They were five of the toughest days of Matt Harty’s life: He suffered searing headaches, and went to bed hungry and dehydrated.

“I had a totally unbalanced diet,” said Harty, 29, of Prospect Heights, Brooklyn. “I didn’t have one piece of fruit the entire week.”

Harty is among 30 people who recently took part in the Food Stamp Challenge. The five-day test in food frugality, organized by the New York City Coalition Against Hunger, tried to gauge how effective the program is at keeping recipients fed and healthy.

Read More