Galveston County Daily News, July 23, 2007 GALVESTON - Eating on $3 a day, like some volunteers did as part of the recent Food Stamp Challenge, is tough. Trying to keep healthy eating habits on that amount, however, is more challenging. "Mostly what you see in American society over the past 30 years is the tendency that food is getting more expensive," said Dr. Russell LaForte, director of the Executive Wellness Program at the University of Texas Medical Branch. He said the prices of items such as rice don't change much, but the cost of fruits and vegetables has gone up. About 50 people in Galveston County volunteered to live on $3 of food a day. That's about the average food-stamp allotment for people in the area. The idea was to try to call attention to the plight of those who depend on food stamps. Lynn Maarouf, a diabetes nutrition educator at the medical branch, said healthy eating on $3 a day would take some planning, but is doable. She suggested looking at the biggest expense first.