Maine spends a lot of money on welfare. And, child nutrition in Maine is problematic at the best of times, with malnutrition easily masquerading as obesity.

Simple solution? Restrict food stamp users even more so that all they can purchase is “ healthy” food. That will work, right?

While it sounds good on the surface, there are several problems with this approach. Infantilizing people who use food stamps does not help them make good choices, it removes choice. While this assistance is coming from a source of public funding, those who receive the benefit should still be able to make choices about how they feed their families.

Taking away the choice does not take into account other sources of food a family may be utilizing, such as offerings at food pantries, backpack programs, school lunch and breakfasts. Food stamp recipients may be getting the “healthy” food they need there.

Making the choices for the recipients also does not take into account their living situation, which may prevent them from taking advantage of more perishable food. Some food stamp recipients live with family or in a motel without the ability to store large quantities of food — or even prepare meals that don’t consist of sandwiches and snacks. That limits a person’s options for what food they can use.

And that’s not even taking into account the financial implications of receiving food stamps. Those who get such benefits are eligible because their income level is low, and they need a hand up to feed their families while still paying the bills. That is challenging enough, but when you look at the cost of food, the “healthy” choices often cost more than the more processed junk food. It’s not only easier to get the processed, ready-to-eat options, it’s also cheaper. When you’re trying to stretch a dollar, you have to cut some corners and nutrition is often the first to fall by the wayside.

Time also is a factor. If a single parent is working a job or two, while shuttling kids to daycare or getting them off to school, time is minimal. Already-prepared meals and grab-and-go options are sometimes all that can be offered some days.

By the way, that’s a reality for those not receiving food stamps as well. The difference is that those who are not getting benefits don’t have people judging them, unlike those who use their assistance options at the store.

It’s very easy to make snap judgments about those who receive benefits, those who rely on public assistance, even if they are working multiple jobs to make ends meet. It’s less easy to figure out what they — and we — could be doing differently to provide better nutrition for them and their kids.

What we should be focusing on — instead of assuming that all those who get benefits are scammers cheating the system and feeding their kids junk food — is how to make healthy options more financially accessible. For example, WIC benefits offer less than $10 a month for fresh fruit and vegetables. A bag of about a dozen apples costs $4.99 at the local grocery store, eating up about half of that. What’s wrong with that picture?

We need to give people a chance to add “healthy” food to their budget before we talk about limiting their choices. If buying “healthy” food was more affordable — or the benefit was larger to accommodate the higher prices — then it would be a lot easier to say no to the junk. But that’s not the case.

Let’s find a way to improve opportunities to have better nutrition before we decide that those who receive assistance can’t make appropriate choices for their families. There is much more to the food budget equation for people who use food stamps that won’t be solved with snap judgments.