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.
Subscribe for more onion facts. 🧅
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.
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.
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!)
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.
Been a while since I had lentils and now I’m drooling.
Chick pea curry.
Thank you so much for the share! I love chickpeas so I’ll definitely be adding this to my recipes :)
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.
…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!
Ah yes, a food that you can eat for three days without pooping while you stay in a tent?
A legend has been born already for this network xD
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I’m a big fan of these cooked in an air fryer. Usually a bit cheaper than black beans as well in my area, although I prefer the latter on balance.
just make sure you keep the smoke extractor on for an extra 15-20 min after turning off the air fryer to get all the carcinogenic particles out of your kitchen.
What causes the carcinogenic particles?
There was a paper somewhere that shows the high temperature cooking method would result in release of acrylamide? I don’t remember the exact chemical it talked about but the gist is that the person eating the air-fried food aren’t as susceptible to the carcinogens than the person cooking the food because the particles got pushed out the fryer very rapidly.
But you said that the air fryer causes the carcinogenic particles.
Roasted chickpeas are amazing.
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hummus is crazy easy if you have a pressure cooker (I prefer my stovetop model)
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Vegetable soup. I know it sounds boring but you’d be surprised at just how nice vegetables in water with salt can taste.
Vegetables with melted margarine are always a nice combo.
potato
Boil em, mash em, put em in a stew - Samwise Gamgee
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.
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
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.
The biggest problem with this is subjective metrics.
“Healthy” depends a lot on both what your needs are and the rest of your diet, there’s no one-size-fits-all.
“Delicious” is even more subjective.
‘Cheap’ at least is fairly objective, but even so different qualities, different locations, or different seasons can change prices drastically, and that’s before you get into the fact that what really matters is the more-subjective ‘cheap to someone of your means.’
I’d probably argue also that cost should really factor in time / convenience (including prep and washing), perhaps in some places or situations even cost to prepare in terms of energy expense
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If it’s all the same to you a higher ratio of quinoa is preferable.
Ramen is NOT healthy though my dude. Ramen with an egg on top is empty carbs in a bath of salt water and cholesterol, with very little nutritional integrity to speak of.
Am I the only one who finds quinoa has a nearly rancid aftertaste?
I know there are some people that find they get stomach pains, but never heard that. Everyone’s different though.
