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) and vegetables
  • lentils, beans, rice
  • mushrooms
  • chicken
  • just eat in moderation

Edit 2: Thanks for the various answers. Now there are a lot of (mostly bean-based) recipes for everyone to try out!

Also someone made a community for cheap healthy food after seeing this topic!

  • LoafyLemon@kbin.social
    34·
    1 year ago

    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. 🧅

  • eduardm@lemmy.worldEnglish
    26·
    1 year ago

    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.worldOPEnglish
      6·
      1 year ago

      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.

    • bitcrafter@lemmy.sdf.orgEnglish
      1·
      1 year ago

      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!)

  • GTac@lemmy.worldEnglish
    21·
    1 year ago

    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.

    They are also a pretty solid crop, they can grow in a variety of climates, require little water and are good for the soil.

  • Chobbes@lemmy.worldEnglish
    101·
    1 year ago

    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.

    • foggenbooty@lemmy.worldEnglish
      4·
      1 year ago

      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.

      • Chobbes@lemmy.worldEnglish
        2·
        1 year ago

        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.

    • vividspecter@lemmy.worldEnglish
      1·
      1 year ago

      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.

      • yippeekyay@lemmy.worldEnglish
        1·
        1 year ago

        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.

          • yippeekyay@lemmy.worldEnglish
            0·
            1 year ago

            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.

  • PaxSapien@lemmy.worldEnglish
    7·
    1 year ago

    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)
    • fluxion@lemmy.worldEnglish
      1·
      1 year ago

      Cabbage sandwich? Is there some special prep to it? Seems like it would be super bland

      • Reoru@lemmy.worldEnglish
        2·
        1 year ago

        Spice it up with sriracha mayo on toasted bread. salt, pepper and a sprinkle of msg on tomato slices and add simple pickled pink onions. Slice the cabbage into very thin strips and assemble. It’s my favourite sandwich.

        Pickled onions: Red onions, sliced thinly, Boil 50/50 water and vinegar, add salt to the solution and optionally a bay leaf or other aromatics to create the brine. Put sliced onions in a jar and fill the jar with the brine, put it in the fridge after cooling down and wait a night for the sharp oniony taste to disappear.

  • macrocephalic@lemmy.fmhy.mlEnglish
    7·
    1 year ago

    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.

  • Resonosity@lemmy.worldEnglish
    6·
    1 year ago

    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

  • Elle@lemmy.worldEnglish
    6·
    1 year ago

    …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!

      • pineapplefriedrice@lemmy.worldEnglish
        4·
        1 year ago

        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.

    • pineapplefriedrice@lemmy.worldEnglish
      1·
      1 year ago

      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.

      • Elle@lemmy.worldEnglish
        1·
        1 year ago

        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).

  • Fmstrat@lemmy.oneEnglish
    6·
    1 year ago

    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.

        • Oswald_Buzzbald@kbin.social
          9·
          1 year ago

          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.

    • GlyphOfAdBlocking@kbin.social
      5·
      1 year ago

      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.

    • grahamsz@kbin.social
      2·
      1 year ago

      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.