View Full Version : Cheapest Form of Good Nutrition?
Carcano
05-26-09, 08:15 PM
On a price to weight basis, what is the cheapest form of quality nutrition?
At approx one dollar per kilogram my vote goes to *parboiled* rice.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parboiled_rice
Parboiled rice is rice that has been boiled in the husk. Parboiling makes rice easier to process by hand, improves its nutritional profile, and changes its texture.
Parboiling rice drives nutrients, especially thiamine, from the bran into the grain, so that parboiled white rice is 80% nutritionally similar to brown rice. Because of this, parboiling was adopted by North American rice growers in the early 20th century.
Orleander
05-26-09, 08:17 PM
raw fish, guts, bones, eyes and all.
Carcano
05-27-09, 08:23 AM
raw fish, guts, bones, eyes and all.
Cold water fish is the only animal product I consume.
I believe that humans have biologically adapted to seafood simply because its the *easiest* form of food to acquire from the natural world.
Catching a fish, or harvesting oysters for example is easier than constructing a weapon and hunting down a moose.
And its FAR easier than clearing land and growing crops.
Well, if we're talking amount of nutrition/price then a food can be more expensive yet cheaper overall. My vote goes to spinach or kale.
inzomnia
05-27-09, 08:35 AM
On a price to weight basis, what is the cheapest form of quality nutrition?
At approx one dollar per kilogram my vote goes to *parboiled* rice.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parboiled_rice
Parboiled rice is rice that has been boiled in the husk. Parboiling makes rice easier to process by hand, improves its nutritional profile, and changes its texture.
Parboiling rice drives nutrients, especially thiamine, from the bran into the grain, so that parboiled white rice is 80% nutritionally similar to brown rice. Because of this, parboiling was adopted by North American rice growers in the early 20th century.
I don't go for cheap foods anymore (I used to), because basically all foods are cheap, if you cook them yourselves. I now go for best cheese, best rice, best fish, etc, and I feel healtier overall.
Carcano
05-27-09, 08:44 AM
I don't go for cheap foods anymore, because basically all foods are cheap, if you cook them yourselves.
Still, there is a huge difference between the price of foods considered to be inexpensive.
I should have said price to calories rather than price to weight.
Comparing rice, potatoes, corn and wheat for example...parboiled rice yields far more calories per dollar.
inzomnia
05-27-09, 08:53 AM
Still, there is a huge difference between the price of foods considered to be inexpensive.
I should have said price to calories rather than price to weight.
Comparing rice, potatoes, corn and wheat for example...parboiled rice yields far more calories per dollar.
If you live in first world country, no matter how expensive your food is, I am sure food expenses is below than 10% of your overall income (if you cook them yourselves instead of buying ready made ones in restaurants). Meanwhile, more expensive foods are normally have better quality, and could improve your health significantly. Also, I don't think carbohydrates sources (like you mentioned above) are significantly different in term of prices compared to your overall income.
phlogistician
05-27-09, 10:58 AM
If you live in first world country, no matter how expensive your food is, I am sure food expenses is below than 10% of your overall income .
And that's why we can, and should afford ourselves ethically sourced produce. Not only is it better for us, it's better for the land the produce is grown on (fewer pesticides) or the animals we eat (less intensive farming means a lessened risk of disease spreading amongst livestock.)
So I'm with you, I go for the better stuff, and enjoy it all the more. I just can't eat battery chicken or eggs anymore.
inzomnia
05-27-09, 11:06 AM
And that's why we can, and should afford ourselves ethically sourced produce. Not only is it better for us, it's better for the land the produce is grown on (fewer pesticides) or the animals we eat (less intensive farming means a lessened risk of disease spreading amongst livestock.)
So I'm with you, I go for the better stuff, and enjoy it all the more. I just can't eat battery chicken or eggs anymore.
Yay! :cheers: :o
lucifers angel
05-27-09, 11:07 AM
on average what is your weekly shopping bills?
i spend £150 a week just on food, that is to feed 3 kids and one adult, i go for the more expensvie things because "qaulity not quantity"
inzomnia
05-27-09, 11:16 AM
on average what is your weekly shopping bills?
i spend £150 a week just on food, that is to feed 3 kids and one adult, i go for the more expensvie things because "qaulity not quantity"
A week? When I invite nobody, a week is about 35-40 Euro (for food). That includes all supplements and occasional visit to coffee shop. I always have lunch in Uni mensa, but prepare my own breakfast and dinner.
