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Crystal G



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Poor People Make Excuses By Whining About Eating Healthy Food Being More Expensive, when It's Not 3
#23421587 - 07/07/16 09:24 PM (7 years, 6 months ago) |
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So many people complain about how it's so difficult for poor people in America to eat healthy food, and I strongly disagree. It's a complete myth that healthier diets cost more than garbage junk food.
I've been following this guy on YouTube, who made a 7-part video series about surviving on $30 a week of groceries, in NYC no less, AKA the most expensive city in the USA. This post incorporates his day 1 journey, though I strongly recommend young, independent cooks to view all 7 of his videos. He has some interesting and creative recipes (my personal favorite was his vegetarian black bean burger with pickled cabbage):
I'm of the firm belief that eating crappy costs exponentially more money. Microwavable and frozen meals for example, are quite expensive, and the portions are tiny. With the money it costs to buy 1 or 2 microwave meals or a Lunchables, you could make an entire meal of chicken, rice, and veggies for at least 2 people, and have some portions left over.
Then there is other junk food, such as chips, candy, snacks, Oreo's, pre-packaged microwavable snacks like frozen pot pies and French fries and chicken nuggets, cereal, boxed Macaroni packages, ice cream, soda, cookies, etc.. These are not only more expensive than raw foods, but also have no nutritional value whatsoever, rendering its purchase useless as a staple. Really, if you are stock-piling your cabinets with nothing but these inessential items, you are basically spending more money than you would have if you had simply bought some veggies, carbs, and lean meats.
Kale costs 99 cents per bushel, eggs are $1-$2 per dozen, tomatoes are $1-$2 per lb, onions are like 2 quarters a piece, cabbage is 99 cents per head, rice is 2 or 3 dollars for a large bag, beans are 2 or 3 dollars per bag, chicken thighs are 99 cents pet lb, chicken breast is 1.99 per lb, chicken livers and heart and gizzards are $1-2 per lb, pork chops are $1.99 per lb... So, where exactly do people get the idea that you can't cook healthy on a budget?
You can make stir-fried rice with eggs and veggies, you can make home-made chili or soups, you can make curry, you can make omelets, you can make pasta, you can make bean burritos, you can make a couscous or rice medley, you can grill some BBQ chicken with sautéed collard greens, make a kale and beet and pumpkin seed salad, whip up some pork summer rolls, Thai chicken lettuce wraps, or tacos with homemade salsa from fresh-cut tomato, onion, jalapeño, lime, and avocado... these are just some examples of healthy, cheap, and fast cooking that won't take hours of back-breaking labor out of your day to create.
I mean, even whole foods that are expensive can be unhealthy as shit too. Bacon, high-quality cheese, duck fat, sausages, ribs, and gelato, are some of the things that come to mind.
It's funny, because over the course of my lifetime I've seen a lot of poor people stocking their fridge with things like bacon, pancakes, processed cheese, pulled pork, fried chicken, and boxed macaroni, yet rarely do I ever see any greens, vegetables, or fruits.
Personally, I think people make too many excuses. They can't admit to the fact that they don't eat healthy simply because they don't like the taste. That's really what it comes down to, is that healthy food simply doesn't fit their desired flavor profile, because they're so used to eating overly fatty, salty, greasy meals. So they have to create and come up with excuses for how eating healthy is too expensive and all this nonsense, when it's simply not true.
I realize I am saying some controversial things, so does anybody agree or disagree with me here? I'm interested to hear both sides of the argument.
Edited by Crystal G (07/07/16 09:43 PM)
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California
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Re: Poor People Make Excuses By Whining About Eating Healthy Food Being More Expensive, when It's Not [Re: Crystal G] 1
#23421631 - 07/07/16 09:37 PM (7 years, 6 months ago) |
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I agree with you.
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Cosmic_Flame
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Re: Poor People Make Excuses By Whining About Eating Healthy Food Being More Expensive, when It's Not [Re: Crystal G] 1
#23421637 - 07/07/16 09:40 PM (7 years, 6 months ago) |
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I agree and disagree, not everyone has equal access to quality food in every single part of the US. Some places are better than others. For fully able bodied/healthy people sure surviving off such a diet is feasible but not everyone has the same freedom when it comes to what they can consume nor the funds, even if its just $30. Your op and thread title comes off a bit classist
For myself I know I can have a healthy diet at a relatively low cost but again its because I have access and the means to be able to get such food.
Lack of education on how to eat healthy also contributes to this issue but that's a whole other topic in itself I guess.
-------------------- Pull the blinds and change their minds....
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PatrickKn



