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
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.
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. 🧅
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.
Subscribed.
Followed. Don’t let me down!
I thought your facts would lean more towards the lemon lifestyle.
Great fashion accessory too
As was the style at the time
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.
Chick pea curry.
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
in all honesty it’s probably soy
Soy milk my beloved
Fellow soy milk enjoyer. How are your tits growing? Mine are already reaching to my feet.
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
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 eat tofu like four days a week and it is the best thing ever.
What do you do with the tofu? I have tried a few time but it always taste kind of “bland”
The thing with tofu is that it’s very good at absorbing flavor, plus you have many different ways in preparing it, from grilling to making scrambled tofu. You just gotta find a nice recipe that focuses on texture and flavor.
What flavors do you like? It Marinates up well and doesn’t take long to absorb the flavors, then fry, air fry or roast in the oven. I Love cooking it with a sauce/gravy to add flavor too. Also silken tofu chocolate pudding/pie filling. You cannot even tell it has tofu in it.
Basic recipe for nice tofu:
- freeze the tofu. This is important as it changes the structure (it becomes dryer and more “meaty”), this is a common technique in asia.
- after unfreezing it, dry it with paper towels or something like that, cut it into die sized cubes if you want, sprinkle it with potato starch and fry it in a wok or hot pan with some oil. It should get brown and crispy.
- sprinkle a few drops of Japanese soy sauce on it while it the pan and continue to fry it. The soy sauce adds taste and makes it caramelise.
- add cooked rice, vegetables or whatever you want.
You can leave out some steps above. Without the freezing the texture won’t be as firm, without the starch it won’t be as crispy and without the soy sauce it won’t taste as good. I’m just saying that because sometimes it has to go fast or you’re missing ingredients, so you can compromise if needed. Doing all is of course best.
The trick that I discovered to tofu is to press it between a paper towel and a book. It makes it less watery and tastes crispier.
Not necessary when cooking all tofu, but really took my tofu game to the next level.
Everyone is going to like different things, but tofu is a bit like wonderbread. It also tastes bland, but you get addicted to it anyway. I can’t explain why, but at this point I just put thick slices of tofu into the air fryer for 5 minutes and eat it as-is. You’re right, it doesn’t taste like much, but nevertheless it’s hard to stop eating it after you’re hooked.
Some things you can try:
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Try smoked, extra firm tofu. You can eat it as a snack straight out of the pack, and the taste is somewhat stronger. It’s brown and kind of leathery.
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GRILL your tofu. Get some good char on there. It tastes absolutely heavenly and smoky.
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Put soft tofu into your smoothie. It thickens it a bit but won’t change the taste.
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Tofu tastes good in a lot of salty, carby dishes. For example, one of my 5-minute meals is chow mein noodles and canned mixed vegetables (beans sprouts, corn, and carrot) sauteed with sesame oil. It sucks some of the moisture out of the tofu, allows it to absorb flavor, and offers a firm, meaty contrast to the other components of the dish.
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You can put tofu into any “soup” - chili, curry, etc. and this is another pretty standard use.
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There are troves of marinades and dry rubs out there. A good way to start is to go to a restaurant and try bowls with tofu to get an idea of what you like, and then to use that as a template.
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Hi everyone, this post inspired me to make a community about this topic! https://lemmy.world/c/cheaphealthyfood
Eggs.
Most fruit that’s in season would cover all three.
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):
- Apples, oranges, grapes, strawberries when they are on sale
- Milk, yogurt
- Pork shoulder, chicken quarters, thighs, drumsticks
- ground pork, ground beef
- Carrots, broccoli, potatoes, cabbage (you’ll be surprised at how good thinly sliced cabbages taste in a sandwich)
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).
Agreed. Beans can easily be dressed up and made delicious with just a few spices for very cheap, and are very healthy.
Ful medames @nijntjefan@lemmy.world look up a recipe, and tweak to your liking.
Honestly if you want cheap, delicious and healthy look outside of western cuisine. The middle east, south Africa and Asia all know how to grub down. Spices are cheap when bought in bulk, you can’t forget about them.
Banana.
Radioactive.
And so is your brain.
