# Getting Nutrition On The Least Amount Of Money Possible **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 21, 2017, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-nutrition-on-the-least-amount-of-money-possible/804975 "2017-12-21T02:29:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![dauerbach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c2a13f/32.png) [@dauerbach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dauerbach)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2017, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-nutrition-on-the-least-amount-of-money-possible/804975/61 "2017-12-28T16:11:55Z")
Yes Costco is a great idea. But not necessarily to buy food. They are famous for a) Having lots of tasting stations and b) never saying anything to customers about how many samples they take. So, for $60 you can eat for otherwise free for the rest of your life. The never check the dates on the cards you flash to them, so while after a year you will no longer be able to buy anything you can still eat. Also, Costco lets anyone use their pharmacy so you could get in just by telling them you have a prescription, if the $60 is too much. ---
**Author:** ![Disheavel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@Disheavel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disheavel)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2017, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-nutrition-on-the-least-amount-of-money-possible/804975/62 "2017-12-28T17:14:06Z")
I am going to chime in with a source for additional lists- long distance hikers such as for the AT (appalachian trail) as well as for the PCT (pacific crest trail). Many of them do it on an extremely tight budget, shopping almost exclusively at WalMarts and their ilk, eating 5-6,000 calories per day, and maintaining incredible fitness and stamina. Poptarts are a sign of someone additiaonlly who doesn’t like to even cook their food and still live on such a diet. $5/day or at least well under $10 even on that calorie count is not impossible. One hiker recently ate exclusively from the McDonald’s dollar menu for 2 or 3 weeks that I saw. He purchased 60 chicken nuggets for one week and 60 hamburgers the next, both stayed fresh the entire week! Googling AT on a budget will get you started. AT is probably better guide as there is more food stops and options along the way so easier to be super cheap. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2017, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-nutrition-on-the-least-amount-of-money-possible/804975/63 "2017-12-28T17:45:15Z")
**Moderator Action** Now that this has spent a fair amount of time in GQ, let’s move it over to Cafe Society so our resident foodies can give their perspective. ---
**Author:** ![SamuelA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@SamuelA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SamuelA)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2017, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-nutrition-on-the-least-amount-of-money-possible/804975/64 "2017-12-28T17:59:48Z")
> [@Disheavel](#): > > He purchased 60 chicken nuggets for one week and 60 hamburgers the next, both stayed fresh the entire week! How do you fit 60 hamburgers into your backpack? Also, those macdonald’s dollar menu hamburgers are kind of gross when they are fresh, after it’s been a week and the thing has been stuffed into a bag…eww… ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2017, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-nutrition-on-the-least-amount-of-money-possible/804975/65 "2017-12-28T18:21:22Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > **Moderator Action** > > Now that this has spent a fair amount of time in GQ, let’s move it over to Cafe Society so our resident foodies can give their perspective. That took a whole lot longer than I’d expect. ---
**Author:** ![dauerbach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c2a13f/32.png) [@dauerbach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dauerbach)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2017, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-nutrition-on-the-least-amount-of-money-possible/804975/66 "2017-12-28T18:45:57Z")
Yes Costco is a great idea. But not necessarily to buy food. They are famous for a) Having lots of tasting stations and b) never saying anything to customers about how many samples they take. So, for $60 you can eat for otherwise free for the rest of your life. The never check the dates on the cards you flash to them, so while after a year you will no longer be able to buy anything you can still eat. Also, Costco lets anyone use their pharmacy so you could get in just by telling them you have a prescription, if the $60 is too much. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2017, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-nutrition-on-the-least-amount-of-money-possible/804975/67 "2017-12-28T22:07:28Z")
> [@chacoguy](#): > > You can live on potatoes alone, you’ll want to add some fat, like butter. As somebody with Chaco in their name, you could have made a much more unappealing recommendation. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2017, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-nutrition-on-the-least-amount-of-money-possible/804975/68 "2017-12-29T00:13:40Z")
> [@standingwave](#): > > Discount grocery stores can be a big help. WinCo Foods (a western chain of employee owned warehouse style supermarket) can help in keep food costs down. > > But before I go to WinCo, I check out [Grocery Outlet](https://youtu.be/iCL9XW7bZ7Q) (we affectionately call “Gross Out”), another discount supermarket that offers overstocked and closeout items in addition to their usual discounted fare. But since I can’t count on their stocking the same items week to week, I visit them first. > > Bulk foods are a huge budget saver. WinCo has a bulk food corner where I can buy all kinds of rice, pasta, beans (including lentils), cereal, oatmeal, etc. for a fraction of what their packaged versions cost. > > Chicken and pork are the inexpensive meats but as already noted, not necessary for a healthy diet. Rice and beans together from complete proteins and they’re like $0.50 per pound in bulk. Vegetables and fruits: whatever seems reasonable. I like celery and it’s always incredibly cheap. I cut it up and add it to stir fries and rice dishes for the texture plus peanut butter on a celery stick is a comfort food from when I was a child. > > Then I throw stuff at my [rice cooker ala Roger Ebert](https://www.rogerebert.com/rogers-journal/the-pot-and-how-to-use-it) and voilà, it’s always good. On the bulk foods, Ya gotta check and compare those prices. Not very often, but once in a while, the price for the bulk is the same and once even higher than the packaged foods. ---
