6 ms·

Something that always amazes me is how people are willing to sacrifice quite a bit when it comes to monthly food costs, when in reality these costs are incredib

by physcab 17y ago

Something that always amazes me is how people are willing to sacrifice quite a bit when it comes to monthly food costs, when in reality these costs are incredibly low compared to the benefits you get (nutrition and health). Why don't people reconsider getting trashed on Friday and Saturday nights, where bar bills can run up to $20/night or find less convenient housing and save themselves $50/month. Or how about getting rid of the non-essentials like cable, internet, or a car. IMHO food is the one monthly cost that you should not cut corners, because the long term effects have actual measurable detriments to your personal well-being.

sound2man 17y ago
With the audience on here, I doubt that internet is considered "non-essential". It sounds to me that he ate a pretty balanced diet. Not gourmet by any stretch of the imagination, but plain, and for the most part, healthy food.
- ryanwaggoner 17y ago
  I agree that it sounds like he ate pretty healthy, but stuff like this really freaks me out: Lard is the highest calorie per cent food you can buy. That just seems to be the epitome of penny-wise and pound-foolish for 99.9% of people, who would be far better off trimming their budget in other categories so they could eat healthier instead of viewing food as just a source of calories.
  - cpach 17y ago
    I don't think I would ever eat lard, but some proponents of the low-carb diet surely would approve.
    - biohacker42 17y ago
      I may be wrong, but I think lard has less saturated fat then butter and possibly even cream cheese. So while not good for you in anything other then tiny quantities, it may be less bad for you then other stuff you have problem putting on your bagel.
    - jonknee 17y ago
      It's a natural fat used around the world, nothing to be scared of. If you get "real" lard (not hydrogenated), it has no trans fats and can be quite useful in the kitchen. Hispanic grocery stores or butcher shops are a good spot to find it.
      - 321abc 17y ago
        So what that it's "natural"? All sorts of things that can harm or even kill you are "natural". - Cyanide is "natural". - Hemlock is "natural". - Mercury is "natural". - Cobra venom is "natural". But none of these are things I'd want to spread on my toast in the morning.
        derefr 17y ago
        The word "natural" doesn't mean "part of nature" when speaking of nutrition, it means "part of our evolutionary history." We ate lard in the past(and survived because of it, and evolved toward making use of it.) We did not eat cyanide.
        321abc 17y ago
        That's not the meaning of the word "natural" in the context of nutrition, from my understanding. Perhaps the word you're looking for is "traditional". Semantics aside, I'll gladly grant you that lard is a food that has been eaten in the past. But, once again, that doesn't mean it's necessarily better than other foods that haven't been eaten in the past. An good example is "golden" rice. An argument could be made (and has been made) that golden rice could save millions of people from devastating vitamin deficiency which they would continue suffer from were they to avoid golden rice for their "traditional" foods. Plenty of traditional foods just aren't very nutritious or healthy.
        stinkytaco 17y ago
        I know that HNers will scoff at the citing of popular literature, but I find the arguments in "Diet for a Small Planet" and "In Defense of Food" quite compelling when it comes to "traditional" foods. Traditional diets are developed to make best use of the ingredients available in a region and are often the healthier than "scientific" diets. A good example is Mexican food. Corn and beans together make a complete protein. I think that tradition, like cuisines, is an ever changing thing, however.
    - wvl 17y ago
      If you're losing weight, you're at a calorie deficit. Where does your body get the extra calories from? You got it, your own lard. http://www.marksdailyapple.com/saturated-fat-healthy/ http://www.marksdailyapple.com/saturated-fat-healthy/
  - ellyagg 17y ago
    In fact, you can eat all "unhealthy" food and be far healthier than 95% of the people around you by keeping a calorie budget and exercising enough. In my case, I buy vats of lard at the local grocer and use it liberally. It tastes delicious. I also work out at least an hour a day. No one feels the need to moralize about people failing to work out an hour a day, and yet that will have 10 times the benefit of micromanaging the nutrients in your diet. I'm strong and fit and my cholesterol is low. Despite the fact that everyone knows I'm fit, they still say, "Imagine how much healthier you would be and how much more energy you would have if ate "better"?" !! Since, I'm the one who's fit, shouldn't you be asking me for advice? Moralizing about people's diets is part of the same line of thinking as the Progressive movement that sprung Prohibition on us. And, of course, the Progressive movement can trace its philosophical lineage to the Puritans, so there you go. Eating lots of fruits and vegetables and low-fat foods is not a good in and of itself. A diet is only healthy or unhealthy to the extent that its quality is reflected in your own health.
