this post was submitted on 23 Jun 2023
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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
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[–] LoafyLemon@kbin.social 37 points 1 year ago (8 children)

Onion. It's cheap, nutritious, acts as a low-key anti bacterial solution, can be served in a multitude of ways, or eaten raw.

Subscribe for more onion facts. πŸ§…

[–] WhiteHawk@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago (4 children)

eaten raw

You, sir, are a monster.

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[–] faltuuser@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

Subscribed.

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[–] eduardm@lemmy.world 31 points 1 year ago (3 children)

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.

[–] nijntjefan@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago (2 children)

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.

[–] WhoRoger@lemmy.world 12 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Oven-baked potatoes is where it's at.

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[–] GTac@lemmy.world 24 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

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.

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[–] DrTeeth@lemmy.world 15 points 1 year ago (1 children)
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[–] MesaCoast@infosec.pub 13 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Ah yes, a food that you can eat for three days without pooping while you stay in a tent?

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[–] TheFriendlyDickhead@lemm.ee 12 points 1 year ago (6 children)

And then there is mc Donald's and similar chains. They managed to avoid all three of those things

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[–] dan@lemm.ee 12 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Vegetable soup. I know it sounds boring but you’d be surprised at just how nice vegetables in water with salt can taste.

https://youtu.be/21ofoREnXbM

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[–] ElectroVagrant@lemmy.world 11 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (5 children)

...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? πŸ€”

Whatever the case, I think it'd be a solid idea for a community for exchanging recipes and tips!

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[–] Chobbes@lemmy.world 11 points 1 year ago (3 children)

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.

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[–] GoldenSpamfish@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago (4 children)
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[–] Veraxus@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago (2 children)
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[–] ultrahamster64@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago (5 children)

Well chicken maybe as it is the most cheap meat. And it is subjective, but something like chicken soup (if cooked at home) can be relativly cheap and really delicious.

Also, just thought about it - fruits and berries also easily break this trinity

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[–] jernej@lemmy.ml 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)
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I make a curry of: tofu, green lentils, pearl barley, pearl cous cous, pumpkin, potato, onions, and whatever else is in the vege drawer of the fridge. Then I cook it in a laksa paste with coconut milk. it's delicious and keeps in the fridge for at least a week with no meat.

[–] PaxSapien@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago (3 children)

When I was in college, I had the rule of not buying anything that is >$1.50 per pound. This is what I was reduced to (prices may be different now due to inflation and geo area):

  1. Apples, oranges, grapes, strawberries when they are on sale
  2. Milk, yogurt
  3. Pork shoulder, chicken quarters, thighs, drumsticks
  4. ground pork, ground beef
  5. Carrots, broccoli, potatoes, cabbage (you'll be surprised at how good thinly sliced cabbages taste in a sandwich)
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[–] Asafum@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Are we talking about only the plain substance, not allowing for spices? Because I feel like every food isn't delicious unless you season it in some way, or at least use an oil in cooking. If we're just talking about baking everything then I'd say everything is "bland" Lol

For me it's all about how you prepare the food. I eat chicken, canned beans, and mushrooms pretty much all the time because I try to buy cheap as much as I can, but just those few main items can be made so many different delicious ways with other "smaller/lesser" ingredients.

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[–] marswarrior@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Cashews. Benefits: heart-healthy fats, antioxidants, essential minerals.

[–] makingStuffForFun@lemmy.ml 9 points 1 year ago (2 children)

These are insanely expensive in Australia.

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[–] cumcum69@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago (2 children)

in all honesty it's probably soy

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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.

[–] Raindrop@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago

Hi everyone, this post inspired me to make a community about this topic! https://lemmy.world/c/cheaphealthyfood

[–] Cybermass@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago
[–] cccc@aussie.zone 6 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Most fruit that’s in season would cover all three.

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[–] solrize@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The Instant Pot or equivalent is the best invention for this. Throw in whatever ingredients (beans, veg) were previously too much hassle to cook. Add water, press button, wait for beep, open pot, eat. Well better find some recipes first, but it's almost that simple.

Here's a favorite of mine: 1 cup dry beans, 1/2 cup tomato powder (yes that is a thing), 2 cups water, cook on high pressure for 35 minutes, stir in a can of corn kernels from trader joe. Done and delicious and nourishing, due to the protein combination from the corn and beans mixing. Or use rice instead of corn, except that's more hassle since it's best to make that separately.

