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Where do you find healthy food for cheap?

Avocado

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I really don't want to spend more than $10 daily on myself, but the only food I can think of that's that cheap is fast food. I'm trying to eat better and get fit so I can get my doctor's approval to get off of my blood pressure medicine and also have more energy during the day and not be so crappy and depressed all the time (I've narrowed it down--has to be diet.)
 

chickpea

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farmer's markets. i work at a fancy "healthy" grocery store, and if you're smart and look out for deals you can get some stuff for cheap but it's mostly obscenely expensive.
 

ceecee

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Please Google - how to eat healthy on $20 a week and look for an Aldi. No Aldi? Walmart.
 

JocktheMotie

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I was going to make a flippant remark and wonder if you'd just hatched out of a pod at 18 years old but then I read your bio.

I AM BECOMING SOFT!

:(
 

Chrysanthea

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Depends on what you consider healthy, since healthy could be different for most people. Plus there is so much bullshit regarding nutrition it's difficult to know who to trust. If there were one magic diet, then why would there be a new diet coming out every single year? This obviously means that no one knows for sure what is healthy, or else such a diet would exist. Because of this, I use nothing but personal experimentation to figure out what feels best for me. Though since you say you have problems with high blood pressure, such experimentation could prove risky...

Anyways... healthy food is damn expensive, that's for sure. If you have nothing against canned foods, you could try that. Potatoes, eggs, and rice are also dirt cheap. I don't know how you could afford enough healthy food to keep you alive with a meager 10$ a day xD Unless my grocery stores are just that much more expensive.

And also fast food isn't that bad for you... "Supersize Me" was a bullshit movie anyways. EDIT: Okay looking over the McDonald's menu, you'd be better off not eating fast food but only because the sodium levels would definitely not help your health in any way, so forget my last comment. I personally won't stop eating it >.>
 

Tellenbach

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Summer is raspberry and blueberry season. I can get 2 pounds at Sam's Club for $6. You can get 3 pounds of bananas for $1.50. Beans are also dirt cheap and very good for you. Sunflower seeds are about $4/lb. Just grab a half gallon container of soy milk and you can make delicious smoothies with these ingredients. Substitute breakfast or lunch with a big smoothy.
 

tinker683

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Only healthy food I know at that price is food you cook for yourself in a big batch and spread out over a few days or so
 

Xann

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Homemade chili, shepherd's pie, nachos supreme, fruit and veggie smoothies, whole wheat macaroni casserole, and gourmet chicken salad can all be made using cheap ingredients you can buy on sale in bulk and easily cooked and stored for long periods of time and are also high energy content foods that are delicious. Look up recipes and methods on google and take the time to search out the most bang for your buck groceries while at the store and don't be afraid to put some hard work and time into cooking each meal, and you'll become quite the efficient chef quickly as well as much more healthy and active. You can get pretty much all of this at any store that sells food (even Walmart). One to two large meals like this per day as well as a healthy snack (granola bar, yogurt etc.) will keep you under 10$ a day easily.
 

prplchknz

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I was going to make a flippant remark and wonder if you'd just hatched out of a pod at 18 years old but then I read your bio.

I AM BECOMING SOFT!

:(

i hear viagra is good for that. there might be some emotional viagra or something:shrug:
 

Tellenbach

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Picadillo Criollo by Ofelia Braga (serves 6) from "The American Plate"

2 lbs ground beef ( This is about $12 to $14, but it's 6 meals)
1 small yellow onion, peeled and chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1/4 seeded green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup tomato puree
1/2 cup dry vermouth or white wine ( I got a bottle of white wine for $5)
1/2 cup pitted green olives ( I left out the olives entirely; they have lots of sodium)
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup ketchup (also lots of sodium, but you can probably use tomato sauce or diced tomatos instead)
salt and pepper to taste

Dump everything in a pot and simmer on low heat for 45 minutes; stir frequently. It's very tasty but a bit acidic from the ketchup and tomato paste. This makes enough dinner for the entire week.
 
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Depends on what you consider healthy, since healthy could be different for most people. Plus there is so much bullshit regarding nutrition it's difficult to know who to trust. If there were one magic diet, then why would there be a new diet coming out every single year? This obviously means that no one knows for sure what is healthy, or else such a diet would exist. Because of this, I use nothing but personal experimentation to figure out what feels best for me. Though since you say you have problems with high blood pressure, such experimentation could prove risky...
I thing the way towards eating healthy is trying to avoid obviously unnatural "laboratory food" as much as possible. Exclude obviously crappy foods, from what is remaining eat what your body desires. After this the only thing that you may be missing from the equation is physical activity.

Anyways... healthy food is damn expensive, that's for sure. If you have nothing against canned foods, you could try that. Potatoes, eggs, and rice are also dirt cheap. I don't know how you could afford enough healthy food to keep you alive with a meager 10$ a day xD Unless my grocery stores are just that much more expensive.
Food that is marketed as healthy and bio is usually expensive. Healthy food is not expensive. You can buy honey, eggs, veggies, fruits, nuts and similar stuff in bulk for relatively cheap and you can combine these basic ingredients in an infinite number of ways.

And also fast food isn't that bad for you... "Supersize Me" was a bullshit movie anyways. EDIT: Okay looking over the McDonald's menu, you'd be better off not eating fast food but only because the sodium levels would definitely not help your health in any way, so forget my last comment. I personally won't stop eating it >.>
Like many other things, this is always subject of debates for many reasons. I think it isn't difficult to find out that the taste of fast foods is very far from that of foods you eat on the countryside and that should be a warning sign.