Edit: in your currency, that's about £30-35 per week. For 5 people like your family, that's about the same.
I spend about $40-$50 on food. Chicken, eggs, bacon, steak, veggies, etc.
lucifers angel
05-27-09, 11:55 AM
A week? When I invite nobody, a week is about 35-40 Euro (for food). That includes all supplements and occasional visit to coffee shop. I always have lunch in Uni mensa, but prepare my own breakfast and dinner.
Edit: in your currency, that's about £30-35 per week. For 5 people like your family, that's about the same.
yeah i know its a lot but i belive that quality is better than qauntity, also i have to buy special diet food for my younger child, because of his condition
i guess we are talking about for low income. in that case i would say some kind of soup and as has been mentioned dont overlook a chicken egg. if you have an egg you can always just crack it open and throw it into the hot water for the soup too.
On a price to weight basis, what is the cheapest form of quality nutrition?
What do you mean by 'quality nutrition'?
In order to get all the necessary nutrients, humans have to eat quite versatile foodstuffs.
Carcano
05-27-09, 03:35 PM
What do you mean by 'quality nutrition'?
In order to get all the necessary nutrients, humans have to eat quite versatile foodstuffs.
Theres your definition...a quality food contains a diverse range of nutrients, and a minimum of toxicity.
Naturally, this would exclude Wonder Bread!
And that's why we can, and should afford ourselves ethically sourced produce. Not only is it better for us, it's better for the land the produce is grown on (fewer pesticides) or the animals we eat (less intensive farming means a lessened risk of disease spreading amongst livestock.)
So I'm with you, I go for the better stuff, and enjoy it all the more. I just can't eat battery chicken or eggs anymore.
Exactly.
If I can, I avoid franken-factory foods. Not because it's better for the environment or because I give a shit about working conditions, but because it tastes better and is healthier (usually). Food is one of the few things I do not cheap out on.
Carcano
05-27-09, 10:51 PM
Lets have a show of hands....how many people like hospital food?
Nobody???
Thats because the menu is set up like the worse restaurant you can imagine, with a wide variety of culinary horrors!
It would be cheaper AND healthier to have the same food everyday with a higher standard of quality.
8:00am - One large glass of grape or apple juice at room temperature.
11:00am - A stir fry of parboiled rice topped with cabbage, chopped celery, snow peas, red peppers, etc.
6:00pm - One or two raisin bran muffins with tea or coffee.
phlogistician
05-28-09, 04:34 AM
Lets have a show of hands....how many people like hospital food?.
Can't really recall the food I got given during my last hospital stay. I was in a lot of pain with a broken leg, and then pretty phased with strong pain meds though, so didn't really give a rat's ass what I was eating.
Orleander
05-28-09, 03:38 PM
I spend about $250 a month on groceries. But we buy 1/4 a cow and 1/2 a pig every year and my husband fishes all spring/summer. I probably spend more money on fruit than anything else.
Today I bought chicken thighs and legs for $0.58 per pound for weekend barbecue....
iceaura
05-29-09, 12:08 AM
Lets have a show of hands....how many people like hospital food? My jaw was wired shut, I had a tracheotomy in place, hadn't eaten in 48 hours, and they brought me a pork chop with a side dish of green slurry that I think started out as green beans in its former life.
Then they woke me up every 90 minutes for whatever reason.
A couple months of that and I'd have been too sick to leave.
The best nutrition for the money is road kill and dandelions. If you are shopping in, like, a grocery store, I'd go for baby potatoes and very large bulk carrots baked and mashed with the skin on, then fried in lard with a few peanuts.
Although a mixture of brown rice and red beans is traditional, with the very poor getting the ratio exactly right.
Carcano
05-29-09, 11:09 AM
If you are shopping in a grocery store, I'd go for baby potatoes...
Yes, I'd place WHITE potatoes second to parboiled rice as the cheapest form of nutrition.
Only unpeeled white potatoes are FIRM enough to be good without deep frying.
