I have a theory that there is a impossible trinity (like in economics), where a food cannot be delicious, cheap and healthy at the same time. At maximum 2 of the 3 can be achieved.

Is there any food that breaks this theory?

Edit: I was thinking more about dishes (or something you put in your mouth) than the raw substances

Some popular suggestions include

  • fruits (in season) and vegetables
  • lentils, beans, rice
  • mushrooms
  • chicken
  • just eat in moderation

Edit 2: Thanks for the various answers. Now there are a lot of (mostly bean-based) recipes for everyone to try out!

Also someone made a community for cheap healthy food after seeing this topic!

  • LoafyLemon@kbin.social
    6·
    1 year ago

    Onion. It’s cheap, nutritious, acts as a low-key anti bacterial solution, can be served in a multitude of ways, or eaten raw.

    Subscribe for more onion facts. 🧅

  • iquanyin@lemmy.worldEnglish
    3·
    1 year ago

    the three sisters are very nutritious. corn, beans, squash. add any spices you like, and a good oil (my faves are la tourangelle olive oil and their toasted seasame oil, sold on amazon and not expensive). salt and spices make all the difference.

  • Chobbes@lemmy.worldEnglish
    2·
    1 year ago

    So… Are you just unaware of fruits, vegetables, and legumes, haha? In my opinion there’s a huge amount of food that fits all three categories. One of the best example of cheap, delicious, healthy, and easy is beans and rice, spiced up however you like.

    • foggenbooty@lemmy.worldEnglish
      2·
      1 year ago

      Yup. Mexican, Indian, a lot of cuisine from poorer countries figured this out long ago. Beans or lentils over rice with the right spices, incredible. The restaurant version will add a lot of fat and heavy cream but if you make it yourself you can adjust that so it’s not unhealthy.

  • GTac@lemmy.worldEnglish
    2·
    1 year ago

    You already mentioned them, but I’m a huge fan of lentils. They go with so much stuff and you can combine them with a variety of spices. Give me any leftover ingredients and some lentils, and I’ll cook up something delicious. I can and will eat lentil soup for days.

    They are also a pretty solid crop, they can grow in a variety of climates, require little water and are good for the soil.

  • Ben@lemmy.worldEnglish
    2·
    1 year ago

    It depends where you live (I’m in Bangkok, so grocery choices are quite limited).

    I love Oats. I got massively back into them again this year… now I buy around 3kg every month (instant oats).

    It’s only this year, really, that I discovered that oats are still really good and creamy when not made with milk… and it’s really easy to boil a single cup of water to dump on a cup of oats for a perfect breakfast (left standing for a minute - done… no need to ‘microwave’ oats).

    Also, cheap staples include: carrots, potato, broccoli, spinach…

    Frozen strawberries are dirt cheap here too.

    Breakfast 1:

    • Instant Oats (1 cup, 1/4 tsp salt, 3tsp sugar, 3 tsp creamer)
    • pulsed to powder in the blender with a cup of boiling water poured over.
    • Blend 100ml milk with 3 strawberries and mix that in. The beauty of this is (as my son does NOT like stodgy/thick porridge) I can add an extra 100ml of milk to his breakfast, and it becomes a liquid smoothie.

    Breakfast 2:

    • Weetbix are not too cheap, but ONE biscuit mixed with ONE cup of oats is a massive breakfast - and tastes of Weetbix… and is ridiculously cheap in comparison.

    Breakfast 3

    • Oats work great with eggs…
    • 1 cup oats, some salt, some cumin (maybe a teaspoon)
    • 2/3 cup boiling water (soak a minute)
    • 2 duck eggs mixed in
    • butter up the frying pan and dump it in there, cover and cook gently for 3 minutes, flip and give them another 3 minutes.

    DIsgusting poopy one

    • 2 teaspoons of cocoa powder mixed with 4 teaspoons of non-dairy creamer + 1 cup oats
    • pulse to powder, add a cup of hot water.

    That’s choccie heaven right there.

  • hahattpro@lemmy.world
    2·
    3 months ago

    Buy raw material and cook yourself.

    Most premade food is expensive because:

    • labor on cooking
    • restaurant profit
    • rent of the restaurant/owner of the place sell you food
    • service
  • sudneo@lemmy.worldEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    My very Italian answer is “pizza bianca” . I guess “healthy” depends, but it’s generally OK carbs, it’s delicious and with few Euros you can buy quite a lot (enough for a lunch).

  • Kaldo@kbin.social
    1·
    1 year ago

    Beans! Especially stew with them, you can throw in pretty much anything (veggies, meat, adjust your spice levels…) and once you learn the correct balance it’s very tasty and filling.

  • PaxSapien@lemmy.worldEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    When I was in college, I had the rule of not buying anything that is >$1.50 per pound. This is what I was reduced to (prices may be different now due to inflation and geo area):

    1. Apples, oranges, grapes, strawberries when they are on sale
    2. Milk, yogurt
    3. Pork shoulder, chicken quarters, thighs, drumsticks
    4. ground pork, ground beef
    5. Carrots, broccoli, potatoes, cabbage (you’ll be surprised at how good thinly sliced cabbages taste in a sandwich)
  • yunggwailo@kbin.social
    1·
    1 year ago

    Rice and beans, just be a little creative with preparation. Also you can make lots of soups that are cheap and healthy and its super easy to make too.

  • eduardm@lemmy.worldEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    Well, something being delicious is subjective, but if we assume a “general acceptance” of most delicious foods, potatoes could fit easily. They can be cooked in all kinds of ways, are very nutritious and, again, pretty much everyone says they’re delicious.

  • OasisStorm@kbin.social
    1·
    1 year ago

    Sweet potatoes. Very nutritious, very cheap, and taste sweet. Easy to prepare to, you can just boil or bake them for a little while without adding anything and they’re great just like that.