Building food from chemicals is unhealthy but unfortunately the food industry is about business where they are not ignoring the good properties of "laboratory foods": better expiration dates, multiple times lower production costs, consistent quality, more attractive smell/taste/visuals.
It's a *BUSINESS* where it is matter a lot how much do you spend for the production of something you sell for $20. It may happen that from chemicals you can produce it from $1 or less while from natural sources the same product may cost a multiple of this like $10. Some artificial foods (like instant-soup powders) almost consist only from chemicals from a laboratory. If you want to start a business you can easily search for a manufacturer who produces "protein bars" or similar stuff for you in bulk for cheap per/unit costs, and they label it the way you want. It's up to you how do you sell it and under what brand. And no-one really cares how crappy stuff you produce and sell, the only obligation is not breaking the law that allows the distribution of crap. Which one do you think motivates them: 1.) selling you healthy food 2.) earning 5-10 or even more times more profit with unhealthy food
 

gromit

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Yes, cooking/preparing your own food is definitely the way to go, in terms of nutritious healthful food that does not cost a lot. There are a ton of websites and blogs with recipes and tips for how to eat well on a budget!

Cheap veggies usually tend to be things like carrots, cabbage, sometimes broccoli or green beans when they are on sale. Eggs are really cheap too. And you can buy big bags of whole grain rice or dried lentils/beans for some carbs for pretty cheap. I go by price per pound, which is usually marked on the price tag at most grocery stores. Try to keep my veggies and beans/lentils under a dollar a pound and definitely buy what is on sale. Cheese can be pricey if you eat a lot but you can use stronger cheeses for flavor and just sprinkle it on, like Parmesan. Onions, garlic, and ginger always add a good flavor to food, along with different spices. This will be great preparation for you going to culinary school!
 

Chrysanthea

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I thing the way towards eating healthy is trying to avoid obviously unnatural "laboratory food" as much as possible. Exclude obviously crappy foods, from what is remaining eat what your body desires. After this the only thing that you may be missing from the equation is physical activity.


Food that is marketed as healthy and bio is usually expensive. Healthy food is not expensive. You can buy honey, eggs, veggies, fruits, nuts and similar stuff in bulk for relatively cheap and you can combine these basic ingredients in an infinite number of ways.


Like many other things, this is always subject of debates for many reasons. I think it isn't difficult to find out that the taste of fast foods is very far from that of foods you eat on the countryside and that should be a warning sign.

Building food from chemicals is unhealthy but unfortunately the food industry is about business where they are not ignoring the good properties of "laboratory foods": better expiration dates, multiple times lower production costs, consistent quality, more attractive smell/taste/visuals.
It's a *BUSINESS* where it is matter a lot how much do you spend for the production of something you sell for $20. It may happen that from chemicals you can produce it from $1 or less while from natural sources the same product may cost a multiple of this like $10. Some artificial foods (like instant-soup powders) almost consist only from chemicals from a laboratory. If you want to start a business you can easily search for a manufacturer who produces "protein bars" or similar stuff for you in bulk for cheap per/unit costs, and they label it the way you want. It's up to you how do you sell it and under what brand. And no-one really cares how crappy stuff you produce and sell, the only obligation is not breaking the law that allows the distribution of crap. Which one do you think motivates them: 1.) selling you healthy food 2.) earning 5-10 or even more times more profit with unhealthy food

Which is why I'm hoping to be self-sufficient in the future by growing/raising my own food so I don't have to worry about who to trust. : D It's just so much easier and more rewarding that way. Though not sure how dedicated to that I could be. I'd probably end up starving because of how neglectful I am of life, whether it be food or friends.
 
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Which is why I'm hoping to be self-sufficient in the future by growing/raising my own food so I don't have to worry about who to trust. : D It's just so much easier and more rewarding that way. Though not sure how dedicated to that I could be. I'd probably end up starving because of how neglectful I am of life, whether it be food or friends.
Even if you buy "whole foods" like meat, eggs, unprocessed veggies and meats you can not be sure about the quality but it will certainly be much better than complex processed foods. Just as a weird example: With a special enzyme you can glue together shredded meat (that they would throw out) into "whole meat" and countryside people couldn't tell the difference when it was ready. (Disgusting...), chickens may be held in cruel circumstances and fed with things that help to make egg yolk color more attractive, ........

A friend of mine told that you can be sure only about the plants and animals you grow yourself on the side of a clean forest and I completely agree with him. :D
 

Siúil a Rúin

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"Trader Joes" is the only organic type grocery store I've found that is as cheap as Walmart. I've been pretty happy to find it.
 

prplchknz

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You can get bulgar wheat from fresh market for way less than at the normal grocery store and make things like Tabuouli which tastes better the day after and you can cook the wheat in about 12 minutes in a pressure cooker lot of speciality grains like that and quinoa are considerably less but everything else tends to be more expensive
 

prplchknz

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You can get bulgar wheat from fresh market for way less than at the normal grocery store and make things like Tabuouli which tastes better the day after and you can cook the wheat in about 12 minutes in a pressure cooker lot of speciality grains like that and quinoa are considerably less but everything else tends to be more expensive

So i didn't know i knew this, so reading this years later is like woah, today i learned from myself.....
 

Peter Deadpan

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Shop the weekly ads, the perimeter of the store, and the discounted meat bin (my grocery store has one at least). Freeze deals on meats. Eat beans (dried is cheaper) and rice... great fillers. When something you use often goes on sale for much lower than normal, stock up a bit. If you have specific brands/products you like, Google coupons.

Or you could just be like me and have all the answers but fail to plan ahead and lazily splurge on fast food that slowly kills you.
 

The Cat

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I get my really cheap healthy food from shifty looking fellows wearing brown fedoras and trench coats lined with free range grass fed meats, and fair trade non gmo veggies. in dark shadowy alleys like a regular person.
 

Luminous

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White rice, at least, is not at all healthy.
 
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