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Re: Poor People Make Excuses By Whining About Eating Healthy Food Being More Expensive, when It's Not [Re: California]
#23421650 - 07/07/16 09:44 PM (7 years, 6 months ago) |
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Cool post, that video series seems interesting too (watched the first one).
I go out to eat at restaurants quite a bit. Me and my wife can cook just fine, and grocery shop pretty well, but go to restaurants a bit too often. Good stuff to look into for easy meals.
Education is probably the bigger factor in all this. A lot of people couldn't fry an egg if they tried, simply because they never have prepared anything beyond hot pockets and cold cereal.
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qman
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Re: Poor People Make Excuses By Whining About Eating Healthy Food Being More Expensive, when It's Not [Re: California]
#23421655 - 07/07/16 09:45 PM (7 years, 6 months ago) |
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Yeah I agree, so many people are too lazy to buy food and then cook at home.
I walked through the frozen food section at a super Wal-Mart one day and almost threw up, there was a ton of frozen foods, there were all nasty shit food and expensive as well, I could never eat that shit.
The only frozen food I buy are some Trader Joe's frozen pizzas and french fries.
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Crystal G



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Re: Poor People Make Excuses By Whining About Eating Healthy Food Being More Expensive, when It's Not [Re: PatrickKn]
#23421672 - 07/07/16 09:51 PM (7 years, 6 months ago) |
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Quote:
Cosmic_Flame said: I agree and disagree, not everyone has equal access to quality food in every single part of the US. Some places are better than others. For fully able bodied/healthy people sure surviving off such a diet is feasible but not everyone has the same freedom when it comes to what they can consume nor the funds, even if its just $30. Your op and thread title comes off a bit classist
For myself I know I can have a healthy diet at a relatively low cost but again its because I have access and the means to be able to get such food.
Lack of education on how to eat healthy also contributes to this issue but that's a whole other topic in itself I guess.
It's not like any of the foods that I listed were exotic, or hard to find ingredients. I listed eggs, chicken breast, chicken thighs, kale, tomato, cabbage, beans, and rice. Exactly where the hell could somebody possibly live that they don't have access to any of the ingredients listed?
The only legitimate excuse somebody could have is if they lived in an actual food desert where there are no grocery stores, and the only stores selling food in a 40-mile distance might be 7-11 or the local liquor stores selling snacks.
Quote:
PatrickKn said: Education is probably the bigger factor in all this. A lot of people couldn't fry an egg if they tried, simply because they never have prepared anything beyond hot pockets and cold cereal.
Hot pockets are expensive as shit too! Sometimes I'm really tired after work and don't feel like taking 30 minutes out of my life to cook, so I thought about buying some pre-packaged microwavable frozen snacks, like chicken tenders or pot pies and things of that nature. I was shocked by how expensive these things were! I was like, "Fuck that," this unhealthy garbage is actually like, 5 times more expensive than if I were to make it myself.
$15 for TWO pounds of fried chicken tenders?! That's SEVEN TIMES the cost of raw, fresh chicken breast! And those pot pies came out to over $4 for each pie, wtf! I could get a ready-made pot pie from Boston Market for $6, it's almost the cost of eating out.
Edited by Crystal G (07/07/16 10:45 PM)
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Crystal G



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Re: Poor People Make Excuses By Whining About Eating Healthy Food Being More Expensive, when It's Not [Re: qman]
#23421681 - 07/07/16 09:54 PM (7 years, 6 months ago) |
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Quote:
qman said: Yeah I agree, so many people are too lazy to buy food and then cook at home.
I walked through the frozen food section at a super Wal-Mart one day and almost threw up, there was a ton of frozen foods, there were all nasty shit food and expensive as well, I could never eat that shit.
The only frozen food I buy are some Trader Joe's frozen pizzas and french fries.
I would never, ever buy food at Walmart. Everything looks so crappy and disgusting, their produce always looks horrible and their meat looks funky.
In the past year as far as frozen food goes, I've purchased exactly 1 box of frozen chicken sandwiches. $2.99 for 4 fried chicken sandwiches, so that particular one wasn't too bad price-wise. Wasn't very filling though, didn't make a purchase again.
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TheSheph
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Re: Poor People Make Excuses By Whining About Eating Healthy Food Being More Expensive, when It's Not [Re: Cosmic_Flame]
#23421697 - 07/07/16 09:58 PM (7 years, 6 months ago) |
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Your title and thesis statement don't match. My anecdotal evidence is that poor people don't complain about the cost of food because they don't pay for it. I agree that it is an educational issue and I truly appreciate you bringing this issue up, as it is immensely important and is not a subject the mass media will discuss. I think this issue is part of an octopus that has tentacles in healthcare costs, food stamps, education, poverty, health, well being, corporate subsidies and just insert more here, lol.
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Eminence



