Eating Healthily for $3 a Day • Hacker News Board

Re: Eating Healthily for $3 a Day

#141

Post by photophotoplasm » Thu, Apr 28, 2011, 7:27 AM UTC

Evgeny wrote: post #128

photophotoplasm wrote: post #114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I live on ~9AUD per day, AUD being roughly equivalent to the USD. $3 of that goes towards a coffee, $3 goes towards meat, and the other $3 goes towards vegetables and other foodstuff (rough estimates). The only issue I have is that most of the meat I buy is cheap - frozen chicken pieces, ground beef/pork, sausages, chuck steak, etc. - and cheap meat can be pretty horrible until you know how to cook it properly. You'l…

Some types of meat have great nutritional value but are for some reason overlooked or considered "second class". Things like chicken/beef/pork hearts, ox tongue (was a rare treat in USSR!), chicken/beef liver are very cheap (like $4 AUD per kilo or even less) and can be eaten without literally anything going to waste (no bones etc.)

I was considering organ meats at one point, but unfortunately there's a bit of an ick factor to get over when you haven't been raised on the stuff. (Saying that, I used too eat liver as a child.)

Re: Eating Healthily for $3 a Day

#142

Post by eru » Thu, Apr 28, 2011, 7:28 AM UTC

bdclimber14 wrote: post #49

orenmazor wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

if you want to save on coffee, buy green beans and roast. I pay around $30 for 5lbs of green beans that are extremely high quality. you can do far cheaper than that though.

It definitely is cheaper, but pan roasting coffee on a stove can take quite a bit of time, is a fire-hazard, and causes quite a bit of irritating smoke and fumes for a few days. It sure tastes good though.

Are you sure it's still cheaper to roast your own, if you look into the energy bills? (Not to think of your own unpaid work.)

Re: Eating Healthily for $3 a Day

#143

Post by ajslater » Thu, Apr 28, 2011, 7:28 AM UTC

TheEzEzz wrote: post #133

beagle3 wrote: post #117

He follows (old) USDA dietary recommendations, which stipulate no saturated fat, and 60% carbs. That is really, really bad. The ultimate reference is "Good Calories, Bad Calories" by Gary Taubes - it is meticulously researched and referenced, and is likely 40 years more up-to-date than your nutrition or medical professional.

I'm a paleo guy and I agree with what you wrote, but I'm uncomfortable with stating it with such certainty. Personally, when I'm evaluating a fringe idea one thing I look for is modesty in the people proposing it. When a proponent speaks with too much certainty it smells of quackery.

The sad thing is that while Taubes is a quack and his book title is quackery, he probably is 40 years more up to date than many nutrition or medical professionals. USDA sucks pretty bad.

Re: Eating Healthily for $3 a Day

#144

Post by D_Alex » Thu, Apr 28, 2011, 7:31 AM UTC

Can I ask: What is the motivation of trying to limit the cost of your food to such a low (for first-world) amount? I am really weirded out by the number of me-too responses, the philosophy of such extreme saving on food is alien to me.

For me, delicious food is near the top of my priority list. I really do not stint at all, my grocery bill is abt $40/day for 2 people... that is $15k/yr, such a bargain considering: rent+utilities on my modest apt is $35k/yr, 2 cars (Subaru+Toyota... not fancy) abt $20k/yr all up (I live in Australia).

Good food is such a bargain.

Re: Eating Healthily for $3 a Day

#145

Post by shadowsun7 » Thu, Apr 28, 2011, 7:32 AM UTC

wheels wrote: post #41

I've thought about putting together a brief founders' cookbook with a dozen or so of the recipes for things that I survived on in the lean days that you can make for about a buck or two and in about 20 minutes. The real trick is not buying prepared foods at all. Things like flour, rice, eggs, beans, pasta, potatoes, fresh fruit and vegetables, milk, yogurt, cheese, ground beef, fish filets and chicken breasts are all…

Have you tried the stonesoup cookbook? Premise: 5 ingredients, 10 minutes cooking time per dish. I've tried a couple, and they seem brilliant so far.

http://thestonesoup.com/blog/2010/06/a-free-e-cookbook/

Re: Eating Healthily for $3 a Day

#146

Post by brady747 » Thu, Apr 28, 2011, 7:33 AM UTC

photophotoplasm wrote: post #68

> 6. Keeps saturated fat to a minimum In case anyone's interested, this recommendation is long outdated. You should be keeping trans fats to a minimum and trying to increase your polyunsaturated fats, but saturated fat is neither here nor there.

Bingo. We all must point out this saturated fat fallacy when it shows up in society since it is so dominant and the belief in it leads to so many bad choices and outcomes.

Re: Eating Healthily for $3 a Day

#147

Post by xiaoma » Thu, Apr 28, 2011, 7:36 AM UTC

beagle3 wrote: post #117

He follows (old) USDA dietary recommendations, which stipulate no saturated fat, and 60% carbs. That is really, really bad. The ultimate reference is "Good Calories, Bad Calories" by Gary Taubes - it is meticulously researched and referenced, and is likely 40 years more up-to-date than your nutrition or medical professional.

Gary Taubes is a journalist, not an expert in nutrition. He also has a track record of questionable academic honesty. He's an excellent writer who has cashed in fabulously on fad diets, particularly the Atkins craze 10 years ago. Follow his advice at your own risk.

http://reason.com/archives/2003/03/01/big-fat-fake

Re: Eating Healthily for $3 a Day

#148

Post by kentosi » Thu, Apr 28, 2011, 7:38 AM UTC

This is extremely awesome.

For those who feel hesitant about this (ie - not getting enough taste), I would recommend trying this for, say, breakfast and gradually increasing the frequency.

Re: Eating Healthily for $3 a Day

#149

Post by brady747 » Thu, Apr 28, 2011, 7:39 AM UTC

jhuni wrote: post #107

davidmathers wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you going to eat meat? Just try to capture a wild animal with your bare hands and eat it raw, you will look ridiculous. This isn't a practical option without technology. Watch and learn: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wI-9RJi0Qo

I don't know about you but I think I would rather pick fruit then spend eight hours in the hot sun hunting... I also would rather eat fruits then the dead animal. Fruits are absolutely delicious to anyone whose taste buds aren't maladapted, and dead animals stink, are hard to eat uncooked, and carry diseases/bacteria. Carnivores have 10 times the hydrochloric acid of humans so they can eat meat without worrying about…

I'd prefer to hunt I think, especially knowing the benefits of meat. And as for the current debate/link, modern fruits are unfortunately different then the lower fructose versions our ancestors ate. As such, I think people should tread lightly in the land of delicious fruit (excepting berries and the like). Rotten fruit stinks by the way ;) and hosts bacteria, flies, and disease! :)

Re: Eating Healthily for $3 a Day

#150

Post by photophotoplasm » Thu, Apr 28, 2011, 7:40 AM UTC

jms wrote: post #135

TeHCrAzY wrote: post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Where where you living at the time? I am from Sydney, and I have been told by friends from other states that the food prices here are much higher than anywhere else: even Melbourne (for non-aussies: a similarly sized city - 4 mil inhabitants vs 4.5 mil in Sydney).

I don't know about other states, but food is crazily expensive here (Sydney) compared to the UK. For some reason, eating out or takeaways is relatively cheap though.

Food and Agriculture in Australia and New Zealand isn't as heavily subsidised as it is in Europe and America. That's one possible reason.