    - ryanwaggoner 17y ago
      In fact, you can eat all "unhealthy" food and be far healthier than 95% of the people around you by keeping a calorie budget and exercising enough. So you're telling me that if you eat McDonald's for every meal for thirty years, you'll experience no health issues as long as you exercise enough? Tell you what: let's have this conversation again in thirty years, provided you're still around. An anecdote about a personal experience over a relatively short period of time is of limited value to me. Study after study has shown that the western diet has severe detrimental effects in the long run, including diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. Can you mitigate some of that by exercising more? Absolutely. But thinking that you can put whatever you want into your body with no ill effects as long as you exercise enough is ridiculous.
      - randallsquared 17y ago
        In spite of the faux-documentaries like Super-Size Me, eating McDonald's food doesn't actually make you fat and unhealthy.
- metachris 17y ago
  yes! i'd much rather save $30 somewhere on food than cutting off internet, if i had to
TallGuyShort 17y ago
I agree with you on the other ways people could cut back. However, I think people are used to not thinking about their food, and it's become a major problem, especially in America. People generally don't think of food as a necessity for survival if they're not focusing on a tight budget - and as such, they begin forgetting about things like vitamins, healthy serving sizes, protein, etc... The menu he described sounds very healthy to me. Nothing too fatty or processed. It's mostly natural, simple meals.
andrewhyde 17y ago
I wholeheartedly agree with you now, but at the time it just seemed like the thing to do (during a 25 credit term at college). I didn't have a ton of time to think about it, was just trying to get by. Flip to now where I eat 5-6x a day and have a nutritionist. Time and a place.
- mchristoff 17y ago
  i'm interested to hear more about having a nutritionist. would you mind expanding on that a little? where exactly do you go about finding one? how much does it cost? what exactly do they do for you - plan meal by meal?
jonknee 17y ago
It's easy. You don't need to break a contract or lease to start it. You can learn how to cook which is a really valuable skill. And if you're not already cooking at home you will almost be assured to be eating better food (well once you get comfortable!). I usually buy what protein is on sale and plan meals around that. It has a nice side effect of varying my diet.
kingkawn 17y ago
Super-mega-lol at $20/night as bar costs. Maybe if you and your date have a drink each.
- socratees 17y ago
  Seriously man I don't even know how far can 20 bucks take you. How much you're goin to tip the waitress? 2 bucks?
  - kingkawn 17y ago
    hell yeah 2 bucks, what was she expecting?
    - lsb 17y ago
      For a tipped waitress, not at a fancy place, the federal minimum wage is $2.13/hr.
      - indiejade 17y ago
        No. Actually, it varies by state. I have worked as a pizza delivery "expert" in three different states and as a restaurant slave in five; basically, employers get away with paying people as little as possible, regardless of their "tips". Most servers don't claim their tips (for tax purposes) thinking that doing so will "help" them. But in actuality it actually harms them. No matter how "noble" a diner might feel in tipping his or her server, it basically amounts to nothing, especially when she splits her tip with the rest of her co-workers. The unfortunate fact of this circumstance is that most "tipped" workers earn sub-minimum wages. There would not be an illegal immigration problem regarding restaurant workers if it were any other case. But most Americans are fat, lazy, oblivious and don't care. So. The next time you go out to eat, especially if it's a large nationalized chain (like Denny's or McD's) take a look around at how many of your fellow diners speak Spanish. Look at your hostess/cashier who is making federal minimum wage without tips . . . then look at the restaurant and kitchen workers who are serving you, and decide just how "valuable" it is to go out to eat. Don't pat yourself too much on the back for being a fan of capitalism.
chez17 17y ago
I agree with what you're saying. It's amazing me to how people won't support art or politicians that they agree with or any other important thing because they are broke but will have plenty of money for beer. I have to laugh at one thing: "where bar bills can run up to $20/night" Man, you should hang out with my friends for a night. :)
babul 17y ago
For people who have little money, and are able to do so, going "freegan" may be an idea... http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/6933744.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/6933744.stm ...it is better than subsistence on what is often very low quality (i.e. nutritional value) food.
- billswift 17y ago
  Here's an interesting book on US dumpster diving: http://www.amazon.com/Science-Dumpster-Diving-John-Hoffman/dp/1581605501/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1249162132&sr=8-1 http://www.amazon.com/Science-Dumpster-Diving-John-Hoffman/d...