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Re: Poor People Make Excuses By Whining About Eating Healthy Food Being More Expensive, when It's Not [Re: Crystal G]
#23421701 - 07/07/16 10:00 PM (7 years, 6 months ago) |
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When people talk about eating healthy being more expensive I always kind of assumed they were talking about things like free range/organic/non GMO type foods. In that case I think it would be more expensive
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Crystal G



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Re: Poor People Make Excuses By Whining About Eating Healthy Food Being More Expensive, when It's Not [Re: Eminence]
#23421705 - 07/07/16 10:02 PM (7 years, 6 months ago) |
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Quote:
Eminence said: When people talk about eating healthy being more expensive I always kind of assumed they were talking about things like free range/organic/non GMO type foods. In that case I think it would be more expensive
No, I'm talking about how for example, people make excuses for the poor being obese for example, by stating that unhealthy foods are far cheaper than healthy foods. Which simply isn't true, as the guy in the video I posted above proves.
These are the same stupid people that then will cite McDonald's as an example, stating that a salad is $5.99 while a McChicken is $1.
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Konyap

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Re: Poor People Make Excuses By Whining About Eating Healthy Food Being More Expensive, when It's Not [Re: Crystal G]
#23421954 - 07/07/16 11:46 PM (7 years, 6 months ago) |
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english muffin and a bannana for breakfast or eggs with a bagel
for lunch I sadly still eat poultry still so I bake it before hand and put it in a wrap with cheese and a granola bar or I'll try to eat a hero
dinner is wtf you want because it's the end of the day
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Lucis
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Re: Poor People Make Excuses By Whining About Eating Healthy Food Being More Expensive, when It's Not [Re: Crystal G]
#23421959 - 07/07/16 11:48 PM (7 years, 6 months ago) |
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I totally agree that eating healthy doesn't cost more, it's a common misconception that it does.
Nice vid, will have to check this out fully.
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Eminence



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Re: Poor People Make Excuses By Whining About Eating Healthy Food Being More Expensive, when It's Not [Re: Crystal G]
#23421963 - 07/07/16 11:51 PM (7 years, 6 months ago) |
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Quote:
Crystal G said:
Quote:
Eminence said: When people talk about eating healthy being more expensive I always kind of assumed they were talking about things like free range/organic/non GMO type foods. In that case I think it would be more expensive
No, I'm talking about how for example, people make excuses for the poor being obese for example, by stating that unhealthy foods are far cheaper than healthy foods. Which simply isn't true, as the guy in the video I posted above proves.
These are the same stupid people that then will cite McDonald's as an example, stating that a salad is $5.99 while a McChicken is $1. 
Gotcha, yeah that doesn't make much sense. Especially after that story of the dude who lost a bunch of weight eating nothing but McDonalds for a month or so
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Tripsurfer
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Re: Poor People Make Excuses By Whining About Eating Healthy Food Being More Expensive, when It's Not [Re: Eminence]
#23423844 - 07/08/16 02:42 PM (7 years, 6 months ago) |
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Cheap ass carbs is not healthy food imo. Also he uses oil to cook (he did not buy that)
I am not watching all videos, they give me motion sickness. How much weight did he lose by the end of the week?
-------------------- Ach en wee ben ik de klos, met mijn boog schoot ik een albatros... A philosopher is a person who knows less and less about more and more, until he knows nothing about everything.

