders
For those of you who do not know, there are various types of protein powders that people consume depending on the contents and the effectiveness of these powders. For instance, whey protein is extracted from milk and made using a combination of milk and water. It has a rich amino acid profile And thus is more effective at stimulating muscle synthesis post-workout.
Similarly, animal protein powder constitutes complete proteins; that is, they also contain all the essential amino acids. This is lacking in plant-based proteins. Thus, many Athletes and gym enthusiasts prefer Whey protein and animal-based protein powder as their pre-workout drink.
Given below are some of the most well-known EBT-eligible Whey and animal protein powders. All of these protein powders have “nutrition facts” written on their labels, thus being eligible for EBT SNAP benefits.
- Isopure Low Carb
- Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard (100% Whey)
- Levels Whey Protein
- MusclePharm Combat Protein Powder
- Ascent Native Fuel Whey
- BSN Syntha-6 Edge
- Dymatize ISO100 Hydrolyzed
EBT Eligible Plant-Based Protein Powders
On the other hand, plant-based protein powders, which are vegan protein powders, are made from food items such as brown rice, soy, hemp, pea, etc. protein powders can also be a combination of all these items.
These protein powders lack certain amino acids that can be found in animal-based protein powders; plant-based protein powders are Vegan and Dairy free. Hence, for those looking for dairy-free and vegan options, EBT-Elgibile plant-based protein powders are great to go.
- NAKED Pea Protein
- KOS
- Orgain
- NOW Sports Pea Protein
- Garden of Life Meal Replacement
- Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard (100% Plant-Based)
- Garden of Life Sport
- Vega Sport Premium Protein
Can You Buy Meal Replacement Shakes With Food Stamps?
Some meal replacement shakes can be bought with EBT Food stamp benefits, but it depends on the brand. EBT is available for shakes that are sold as food and labelled with “Nutrition Facts.” Supplement drinks that are labelled with “Supplement Facts” are not eligible for EBT.
Food stamps can be used to purchase most meal replacement shakes and protein powders, but not all of them.
EBT Eligible Meal Replacement Shakes
For those of you who do not know, Meal Replacement Shakes are a great option for those looking forward to losing weight. These are quite different from protein shakes with respect to their nutritional values. These are known to provide more nutrients as compared to protein shakes.
Given below are some of the most popular meal replacement shakes that have nutrition facts labels on them and thus are eligible for EBT food stamp benefits.
- Orgain Organic Meal Replacement Powder [Vegan]
- MET-Rx Original Whey Meal Replacement Shakes
- IdealShake Meal Replacement Shakes
- Labrada Lean Body Hi-Protein Meal Replacement ShakeEvolve Protein Shake [Vegan]
- PlantFusion Complete Meal [Vegan]
- SlimFast Original Meal Replacement Shake Mix
- Garden of Life Raw Organic Meal Replacement Powder [Vegan]
- Premier Protein 30g Protein Shake
- 310 Meal Replacement Shake [Vegan]
Can you buy Premier Protein Shakes with EBT Food Stamps?
That’s right. The list of eligible items that can be bought with EBT includes protein shakes, including some premier ones. Some protein shakes are marketed as food sources containing nutrition labels, while others are marketed as supplements containing supplement labels.
Protein shakes are more difficult to purchase than protein powders since most of them fall under the supplement category rather than the food category. Likewise, protein bars are considered supplements and are not eligible for EBT cards.
Where Can You Buy Protein Powder With EBT?
You can buy EBT-eligible protein powders at various grocery stores and supermarkets such as Safeway, Wal-Mart, Whole Foods, Sprouts, Publix, Albertson’s, and so on. The majority of supplement stores, including Vitamin Shoppe and GNC, do not accept EBT. Websites such as Amazon also offer protein powder that can be purchased with Food Stamps EBT.
What Items Can Be Purchased With EBT Cards?
EBT food stamps offered through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program can be used to buy a lot of grocery food items, excluding hot-served food at restaurants. These grocery items could include the likes of the below items –
- Meat, poultry, and fish
- Grains and Bread
- Fruits and vegetables
- Cereals
- Dairy products
- Snacks and non-alcoholic beverages
- Food-producing seeds and plants
What Can you NOT Buy With EBT?
A lot of food items can be bought with Food Stamps EBT, but similarly, there are also many food and food-related items that cannot be bought using EBT benefits. One cannot buy vitamins, tobacco, hot foods, hygiene products, foods to be eaten in the store, medicines, alcohol, cosmetics, pet food, etc., using EBT SNAP benefits.
Can You Buy Whey Protein with Food Stamps
Yes, you can buy Whey Protein with Food Stamps EBT. Here is a list of the Whey Protein that can be bought using EBT Benefits.
- Levels Whey Protein
- BSN Syntha-6 Edge
- MusclePharm Combat Protein Powder
- Isopure Low Carb
- Dymatize ISO100 Hydrolyzed
- Ascent Native Fuel Whey
- Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard
Can You Buy Creatine With Food Stamps?
The answer to this question is NO. You cannot purchase creatine with food stamps EBT. When compared to protein powders, which are sometimes sold as nutritional and sometimes as supplemental facts, creatine is only sold as a supplement since it does not qualify as food in any way.
As supplements are not eligible for purchase with food stamps, creatine is also not eligible for purchase with food stamps. Taking this into consideration, it does not qualify as “food” that you would be able to purchase with your EBT card. This is because supplements are not eligible for purchase with food stamps.
Can You Buy Atkins Shake with Food Stamps?
It is important to note that Atkins shakes fall under the category of protein shakes, which means that any shakes that are labeled as ‘Nutrition facts’ or ‘food items’ can be purchased using food stamps.
It is much more difficult to purchase protein shakes than it is to purchase protein powders since most of them are classified as supplements rather than food or nutrition products.
As a result, if you’re wondering if your concerned shake falls under the category of a food item, then you’ll have to investigate it for yourself.
Can You Buy Herbalife with Food Stamps?
Herbalife provides a wide range of nutritional supplements, meal replacement shakes, multivitamins, and other health-related products. Therefore, if you are interested in buying Herbalife products with food stamps, then you already know what the conditions are.
Whenever you see ‘Nutritional Facts’ written on a certain product’s label, it means that it can be purchased with food stamps. It is important to note that if a product states ‘Supplement Facts,’ then, of course, you cannot use your food stamps to purchase it.
Can You Buy Protein Powder with EBT at Walmart?
Yes, of course. You can buy protein powder at Walmart as long as it is sold as a food item. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program allows you to buy nutritional protein powders in any grocery store in the United States.
Can I use EBT for online purchases?
Yes, you can use it for online purchases of protein powder. There are various websites like Amazon that accept EBT snap benefits on eligible items. Just know that while making an online purchase, there could be other costs included, such as delivery fees. EBT will not cover these fees.
Final Thoughts
That was it all about EBT-Eligible Protein powders. If you’re interested in buying protein powders or some other related item using your EBT card, you now know what to do. Whenever you are planning to purchase a product, it is important that you pay attention to the label of that product.
There is nothing better than a label that says, “Nutritional Facts”! If you have an EBT card, you can certainly buy it with it. In case the pre-workout beverage you wish to buy has “Supplemental Facts” written on it, then you will have to look for some alternatives in this situation since you won’t be able to buy that with EBT SNAP Benefits.