**Author:** ![JustinC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justinc/32/8083_2.png) [@JustinC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustinC)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2017, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-nutrition-on-the-least-amount-of-money-possible/804975/69 "2017-12-29T05:35:58Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > (I’ve spent the previous two nights Skyping with a guy in China in order to possibly get some contracts tutoring English to Chinese students). _edited_ You generally build up a clientele of English students through word of mouth, either adults speaking to each other or the parents of kids. To start with you’ll probably be better off giving discounts for the first few lessons, if they return try to get your students to buy a batch - if they pay for each lesson individually they’re more likely to skip lessons, meaning that hour you’ve reserved for them is wasted and also they lose momentum. As to the teaching, it can take many forms. Some students will need specific help with grammar or essay writing, others will just want to chat, some will only be there because of peer or parental pressure. Finding out how they’ll benefit should be your primary concern and give the first few hours to drilling down into what their needs are and how they feel most comfortable, speaking to you over Skype. Don’t be offended or hurt if more than 50% don’t choose to have a second lesson, many students are fickle and lazy, looking for that ‘magical’ teacher where the student doesn’t have to try at all, and can absorb the knowledge through osmosis. You’ll find teaching the long-termers much more rewarding anyway. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2017, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-nutrition-on-the-least-amount-of-money-possible/804975/70 "2017-12-29T20:57:58Z")
A [previous go](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=711448) at the challenge to eat a diet nutritionally adequate for the least money possible, bonus for taste and interest. Yes the go-to is the brown rice/greens (frozen in bulk or fresh on sale, maybe some on sale squash too)/beans (dry) combo with peanut butter a very cost effective staple in the mix and canned tuna a reasonably priced protein variety, chicken bought frozen bulk not too far behind. Surprising the variety that can be made around those backbones. Spices are likely already a fixed cost in the pantry. Potatoes only complete if also with a fair amount of milk and some source of molybdenum like oatmeal. The milk needed makes it less cost-effective. But good as part of a value priced mix. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2017, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-nutrition-on-the-least-amount-of-money-possible/804975/71 "2017-12-30T07:16:06Z")
A couple of links below for old discussions about this. My first recommendation: Get a year’s supply of cheap vitamins and take one every day. The “expensive pee” folks will be in to whinge about this idea, but it really does take the stress out of trying to eat on a budget. Then you can then concentrate on getting your carbs, protein, fiber, and the occasional nice flavor; it’s a lot less to worry about. Best source of breakfast is eggs and oatmeal. They are quick and nutritious and cheap. I find that I feel more satisfied all day if I pack on the protein first thing in the morning, so I never use cereal unless I can afford Kashi. I’ll copy below some old advice about rice and lentils. Lentils are incredibly nutritious, and a great basic canvas for almost any other flavor. I buy them in bulk at Wegman’s, much cheaper than packaged. If you live where there’s a feed store, a bag of rolled oats from there will be vanishingly cheap, and give you breakfast for 6-12 months. Just take a second to rinse and pick through for gravel before you cook 'em. The same with a bag of rice, the best prices are usually at the asian markets. Get the 20 pound bag. Do you have a window you can put a pot under? If so, slice the roots off every onion, celery, or garlic, and the tops off every carrot, and plant them. Within a few months you’ll be able to pick a bit off whenever you need it. Plant some basil seeds and dill or whatever herbs you like. The fresh herbs will work wonders on the otherwise boring food, and you get a year’s supply for 75 cents worth of seeds. (I personally love lemon oregano.) The dollar store has all the basic dried herbs and spices you’ll need, in larger bottles than the expensive ones at the grocery store. Crock pots are crazy cheap at the second-hand stores, grab one; don’t pay more than $5. Keep a big ziplock bag in the freezer for broth bits. Anytime you trim ends or leaves off of veg, or peel an onion, or trim the fat off of some meat, put it all in the bag. When you have a chicken carcass or other bones, roast it all a bit with the bones and then throw it in the stock pot. Have a second bag for juice from canned tomatoes, or beans, or from boiling veg for dinner. Keep it all and then reduce it with your stock for extra flavor and nutrition. If you have a big freezer, use it! Buy three turkeys now while they’re on sale after the holidays. Watch for chickens to go on sale and stock up through the year. Always re-roast the carcass and make soup with it once you’ve picked it clean. Watch for sales on pasta. Periodically you’ll be