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Crystal G



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Re: Poor People Make Excuses By Whining About Eating Healthy Food Being More Expensive, when It's Not [Re: Tripsurfer]
#23423939 - 07/08/16 03:11 PM (7 years, 6 months ago) |
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Quote:
Tripsurfer said: Cheap ass carbs is not healthy food imo. Also he uses oil to cook (he did not buy that)
I am not watching all videos, they give me motion sickness. How much weight did he lose by the end of the week?
I bought a bag of quinoa in bulk online. $27 for 10lbs of tri-color quinoa. Lasted me well over 3 months, even eating it 3 times a week or more.
Buying that quinoa enabled me to skip a few meals a week without meat, instead eating more veggies like avocado and tomato, or using eggs instead to make stir fried quinoa, and maybe adding goat cheese every now and then. Thus not only saving me money by not eating meat with every meal, but also was much healthier for me by going vegan or vegetarian for 10% of my meals.
Most of the world's healthiest cuisines are like 90% carbs in each meal, why is that? I'd wager that a bowl of naeng-myeon or udon is healthier than steak and potatoes.
And fyi, sweet potatoes are 99 cents per lb. Good carbs for cheap.
Why would he lose weight? He's eating more than enough for somebody of his BMI. I swear, it's like people dont have any concept of portion control anymore.
And yeah, oil and salt and pepper wasn't included in his budget, since every kitchen has those. I usually only buy coconut oil, butter, or olive oil. These are more expensive, I'd say it costs an extra $20 on the food bill each month in oil.
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thelanzii

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Re: Poor People Make Excuses By Whining About Eating Healthy Food Being More Expensive, when It's Not [Re: Tripsurfer]
#23423947 - 07/08/16 03:14 PM (7 years, 6 months ago) |
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what people consider healthy is subjective
some people think eating a steak is a health food and white rice is the devil
the china study found what was called the "diseases of affluence" the poor people eating lots of rice and cheap vegetables and little bits of meat here and there were far healthier than the people able to consume the more expensive animal products
rice, beans, potatoes, frozen vegetables, are all very cheap options and they just happen to be found in some of the longest living cultures around the world
there is a stigma that veganism is expensive and only a diet rich people could afford which couldn't be further from the truth
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Crystal G



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Re: Poor People Make Excuses By Whining About Eating Healthy Food Being More Expensive, when It's Not [Re: thelanzii]
#23424011 - 07/08/16 03:32 PM (7 years, 6 months ago) |
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^^the same guy on YouTube I posted also has a series called "how to live like a vegan king on $50 a week."
I didn't post that one though, cause that video series was made by his brother who isn't nearly as entertaining and is a lot more boring than he is.
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fapjack
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Re: Poor People Make Excuses By Whining About Eating Healthy Food Being More Expensive, when It's Not [Re: Crystal G]
#23424015 - 07/08/16 03:33 PM (7 years, 6 months ago) |
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Eating healthy food that tastes good is more of a challenge when you are on a budget with a limited amount of time to prepare your food. Leaner beef, decent fish, USDA prime meats, lamb chops, duck, or really nice produce is all pretty expensive. If you know how to cook and actually research different meals you can make, it's not very hard to eat well on a limited budget. It isn't really hard to spend a fuck ton of money eating well either. I've done both, I'd rather eat better quality shit if I have the money.
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Crystal G



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Re: Poor People Make Excuses By Whining About Eating Healthy Food Being More Expensive, when It's Not [Re: fapjack]
#23424028 - 07/08/16 03:40 PM (7 years, 6 months ago) |
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Quote:
fapjack said: Eating healthy food that tastes good is more of a challenge when you are on a budget with a limited amount of time to prepare your food. Leaner beef, decent fish, USDA prime meats, lamb chops, duck, or really nice produce is all pretty expensive. If you know how to cook and actually research different meals you can make, it's not very hard to eat well on a limited budget. It isn't really hard to spend a fuck ton of money eating well either. I've done both, I'd rather eat better quality shit if I have the money.
Same, whenever I splurge it's for high quality seafood or ribs or oxtail from the butcher.
Though eating on a budget is not difficult either, really all you need are plenty of seasonings to make anything taste good.
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FerrisBueller
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Re: Poor People Make Excuses By Whining About Eating Healthy Food Being More Expensive, when It's Not [Re: Crystal G]
#23424053 - 07/08/16 03:47 PM (7 years, 6 months ago) |
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Fresh produce, rice, beans, water.
These are the most affordable food items I can think of. These are also the cleanest food items I can think of.
If its taste you want, use dry seasonings over sauces. Use sparingly and a bottle of, say, cajun spice will last a long ass time.
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