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Pizza And Ramen Are Hurting Your Startup
- jdp23 16y ago"The biggest reason is by only fueling your body with shit, you’re also fueling your brain with shit." You are what you eat.
- deleted 16y ago[deleted]
- cllabs 16y agoI guess it's all about balance. A lot of these foods get eaten because they are quick and simple and easy to distribute round the office for late night food runs. I don't see many late night salad delivery joints. I've been guilty of it myself far too often. That said I completely agree with the article. There's no point working/eating yourself to death if you can't enjoy the proceeds. Take some time out from work/coding. Cook a nice healthy meal and follow up with some exercise.
- cgshaw 16y agoThis is something that doesn't get stated enough. Great link. For example, Richard Branson credits working out and staying in shape with much of his success. I kind of see physical fitness on two sides--internal and external. Internally, if you're in better shape you're capable of performing better for longer periods of time. Less time sick, etc. Externally, there is a lot of social science that thinner, i.e. more attractive, people are viewed as more disciplined, get better promotions, make more money, etc. That doesn't mean you can't be successful as someone that's not attractive or thin, but all things constant, why put yourself at a disadvantage? I say all of this not as someone who is thin, but someone who's taken a prolonged approach to being in better shape. When I graduated college I was at 255, and now I'm at 200. I could stand to lose some more weight, but the effects of eating better, working out and sleeping better have been of immeasurable benefit.
- jules 16y agoIs pizza that bad? I home cook all pizza ($1-$2 per pizza), and it doesn't seem too bad if you look at the ingredients. Pizza + salad seems perfectly healthy. Flour + tomato + cheese + onion + garlic + olive oil + whatever you put on your pizza.
- chime 16y agoFlour is what causes me to gain weight. I cut out breads and pasta and I lose weight, no matter how little exercise I get.
- jules 16y agoFat is what causes me to gain weight. I cut out fat and I lose weight. This is no surprise that you lose weight when you your weight was stable and cut something, anything with calories out. That said, if your goal is to lose weight then pizza may not be for you. But that wasn't the goal posed in the article.
- awolf 16y agoHomemade or not, pizza is mostly processed carbohydrates and grease.
- code_duck 16y agoIf you make it at home, do thin crust, go light on (or skip) the cheese and heavy on the veggies, it must reasonably healthy, I agree.
- ojbyrne 16y agoI totally agree with the argument. I totally disagree with the cost estimates. Unless you're actually going to the grocery store every day (and you need to incorporate that into the amount of time involved), vegetables go bad. For example, the amount of cilantro they sell at the grocery store is for a dozen servings of this meal. I just finished throwing out pretty well every ingredient (except the chicken) given in that recipe, because I was away for 3 days! Cooking for one sucks!
- wnoise 16y agoYes, it does, but you can get a lot more mileage out of it by preparing in large batches and freezing most of it.
- ojbyrne 16y agoAgreed, except that you can't freeze (most) salads.
- dholowiski 16y agoSure, if you like eating microwaved mush
- tjpick 16y agoget some better recipes.
- jules 16y agoLike? I've never eaten a tasty microwaved meal.
- lukeschlather 16y agoThen use the range. Though the microwave is a misunderstood device. It's fantastic at defrosting frozen items, but it should usually be an intermediate step used to ensure that thawed items are at room temperature when they go into the pan. It's also fantastic at a variety of simple one-step things. Melting butter, baking potatoes, melting cheese, and other things like that. Used properly, it speeds up and even improves cooking. But if it's treated as a range/oven replacement, yes, it causes problems.
- light3 16y agoI would through in some red meat too for the protein
- wnoise 16y agoBecause the beans, chicken, and beef he explicitly suggested aren't enough?
- code_duck 16y agoBeans have higher protein content by weight than beef.
- kondro 16y agoMeat contains a complete set of proteins required for our bodies. Vegetables and gains do not (with the exception of quinoa)
- Dylanlacey 16y agoTrue, but having said that, you can make a complete protein, I believe, by mixing a grain and a legume.
- chipsy 16y agoBut for most people that is also harder to digest. The "sleepy hour" after eating a huge burrito isn't a mystery, it's because you've eaten something that made your body focus only on digestion. That said, I also know someone with a sensitivity to meat, so there's no one-size-fits-all rule.