by physcab 17y ago

sound2man 17y ago

With the audience on here, I doubt that internet is considered "non-essential". It sounds to me that he ate a pretty balanced diet. Not gourmet by any stretch of the imagination, but plain, and for the most part, healthy food.

ryanwaggoner 17y ago
I agree that it sounds like he ate pretty healthy, but stuff like this really freaks me out: Lard is the highest calorie per cent food you can buy. That just seems to be the epitome of penny-wise and pound-foolish for 99.9% of people, who would be far better off trimming their budget in other categories so they could eat healthier instead of viewing food as just a source of calories.
- cpach 17y ago
  I don't think I would ever eat lard, but some proponents of the low-carb diet surely would approve.
  - biohacker42 17y ago
    I may be wrong, but I think lard has less saturated fat then butter and possibly even cream cheese. So while not good for you in anything other then tiny quantities, it may be less bad for you then other stuff you have problem putting on your bagel.
  - jonknee 17y ago
    It's a natural fat used around the world, nothing to be scared of. If you get "real" lard (not hydrogenated), it has no trans fats and can be quite useful in the kitchen. Hispanic grocery stores or butcher shops are a good spot to find it.
    - 321abc 17y ago
      So what that it's "natural"? All sorts of things that can harm or even kill you are "natural". - Cyanide is "natural". - Hemlock is "natural". - Mercury is "natural". - Cobra venom is "natural". But none of these are things I'd want to spread on my toast in the morning.
      - derefr 17y ago
        The word "natural" doesn't mean "part of nature" when speaking of nutrition, it means "part of our evolutionary history." We ate lard in the past(and survived because of it, and evolved toward making use of it.) We did not eat cyanide.
        321abc 17y ago
        That's not the meaning of the word "natural" in the context of nutrition, from my understanding. Perhaps the word you're looking for is "traditional". Semantics aside, I'll gladly grant you that lard is a food that has been eaten in the past. But, once again, that doesn't mean it's necessarily better than other foods that haven't been eaten in the past. An good example is "golden" rice. An argument could be made (and has been made) that golden rice could save millions of people from devastating vitamin deficiency which they would continue suffer from were they to avoid golden rice for their "traditional" foods. Plenty of traditional foods just aren't very nutritious or healthy.
        stinkytaco 17y ago
        I know that HNers will scoff at the citing of popular literature, but I find the arguments in "Diet for a Small Planet" and "In Defense of Food" quite compelling when it comes to "traditional" foods. Traditional diets are developed to make best use of the ingredients available in a region and are often the healthier than "scientific" diets. A good example is Mexican food. Corn and beans together make a complete protein. I think that tradition, like cuisines, is an ever changing thing, however.
  - wvl 17y ago
    If you're losing weight, you're at a calorie deficit. Where does your body get the extra calories from? You got it, your own lard. http://www.marksdailyapple.com/saturated-fat-healthy/ http://www.marksdailyapple.com/saturated-fat-healthy/
- ellyagg 17y ago
  In fact, you can eat all "unhealthy" food and be far healthier than 95% of the people around you by keeping a calorie budget and exercising enough. In my case, I buy vats of lard at the local grocer and use it liberally. It tastes delicious. I also work out at least an hour a day. No one feels the need to moralize about people failing to work out an hour a day, and yet that will have 10 times the benefit of micromanaging the nutrients in your diet. I'm strong and fit and my cholesterol is low. Despite the fact that everyone knows I'm fit, they still say, "Imagine how much healthier you would be and how much more energy you would have if ate "better"?" !! Since, I'm the one who's fit, shouldn't you be asking me for advice? Moralizing about people's diets is part of the same line of thinking as the Progressive movement that sprung Prohibition on us. And, of course, the Progressive movement can trace its philosophical lineage to the Puritans, so there you go. Eating lots of fruits and vegetables and low-fat foods is not a good in and of itself. A diet is only healthy or unhealthy to the extent that its quality is reflected in your own health.
  - ryanwaggoner 17y ago
    In fact, you can eat all "unhealthy" food and be far healthier than 95% of the people around you by keeping a calorie budget and exercising enough. So you're telling me that if you eat McDonald's for every meal for thirty years, you'll experience no health issues as long as you exercise enough? Tell you what: let's have this conversation again in thirty years, provided you're still around. An anecdote about a personal experience over a relatively short period of time is of limited value to me. Study after study has shown that the western diet has severe detrimental effects in the long run, including diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. Can you mitigate some of that by exercising more? Absolutely. But thinking that you can put whatever you want into your body with no ill effects as long as you exercise enough is ridiculous.
    - randallsquared 17y ago
      In spite of the faux-documentaries like Super-Size Me, eating McDonald's food doesn't actually make you fat and unhealthy.
metachris 17y ago
yes! i'd much rather save $30 somewhere on food than cutting off internet, if i had to