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[–] BoltzmannBrein@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago (5 children)
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[–] andrei_chiffa@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Yes - generally beans are both healthy (33% protein, 33% fiber, 33% carbs), cheap (dried or in cans), and can be pretty tasty, even out of cans, but if not with eggs, as part of a soup (tomatoes + grain + spices + veggies).

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[–] MrFlamey@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I heard that tacos are actually quite good for you, and I assume they could be if you get proper ones with lots of veg and natural ingredients rather than going to Taco Bell or some other fast food place and getting processed defrosted junk.

Source: Dr Karan on Youtube (yes, Youtube doctor, but he's British, so I trust him)

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[–] TrinityTek@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

I like pickling things. Pickled Red Onions are delicious and easy, and Pickled Green Beans are probably my favorite. Fresh Green Beans can be had by the big bag for about two bucks. Throw in a couple Habanero peppers for spice, maybe $.50 worth of seasoning, $.50 worth of vinegar if you buy it by the gallon, and you have some delicious cheap snacks that are also relatively healthy. The worst ingredients would be salt and sugar, but you can minimize its use to taste when you make them yourself. I guess it's all relative, but to me a few bucks for a quart jar of quality homemade pickles checks all the boxes when it comes to cheap, healthy, and delicious. It does take a bit of prep work though so it's definitely better if you enjoy that type of thing.

[–] AndSomeFrys@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago (2 children)
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[–] Pili@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago
[–] Fmstrat@lemmy.one 6 points 1 year ago (7 children)

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.

[–] nijntjefan@lemmy.world 16 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] Fmstrat@lemmy.one 12 points 1 year ago (1 children)

You just made a food pyramid that isn't stupid.

[–] Oswald_Buzzbald@kbin.social 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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.

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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.

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[–] Resonosity@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (9 children)

I have a feeling that the answer to this might be anything that you can grow from seeds. So, fresh fruits, vegetables, beans, grains, etc. then, like tomatoes or snow peas or apples or wheatberries. The thing is that these all take time to transform from seed to fruit, so if you include time in your constraint space these don't work. But you didn't so here you go :D

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[–] BendyLemmy@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It depends where you live (I'm in Bangkok, so grocery choices are quite limited).

I love Oats. I got massively back into them again this year... now I buy around 3kg every month (instant oats).

It's only this year, really, that I discovered that oats are still really good and creamy when not made with milk... and it's really easy to boil a single cup of water to dump on a cup of oats for a perfect breakfast (left standing for a minute - done... no need to 'microwave' oats).

Also, cheap staples include: carrots, potato, broccoli, spinach...

Frozen strawberries are dirt cheap here too.

Breakfast 1:

  • Instant Oats (1 cup, 1/4 tsp salt, 3tsp sugar, 3 tsp creamer)
  • pulsed to powder in the blender with a cup of boiling water poured over.
  • Blend 100ml milk with 3 strawberries and mix that in. The beauty of this is (as my son does NOT like stodgy/thick porridge) I can add an extra 100ml of milk to his breakfast, and it becomes a liquid smoothie.

Breakfast 2:

  • Weetbix are not too cheap, but ONE biscuit mixed with ONE cup of oats is a massive breakfast - and tastes of Weetbix... and is ridiculously cheap in comparison.

Breakfast 3

  • Oats work great with eggs...
  • 1 cup oats, some salt, some cumin (maybe a teaspoon)
  • 2/3 cup boiling water (soak a minute)
  • 2 duck eggs mixed in
  • butter up the frying pan and dump it in there, cover and cook gently for 3 minutes, flip and give them another 3 minutes.

DIsgusting poopy one

  • 2 teaspoons of cocoa powder mixed with 4 teaspoons of non-dairy creamer + 1 cup oats
  • pulse to powder, add a cup of hot water.

That's choccie heaven right there.

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[–] regex1883@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago (7 children)

This will be controversial. I'm going with Costco rotisserie chicken. $5. They taste good fresh but bad reheated. I don't eat the skin

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[–] OasisStorm@kbin.social 5 points 1 year ago (6 children)

Sweet potatoes. Very nutritious, very cheap, and taste sweet. Easy to prepare to, you can just boil or bake them for a little while without adding anything and they're great just like that.

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[–] yunggwailo@kbin.social 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Rice and beans, just be a little creative with preparation. Also you can make lots of soups that are cheap and healthy and its super easy to make too.

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