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> First, it takes money. Healthier diets — diets rich in fresh produce and lean proteins — generally cost more. 2.5 kilos of potatoes usually cost between 1-2
by lqet 7y ago
> First, it takes money. Healthier diets — diets rich in fresh produce and lean proteins — generally cost more.
2.5 kilos of potatoes usually cost between 1-2 EUR here. As a single person, you can live days on this. Compare this to a single frozen pizza, which usually costs the same (1-2 EUR). 2kg of carrots cost 1.99 EUR in my local supermarket, you can get it way cheaper at Aldi. A package of soup vegetables (consisting of 1-2 carrots, an onion, a quarter celery, leek and fresh parsley) is usually below 1 EUR and is (together with a can of tomatoes for 0.39 EUR) enough to form the basis of (for example) a lentil stew (a 500g bad of dried lentils is 2 EUR, you usually only need 100g for a 2 person meal), or a bolognese (add 250g of minced meat), or a potato stew (add the potatoes mentioned above), or... you don't even need the package of vegetable soups, as buying these vegetables in larger amounts for an entire week is even cheaper.
Another example: a can of tomatoes (39 cents), some oil and a single onion (1kg of onions is usually around 80 cents) are enough to make a fresh tomato sauce. A 500g bag of pasta (say: Penne) costs 39 cent if you buy the cheap brand. This is enough for 2 people, at under 50 cent per person.
Another example: spaghetti aglio e olio. You literally need nothing more than some oil, pepper, spaghetti (39 cent), some garlic (3 bulbs are usually under 1 EUR, so a single clove is maybe 4-5 cent and fresh parsley. You have a very tasty, fresh meal which can be cooked in 10 minutes, again for under 50 cents per person.
Another example: fresh bread. You need roughly 250g of flour (500g are around 79 cent), water, salt (which is so cheap I won't even mention it) and dried yeast (under 30 cents). Fresh bread for 2 people, again for under 50 cents per person. Add a fresh cucumber, 1-2 fresh tomatoes, salt, pepper, and you have a tasty evening meal for under 1 EUR per person.
I could go on and on. I can get quite agitated if people claim that "cooking fresh" is much more expensive than processed food. I cooked fresh and daily for years as a student, very often for 2 people, on a very limited budget, and 2 EUR per day was usually more than enough.
All you need is practice.
- minikites 7y ago>2.5 kilos of potatoes usually cost between 1-2 EUR here. As a single person, you can live days on this. So poor people should live like it's 19th century Ireland? I'm sure that will catch on.
- lqet 7y agoEating potatoes as the main side dish is living like it's 19th century Ireland? Then what would be a 21st century side dish? Besides, I am quite sure that eating only potatoes for an entire week is healthier than eating processed food for 7 days.
- sseagull 7y agoThe sentence that was quoted implied that you would eat only potatoes, not just as a side dish.
- lqet 7y agoTrue, but even then my statement would be correct, as I have written above: I am sure that eating potatoes for an entire week is healthier than eating processed food for an entire week.
- phonypc 7y agoIf it's healthier and cheaper than a 21st century diet, why not?
- ApolloFortyNine 7y agoAs someone who eats out maybe once a month (and therefore cook the rest of my meals myself) I agree with everything you've said. The cost of "cooking fresh" is incredibly exaggerated, as if to create this boogie monster that people can use not to do so. All the prices you've listed are actually on the high end of what I see in the U.S. A 10lb (5kilo ish) bag of potatoes is regularly less than $3, and a lot of the other vegetables (celery, onions, carrots) are a $1 a bag, of whatever that respective size is. And with Chicken breast regularly being <$2/lb, you can make countless dishes for a $1 a meal when served over rice. And if you don't want fresh produce, frozen vegetables are perfectly fine alternative, often for the same price.
- minikites 7y agoYou're leaving out the cost of time, the more valuable resource for poor people who likely live in a food desert and would have to spend a significant amount of time traveling to purchase those ingredients.
- lqet 7y agoAll of the recipes I mentioned above (and countless others) can be cooked in under 30 minutes, if you go shopping once a week. Eating out, you also have the overhead of driving / walking to the place to eat. With processed food, you also have to go to the supermarket.
- ApolloFortyNine 7y agoAgain, another 'boogie monster' people like to use. Without even getting into using an instant pot, a crockpot is a $20 appliance where the vast majority of recipes are put in chopped ingredients and seasoning, cook for 4-8 hours, serve over rice or pasta. Your average crock pot recipe has maybe 10 minutes of prep. The biggest problem is knowledge. You have to know that a crock pot is even an option, you have to know that an investment in an appliance like an Instant Pot can save you countless hours over years.