TallGuyShort 17y ago

I agree with you on the other ways people could cut back. However, I think people are used to not thinking about their food, and it's become a major problem, especially in America. People generally don't think of food as a necessity for survival if they're not focusing on a tight budget - and as such, they begin forgetting about things like vitamins, healthy serving sizes, protein, etc... The menu he described sounds very healthy to me. Nothing too fatty or processed. It's mostly natural, simple meals.

andrewhyde 17y ago

I wholeheartedly agree with you now, but at the time it just seemed like the thing to do (during a 25 credit term at college). I didn't have a ton of time to think about it, was just trying to get by. Flip to now where I eat 5-6x a day and have a nutritionist. Time and a place.

mchristoff 17y ago
i'm interested to hear more about having a nutritionist. would you mind expanding on that a little? where exactly do you go about finding one? how much does it cost? what exactly do they do for you - plan meal by meal?

jonknee 17y ago

It's easy. You don't need to break a contract or lease to start it. You can learn how to cook which is a really valuable skill. And if you're not already cooking at home you will almost be assured to be eating better food (well once you get comfortable!). I usually buy what protein is on sale and plan meals around that. It has a nice side effect of varying my diet.

kingkawn 17y ago

Super-mega-lol at $20/night as bar costs. Maybe if you and your date have a drink each.

socratees 17y ago
Seriously man I don't even know how far can 20 bucks take you. How much you're goin to tip the waitress? 2 bucks?
- kingkawn 17y ago
  hell yeah 2 bucks, what was she expecting?
  - lsb 17y ago
    For a tipped waitress, not at a fancy place, the federal minimum wage is $2.13/hr.
    - indiejade 17y ago
      No. Actually, it varies by state. I have worked as a pizza delivery "expert" in three different states and as a restaurant slave in five; basically, employers get away with paying people as little as possible, regardless of their "tips". Most servers don't claim their tips (for tax purposes) thinking that doing so will "help" them. But in actuality it actually harms them. No matter how "noble" a diner might feel in tipping his or her server, it basically amounts to nothing, especially when she splits her tip with the rest of her co-workers. The unfortunate fact of this circumstance is that most "tipped" workers earn sub-minimum wages. There would not be an illegal immigration problem regarding restaurant workers if it were any other case. But most Americans are fat, lazy, oblivious and don't care. So. The next time you go out to eat, especially if it's a large nationalized chain (like Denny's or McD's) take a look around at how many of your fellow diners speak Spanish. Look at your hostess/cashier who is making federal minimum wage without tips . . . then look at the restaurant and kitchen workers who are serving you, and decide just how "valuable" it is to go out to eat. Don't pat yourself too much on the back for being a fan of capitalism.

chez17 17y ago

I agree with what you're saying. It's amazing me to how people won't support art or politicians that they agree with or any other important thing because they are broke but will have plenty of money for beer. I have to laugh at one thing: "where bar bills can run up to $20/night" Man, you should hang out with my friends for a night. :)

babul 17y ago

For people who have little money, and are able to do so, going "freegan" may be an idea... http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/6933744.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/6933744.stm ...it is better than subsistence on what is often very low quality (i.e. nutritional value) food.

billswift 17y ago
Here's an interesting book on US dumpster diving: http://www.amazon.com/Science-Dumpster-Diving-John-Hoffman/dp/1581605501/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1249162132&sr=8-1 http://www.amazon.com/Science-Dumpster-Diving-John-Hoffman/d...