- code_duck 16y agoI was a vegetarian for a couple of years in my teens, and then I ate a hamburger. I was very, very tired mmediately afterwards and for the whole next day... I actually think your body works harder digesting meat vs. vegetables and grains.
- stretchwithme 16y agovery true. but all the shopping and prep (despite the claim that it is easy) is a big pain in the ass. I'd gladly pay twice as much for healthy fare that was convenient as fast food. Fortunately, the company I work for provides incredibly fresh organic salad that's as cheap as fast food.
- alexyim 16y agoUnfortunately, this just made me want some ramen and pizza.
- pgroves 16y agoThe habit of cooking your own healthy meals is a fine way to improve your productivity in just an hour or two a day plus saturday mornings at the farmer's market. The problem is the hour or two a day, not the cost. There are a million ways to spend an hour a day on something to improve your startup.
- jamesteow 16y ago"There are a million ways to spend an hour a day on something to improve your startup." Maybe. Personally, I know if I'm going to block off time to do a certain thing (such as cooking a new recipe then I work more efficiently. Not to mention it's entirely possible to make one large batch of something that could feed you for a couple meals.
- ry0ohki 16y agoKind of a dearth of facts here... "The biggest reason is by only fueling your body with shit, you’re also fueling your brain with shit" I'd like to see some kind of evidence to support that. I'd be all for preparing the meal he suggests, but with shopping, prep, cooking, and cleanup it's a significant time investment compared to pizza so I'd like evidence it's doing my startup better.
- dholowiski 16y agoAbsolutely, where is the proof of this, the studies? The human body is extremely good at extracting nutrients from just about anything.
- deleted 16y ago[deleted]
- Andys 16y agoStaying alive is quite different from performing at peak mental fitness.
- jfoutz 16y agoDo startups require anything remotely near peak mental fitness? It's oft debated here, but i'm pretty sure the consensus is talent and intelligence isn't that big of a deal. it's commitment. To put it another way, how many startups that depend on doing original research get funded? I (perhaps foolishly) believe startups bring technology to the masses, but only after research shows it can be done. I guess another argument would be, if you were to invest in a company, would you tie your investment to the founders to sleeping a minimum number of hours? Lack of sleep is easily as detrimental to mental fitness as poor diet.
- chipsy 16y agoThis is actually a good line of thinking. Although you feel your best and think the clearest when you've kept near-perfect sleep and nutrition hygene, sometimes you need a different bag of emotions to get an idea. That could mean fasting, sleep deprivation, alcohol, caffeine, smoking... However, not knowing which one is useful to you at any time, it's hard to know which is the most effective for work. But being mostly sober/mostly healthy is known to be the best (long-term) for staying alive and well, and startups are, on a human scale, a long-term game. You don't make $1,000,000 because you stayed up all night to ship.
- sliverstorm 16y ago$4-7 per meal I agree with you and all, and am working hard on eating healthy myself, but do you have any idea how much ramen $7 can buy you? I'm certain there are people out there who would have trouble affording $4-7 per meal & funding the early stages of a company. And don't forget you have to own the facilities to cook properly- ramen can be made in a paper bowl with a $5 water heater or $20 microwave.
- defen 16y agoYou could also buy 20 pounds of sugar - the point is that ramen is actively bad for you and you shouldn't be eating it except in the most dire of circumstances.
- jasonwilk 16y agoNice article. If you want something cheaper than Raman that is better for you, just go to the Asian grocery store. You can get a pound of bok choy for less than $1. Pick up some tofu and some chicken broth (and noodles). Boil all that for about 1.5 minutes and now you have yourself a sodium free, healthy meal that costs less than the disgusting Cup of Noodles or any fast food you might be eating.
- jonburs 16y agoWouldn't there be sodium in the chicken broth (and likely the tofu as well)?
- mikeklaas 16y agoA "sodium free" meal that includes chicken broth? Do you know how much salt is in even low sodium broth?
- m4wk3r 16y agoit's actually now understood that the balance of sodium to potassium in your diet is what's important, and not necessarily your sodium intake levels alone.