The best nutrition for the money is road kill and dandelions.
you can eat dandelions?
Carcano
05-29-09, 11:41 AM
you can eat dandelions?
http://www.themanicgardener.com/the_manic_gardener/images/2008/06/06/dandelion_salad.jpeg
Wild lettuce is also very good...with narcotic properties to boot! :bugeye:
Mickmeister
05-29-09, 11:43 AM
On a price to weight basis, what is the cheapest form of quality nutrition?
cheap nutrition <> good nutrition
An egg. It contains little fat or carbohydrate and good quality complete protein. Rice, parboiled or not, is an incomplete source of protein and essential fatty acids.
cheap nutrition <> good nutrition
Look at the poor in the US. If they aren't skinny as fuck they are fatter than Albert. The theory is that all they can afford is the cheap food that contains a ton of high fructose corn syrup. Combine that with over eating due to the non-filling effects of HCF and you have lard asses on welfare.
An egg. It contains little fat or carbohydrate and good quality complete protein. Rice, parboiled or not, is an incomplete source of protein and essential fatty acids.
I eat 5 eggs every morning.. and 5 strips of bacon.
http://www.themanicgardener.com/the_manic_gardener/images/2008/06/06/dandelion_salad.jpeg
Wild lettuce is also very good...with narcotic properties to boot! :bugeye:
thats interesting. seems like they wuld be bitter. have you tried the dandelions?
I eat 5 eggs every morning.. and 5 strips of bacon.
Why?:confused:
Carcano
05-29-09, 12:05 PM
An egg. It contains little fat or carbohydrate and good quality complete protein.
The fat content is only slightly less than the protein content..however its quality can be improved by feeding the chickens kelp instead of grain.
Carcano
05-29-09, 12:07 PM
Seems like they would be bitter. have you tried the dandelions?
Raw dandelions...and yes they are bitter!
Carcano
05-29-09, 12:08 PM
Rice, parboiled or not, is an incomplete source of protein and essential fatty acids.
Have you tried parboiled?
Its very popular in India.
Basmati tastes like paper in comparison.
Carcano
05-29-09, 12:09 PM
Look at the poor in the US. If they aren't skinny as fuck they are fatter than Albert. The theory is that all they can afford is the cheap food that contains a ton of high fructose corn syrup. Combine that with over eating due to the non-filling effects of HCF and you have lard asses on welfare.
Junk food is not cheap!
Junk food is not cheap!
How so?
In general, crap food is cheaper than healthy food. This is because crap food is processed to death to make it cheaper and last longer. People buy TV dinners because they are lazy but also because they pack a lot of calories for cheap.
Wheat bread costs more than white bread. Orange juice from concentrate costs more than orange juice that wasn't dehydrated.
Calories per dollar are higher for junk food than healthy food. Not every time, but in general.
Today I bought chicken thighs and legs for $0.58 per pound for weekend barbecue....
You eat meat??
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you can eat dandelions?
Sure. Not the flowers, but the leaves, early in the spring before the plants start to blossom.
For example: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/tender-dandelion-salad-recipe.html
A very satiating food is a salad made of dandelion greens and potatoes.
Rice, parboiled or not, is an incomplete source of protein and essential fatty acids.
Exactly. Which is why I find the quest of this OP with its suggestion of parboiled rice to be misleading.
There is no one food source that could cover all the nutritional needs.
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Calories per dollar are higher for junk food than healthy food. Not every time, but in general.
Sure. But you can't live merely off of calories, so the price of calories per kilogram is hardly any indicator of cheapest form of good nutrition.
Sure. But you can't live merely off of calories, so the price of calories per kilogram is hardly any indicator of cheapest form of good nutrition.
Did I ever make such a claim?
My only claim was that poor people are fat because the inexpensive food they eat isn't very healthy. You can buy a bag of chips for $2 that supplies 1,500 calories. I know because I used to live off food like that when I lived in the dorms. Ramen Noodles is just as bad. I also lived on 2-liters of Mountain Dew.
Carcano
05-29-09, 06:02 PM
There is no one food source that could cover all the nutritional needs.
Yes but this thread isnt about ONE food source that covers everything...its about the BEST food source relative to its price and nutritive value.
