I have a theory that there is a impossible trinity (like in economics), where a food cannot be delicious, cheap and healthy at the same time. At maximum 2 of the 3 can be achieved.
Is there any food that breaks this theory?
Edit: I was thinking more about dishes (or something you put in your mouth) than the raw substances
Some popular suggestions include
- fruits (in season)
- lentils, beans
- rice
- mushrooms
Onion. It’s cheap, nutritious, acts as a low-key anti bacterial solution, can be served in a multitude of ways, or eaten raw.
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Subscribed.
eaten raw
You, sir, are a monster.
Hmm time for a snack
Takes a bite from a raw onion like an apple
Tony abbott is that you?
Listen for some of us that’s a delicacy.
Followed. Don’t let me down!
Great fashion accessory too
As was the style at the time
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Be careful what you offer, 'cause that’s actually a thing on ActivityPub (nothing’s stopping anyone from following you as a user, Mastodon-style).
Might be pure spam garbage, but someone did register OnionFacts.com, and it goes somewhere…
Stop
I thought your facts would lean more towards the lemon lifestyle.
You already mentioned them, but I’m a huge fan of lentils. They go with so much stuff and you can combine them with a variety of spices. Give me any leftover ingredients and some lentils, and I’ll cook up something delicious. I can and will eat lentil soup for days.
They are also a pretty solid crop, they can grow in a variety of climates, require little water and are good for the soil.
Well, something being delicious is subjective, but if we assume a “general acceptance” of most delicious foods, potatoes could fit easily. They can be cooked in all kinds of ways, are very nutritious and, again, pretty much everyone says they’re delicious.
Completely agreed, though I’d also add that to get the most nutrition out of them you want to make sure that you are also eating the skins. (Personally I like the skins anyway, and not having to remove them makes them easier to cook!)
That’s a good point, but even within potatoes there is perhaps still a trade-off between “delicious” and “healthy”. As in steamed potatoes without sauces or stuff is kind of meh, while french fries are not that healthy.
Oven-baked potatoes is where it’s at.
Or boil it in chunks and serve it with fried onions and mushrooms.
I don’t even like french fries that much. Steamed potates, or baked ones by the campfire, I’m all in.
Ah yes, a food that you can eat for three days without pooping while you stay in a tent?
potato
Chick pea curry.
So… Are you just unaware of fruits, vegetables, and legumes, haha? In my opinion there’s a huge amount of food that fits all three categories. One of the best example of cheap, delicious, healthy, and easy is beans and rice, spiced up however you like.
Yup. Mexican, Indian, a lot of cuisine from poorer countries figured this out long ago. Beans or lentils over rice with the right spices, incredible. The restaurant version will add a lot of fat and heavy cream but if you make it yourself you can adjust that so it’s not unhealthy.
Yeah! Exactly! A huge amount of the best food (imo) comes from these cultures. Plus many of these dishes are also really easy to make in bulk, which is a big win too.
My first thought was just just “Bananas?” Lol
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…Do we have a community yet for sharing cheap, healthy food recipes? I’d say cooking, but I don’t want to get into all the back & forth over what counts as cooking/baking/frying/etc.
Maybe /c/cheaphealthymeals? Or maybe cheapgoodmeals would be better? 🤔
Whatever the case, I think it’d be a solid idea for a community for exchanging recipes and tips!
I just made one! https://lemmy.world/c/cheaphealthyfood
Can I kindly suggest maybe making a guideline post as to what constitutes “healthy”? It was really sad to see all of the people on the previous sub posting their supposedly “healthy” meals that weren’t anywhere close to healthy. I get that there’s a need to leave room for people who are starting at zero and still improving, but it also shapes people’s perceptions in a very real and misguided way. If reliably sourced and well moderated that would make the space a lot better.
Great idea! I agree, it’s such a good point.
The problem with those broad strokes “healthy eating” subs is that people post stuff that isn’t actually healthy by any stretch. To an extent it’s relative, but for the most part it just goes to show you how many things are perceived as healthy when they’re not that far from just eating takeout.
Mm, and the same can be said of “good eats” kinda stuff. There’s a reason I didn’t jump right into making one personally (this being one, the other being I’m very basic with food).
Eggs
Hi everyone, this post inspired me to make a community about this topic! https://lemmy.world/c/cheaphealthyfood
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Oatmeal with bananas, cinnamon, soy milk(unsweetened), flaxseed and sugar + extra fruits according to preference.
I eat it everyday for breakfast and I never get tired of the flavor. Sometimes I even get a bit greedy and eat it more than once. It’s very filling, healthy, and cheap.
Rice
The one thing missing from the trinity is “effort”. For instance, you could make any Dal, which would fit the trinity, but takes a lot of time. There are books with hundreds of Dal recipes that all taste different and work, too. And this is just one example. Less than a dollar a meal if made in bulk with rice.
so something like this?
You just made a food pyramid that isn’t stupid.
You know, thinking back, we should never have trusted that stupid infographic. It was a lie from the get go. It was a food triangle. This is a true pyramid.
I would consider Effort (time/energy) as a part of ‘Cost’.
I work a government job and a side-hustle. I earn a large amount per hour in my private business. If I cancel a client so I can cook a time intensive meal, then the food is getting more expensive.
Also, if I’m exhausted from working 1.5 jobs, an effort heavy meal isn’t cheap for me.
I cook Jamie Oliver’s “basic tarka dhal” all the time. It doesn’t take that much time in my experience, and being a basic recipe it lends itself to lots of variations. Highly recommend.
https://www.jamieoliver.com/features/lentils-and-basic-tarka-dhal-recipe/
With a multicooker dal is a pretty easy one pot meal, or at least basicish dal is
My go-to low-effort, low-cost, healthy and tasty food stuff is…
Breakfast cereal.
In th UK at least, breakfast cereal is fortified with all kinds of vitamins and minerals. New laws have limited the amount of sugar allowed in children’s cereals. Even the supermarket own-brand ones are impressively full of your RDAs of good stuff.
Lots of bean/lentil dishes are pretty magic for that.
There’s also an element of skill/experience in that category too. I can’t find the exact quote but David Chang said something to the effect of “anyone can cook a filet mignon well, but cooking with scraps takes skill”.
As i’ve gotten more competent in the kitchen i’ve absolutely gone from buying fancy cuts of meat to stew meat and will buy mutton any time i ever see it. I’ve also got much better at observing what fits well together, if there’s some left over potatoes in the fridge then I know that I can mash them, roll them into gnocchi and make a quick pesto with some wilty kale from the back of the fridge and basil from the garden. I’d totally have planned and made the same dish ten years ago, but i’d have started by going to the store and buying the ingredients. Being able to work with what I have and balance it is key.
Imo, natto fits all three, also a bean dish.