- Dylanlacey 16y agosudo make chickenbroth Sodium? Last time I made it, approximately... None. With the exception of what was in the chicken and the veggies. Seriously, it's not hard. Slow cooker, veggies, chicken frame and water. 12 hours, strain, freeze.
- deleted 16y ago[deleted]
- awolf 16y agoAbsolutely agree: eating a healthy diet is worth both the money and the time. Longevity is extremely important. Life is a marathon even if you only see it as a series of sprints.
- patio11 16y agoRelatedly: I hate, hate, hate going to the gym. However, it is the most productive use of one hour a day I can think of. I have more energy and get more done when I go, and the benefits appear to compound in those months when I'm very consistent about going. (Can one of you guys invent a way for this to suck less? I'll pay you money. At the moment I just give myself EpicWin points for going, trying to trigger the WoW neurotransmitters...)
- callmeed 16y agoMobile app where you earn achievements after you check-in to the gym N times (gps verify) ...
- deleted 16y ago[deleted]
- Dylanlacey 16y agoIn all seriousness? Why not enter into a social contract with me. I will repay you a percentage of a lump sum for every time you go to the gym. When you don't go, I'll donate it to the RSPCA instead. Deal?
- Dylanlacey 16y agoBTW I lost 20kg and loved it, I'm serious about helping. I'll enter into a formal contract, give you clean and clear account details et al.
- petercooper 16y agoYou can do the same contract on yourself but switch the "don't go" to donating to the BNP/Republican Party/similar. A great way to ensure you never give in.
- patio11 16y agoYou might not know me as well as you think you do.
- cletus 16y agoThis is a tough one but I have several thoughts: 1. Fact is, in your teens and early 20s your body can digest pretty much anything. Eat a bowl of cereal in the morning (and I mean something like oatmeal or raisin bran rather than some sugary crap) and it barely matters what else you eat (other than calorific content); 2. Eating the same thing every day gets real old real fast; 3. There is an investment required in cooking in terms of equipment, etc; 4. Cooking takes time between shopping, cleaning and the actual cooking. That's time that could be better spent doing many other things. 5. Even getting something for lunch can be a huge time sink and minimally takes half an hour unless you're eating out of a hot dog stand right outside your office. This is why I'm a huge fan of companies providing a cafeteria or some find of catered meals. Of course, this requires both being a certain size and obviously costs money but, I would argue, the cost is well worth it in terms of: - variety of meals - not needing to shop, cook or clean - time saved in not going out for lunch and other transit - time that can be spent talking over work-related stuff while eating with your colleagues - other intangible benefits such as the team-building aspects of socializing with your colleagues These benefits are so huge I think that it'd be worth having everyone chip in to pay for something like this and would probably be an economic form of eating. Now I'm lucky enough to work somewhere that has almost legendary catered meals (Google), which must cost them a fortune (eg dinner was steamed mussels, beef stroganoff, garlic whipped potatoes, green beans, steamed broccoli and a pineapple and blueberry salad, and that's just what I had) but IMHO they make their money back in terms of employee satisfaction and saved time on all of the above things. Fact is I have more variety of food than I'd ever cook myself (or probably even buy). That of course is a cafeteria type situation. Like I said, on a smaller scale, catered meals are a cost-effective doing this on a smaller scale. Your best bet would probably be to hire a cook rather than outsourcing the entire process (eg someone in or just out of culinary school).
- nowarninglabel 16y agoCome to think about it, this is what I remember most about visiting the Youtube campus, the lunch was spectacular, and crowded to the point of forced socialization. I work at a university, so have a number of options, but it still doesn't compare to what Google had available.