Carcano
05-29-09, 06:07 PM
My only claim was that poor people are fat because the inexpensive food they eat isn't very healthy.
The crappy food they eat IS expensive compared to good nutrition.
Kraft Dinner is more expensive than the lovely home fries I just made...which cost no more than maybe 65 cents.
Cherrios cost more than oatmeal...which is far more nutritious and satisfying.
justwonderingjoe
05-29-09, 06:54 PM
I don't know how cheap these foods are, but I found this.http://www.wethechange.com/the-5-greatest-foods-for-your-health/
Did I ever make such a claim?
No, and I wasn't arguing against what you said. But you did bring up the issue of calories and I commented on that.
Like I said earlier, 'I find the quest of this OP with its suggestion of parboiled rice to be misleading. There is no one food source that could cover all the nutritional needs.' And which is why I said that we can't focus only on the price of calories per kilogram.
I know because I used to live off food like that when I lived in the dorms. Ramen Noodles is just as bad. I also lived on 2-liters of Mountain Dew.
I can relate!
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The crappy food they eat IS expensive compared to good nutrition.
Totally. One of the reasons I mostly refrain from white bread, pasta and any store-bought food is because it is so expensive.
I can buy two kilograms of barely (hulled) for the price of a medium bread loaf (0.7 kg) or about 0.7 kg of non-egg pasta. It takes quite a while to eat two kilos of barley, not to mention its excellent nutritional qualities.
Obviously, the barley pays off better in many ways.
Kraft Dinner is more expensive than the lovely home fries I just made...which cost no more than maybe 65 cents.
In those 65 cents, did you include the prices for oil, salt, use of electricity / gas, use of stove, use of pots, use of kitchen space, water, disposal, and work?
Yes but this thread isnt about ONE food source that covers everything...its about the BEST food source relative to its price and nutritive value.
That is very relative!
Buckwheat, barley and soy are among the most nutritious food sources. But the prices may vary quite a bit from country to country.
I found this article which might be of interest
http://www.wethechange.com/the-5-greatest-foods-for-your-health/
Carcano
05-30-09, 11:27 AM
In those 65 cents, did you include the prices for oil, salt, use of electricity / gas, use of stove, use of pots, use of kitchen space, water, disposal, and work?
If anything would counter-balance the cost it would be the electricity.
The teaspoon of canola oil and a pinch of salt and cayenne are negligible.
Still, as a liberal estimate the kilowatt hour used only cost 11 cents.
wise acre
05-30-09, 10:05 PM
Did I ever make such a claim?
My only claim was that poor people are fat because the inexpensive food they eat isn't very healthy. You can buy a bag of chips for $2 that supplies 1,500 calories. I know because I used to live off food like that when I lived in the dorms. Ramen Noodles is just as bad. I also lived on 2-liters of Mountain Dew.
You can get a decent amount of brown rice for 2 dollars.
Have you tried parboiled?
Its very popular in India.
Basmati tastes like paper in comparison.
1. Can't stand parboiled rice
2. I prefer ambamori rice
3. If you think basmati can "taste like paper" compared to parboiled rice, you've never eaten basmati rice.
Carcano
05-31-09, 12:46 AM
3. If you think basmati can "taste like paper" compared to parboiled rice, you've never eaten basmati rice.
Basmati has a vaguely nutty taste but is still papery in its inherent emptiness.
If it was real basmati you had eaten, you could not possibly think it papery or empty. :eek:
2. I prefer ambamori rice
What is this? Google couldn't find anything.
If it was real basmati you had eaten, you could not possibly think it papery or empty.
Actually, I think it is possible that even real basmati tasted poorly to him. There could be a number of reasons for that. One of them being that his sense of taste wasn't adjusted to the new taste yet.
When I first switched to vegetarian food, introduced many new kinds of grains and legumes and started cooking all my food myself, the food at first tasted quite bland - and I am sure it wasn't the way I prepared the food that could be blamed.
It apparently simply took awhile to get used to the new tastes, and in time, I began to better distinguish between the tastes and they became clearer.
The teaspoon of canola oil and a pinch of salt and cayenne are negligible.
Sure, but you still had to buy them, and in a quantity relatively large to the amount you use for one cooking session. All things cost.
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