- 16y ago
- durbin 16y agoyour server going down is hurting your startup
- Dylanlacey 16y agoI love this thread. Mainly because I am a total food geek. I have to say that yes, getting started is a pain, and yes, the easy way seems, well, easier, but better food is a HELL YES reason to overcome the first two. Just like your startup, starting to get a healthy kitchen going requires a lot of investment before you start to see any outcome. Deep Breath. You're going to need to go... Shopping. But, once you're boot strapped with supplies, regular top ups is all that's required. I feel better when I eat crap less then I eat well. It's sorta annoying, but not once you get into the rhythm of it. Provided food is a great idea if it's good quality. Providing junk at the workplace just exacerbates the issue. That said, it's not too hard to prepare extra meals at home and bring them to the office, especially if you can convince your founder/self to install a chest freezer. Sure, fresh stuff is usually better, but don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Microwaves rock when you don't use them as a magic-1-button-make-hot machine. You can cook grains, make sauces, steam things and even do some poaching in a Nucleonic Oven, as long as you're not totally impatient. If I can stand to wait, you sure as hell can. Not having greasy fingers helps prevent your keyboard and mouse from getting manky, and stops colouring leaching out of where your wrists rest on your lappy:P
- statictype 16y agoSite has been slashdotted/fireballed/ycombinatored... Anyone have a mirror?
- petercooper 16y agoAnd TV, and playing too many games, and commenting too much on HN.. oops..
- crazymik3 16y agoThis could be useful: http://www.reddit.com/r/bachelorchef/comments/ewcua/pdf_thought_you_guys_might_like_the_reddit/ http://www.reddit.com/r/bachelorchef/comments/ewcua/pdf_thou...
- deleted 16y ago[deleted]
- tzs 16y agoWhat's wrong with pizza? It's essentially bread + toppings. Bread can be a fine healthy food, and if you pick healthy toppings, you can have a healthy pizza. I think this would be better advice. First, spend a weekend reading "In Defense of Food" by Michael Pollan. The take away from that is the healthy eating is a systematic thing, not a matter of individual ingredients. Second, watch a lot of episodes of "Good Eats" on the Food Network.
- astrange 16y agoOrdering pizza gets you tons of cheese and a crust with a lot of sugar in it. Making your own is fine…though I can't remember what's in the frozen pizza crusts, or how good they are.
- 1337p337 16y agoI like the recipe in the article; it's easy to cook, and it's what I often have for dinner: lightly fried meat and vegetables, although I usually have rice rather than beans. But for things that I plan on heating later, I prefer things that taste as good when heated up later, like borscht and other dense soups, beef stroganoff, curry (I'd sent my Japanese curry recipe to enough people that I put it on github: https://gist.github.com/57898 https://gist.github.com/57898 ).
- jonah 16y agoNY Times article about cooking quickly, simply, and economically: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/02/weekinreview/02bittman.html?_r=1 http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/02/weekinreview/02bittman.htm... (With recipes.)
- batterseapower 16y agoPersonally I ate nothing but processed, microwaveable meals for 3 years during university. I find it hard to believe that this significantly affected my performance since I still managed to get the best result in my year (twice) and second best (once). I also failed to get fat or develop any health problems at all. So you can colour me sceptical about the true value of eating "healthy" or freshly-cooked food.
- ido 16y agoAs a note, I love unhealthy food. It’s delicious and I’m not saying it’s evil. I’m just saying it’s not a productive addition to a 14-hour, high stress work day. Also: don't do 14h of high stress work a day on a regular basis.
- JCThoughtscream 16y agoIt should seriously not take much more time than it takes to warm up a nasty styrofoam cup of noodles to cook something cheap, easy and - above all - tasty. The first step is to get a rice steamer. The second step is to realize that you can, in fact, prep your vegetables, meats and sauces ahead of time and just leave them in the fridge. Feeling hungry? Pour a little oil into a pan, toss in some ingredients, and voila - stirfry in no time at all. Grab a bowl, stuff some rice into it, and top it over - lunch! It's more cost-effective than takeout, at the very least. Timesink may be an issue - if you aren't working with one or two cofounders. If you are, the minimal amount of competence to use a rice steamer and heat up pre-prepped ingredients means you /should/ be able to safely rotate cooking duties without excessive risk to your health. Or, at least, less risk than a diet of salty ramen and oily pizza.
- spacemanaki 16y agopg's Rice and Beans for 2n comes to mind: http://www.paulgraham.com/ramenprofitable.html#f1n http://www.paulgraham.com/ramenprofitable.html#f1n
- tt 16y agoWe are working on a startup that directly solves this problem of needing to eat healthy food, yet too busy to cook, and too tired to order or eat out. See http://gomunchery.com http://gomunchery.com