able to get it for 50 cents a pound or less. Stock up. Some old links and a post of mine copied out from back then: > **[Vegans: Easy Recipes/Tips for a Newb](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=625272)** > > For health reasons, I have decided to transition to a vegan diet. For now I have committed to eating this way at home and not worrying so much about dinners out (which are rare anyway.) I’ve been going at this a few weeks, and overall I feel pretty... > **[Cheapest diet that satisfies nutritional requirements](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=785705)** > > I am an adult male in his 30’s. I have no dietary restrictions. Any amount of food preparation is ok. A freezer and refrigerator is available. Variety is not necessary. On any given day what amount of the cheapest food do I have to eat to... [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/...d.php?t=451559](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/...d.php?t=451559) > [@](#): > > Quote: > > > [@](#): > > > > **Originally Posted by Shannon** > > Could you please share a few more specifics on the rice and lentil base in the crockpot? Do you just cover with water and the liquid you’ve chosen? I’m very interested in this idea! > > > > Thank you! > > OK, well, the general idea is to make healthy eating more convenient. An absolute must for my life. This is not meant to be a meal in itself, just a way to get the most time-consuming part of making dinner out of the way on the weekend. So I end up with a carb-protein base that’s always ready for whatever I have to throw on top of it that day. > > Let’s start with the basics. Normally the lentils take longer to cook than the rice. I started with doing the lentils just covered with water for about an hour\* then put in Basmati rice + water. Cover and cook until just al dente. Keep in mind you’ll be re-heating this, so you don’t want it completely done, just right on the cusp. > > When I got sick of that I started messing around with it. > > - 1/3 each basmati, brown, and wild rice. (Add wild rice at the same time as the legumes) > > - Using garbanzos instead of lentils > > - Using a seven-bean mix (I didn’t like that, but others porobably will.) > > - replacing half the water with other flavorful liquids. Cheap riesling works well, most other white wines you’d have to use an expensive one. Port = purple rice = unappetizing. Apple cider = very yummy especially with _a_ drop of dark sesame oil. > > - adding aromatics like celery or onions. I don’t recommend fennel uness you are the type who eats black licorice daily. Keep in mind the idea is to eat it all week. Parsnips and rutabagas also work really well and add a sense of fullness. > > - freeze portion sized bits with a note as to which flavor mix you used. Personally I can eat the same thing every day and be fine with it, most people can’t. > > - Adding different spice and herbs and even curries. > > - Add barley or oat groats, or even a ten-grain cereal to the mix. > > Once you start playing with it there’s a million ways to change it around. Whatever flavors are your favorites, this base won’t argue with them. Have a taste for spaghetti and meatballs? Add oregano, roll it up into balls and fry them in peanut oil. Pour on marinara sauce. Mmmmmmm Yummy! Feeling sick? Add a touch of cardamom and warm in a saucepan with vanilla soymilk. > > The possibilities are endless. And mostly healthy. > > \*I hate the texture of legumes, so cook the heck out of them - you’ll get more nutrition if you don’t have this hang-up ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2017, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-nutrition-on-the-least-amount-of-money-possible/804975/72 "2017-12-30T11:52:33Z")
I’m really, _really_ sensitive to most legumes. If they’re mashed into a paste like peanut butter I can tolerate them, but even a few tablespoons of peanut butter (more than you’d need for one PB&J) or refried beans will have me on the toilet for a few hours later on. (And it’s much worse if I eat the beans whole. I _love_ baked beans but…ahem…they do NOT love me. 😃 ) So–is there any alternative to legumes+rice=whole protein? (Note: this is purely hypothetical and a question I keep meaning to ask but keep forgetting to.) ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2017, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-nutrition-on-the-least-amount-of-money-possible/804975/73 "2017-12-30T14:30:36Z")
Dairy has protein. Eggs have protein. You can get inexpensive cuts of meat, sausage can be cheap (although fatty - but if you’re mainly eating grain and veg otherwise it won’t be such a problem). Purchase cheaper cuts on sale. How do you feel about tofu? ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2018, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-nutrition-on-the-least-amount-of-money-possible/804975/74 "2018-01-04T22:16:06Z")
> [@YamatoTwinkie](#): > > In the interests of fighting ignorance, “Alkaline” based diets are generally assumed to be [complete](https://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/DSH/coral2.html) [nonsense](http://www.aicr.org/patients-survivors/healthy-or-harmful/alkaline-diets.html) by the medical community. While the general food recommendations (eat more leafy greens & whole grains, and less refined flours, starches, alcohol, and cheeses) are sound enough, but the purported mechanism by which they work (modifying blood pH by eating certain foods) seems to lack even a basic understanding of biology. > [@Surreal](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > [http://jn.nutrition.org/content/138/2/413S.full.pdf+html?sid=bcdf7e2f-e9c4-4a74-8bda-a8ad51413c86](http://jn.nutrition.org/content/138/2/413S.full.pdf+html?sid=bcdf7e2f-e9c4-4a74-8bda-a8ad51413c86) > > Abstract > The role of nutrition in human acid-base homeostasis has gained increasing attention in recent years. Although in healthy > humans, homeostatic mechanisms and the kidneys’ capacity to excrete acid equivalents can prevent strong diet-induced > alterations in blood pH, even moderate increases in blood hydrogen ion levels as a result of unfavorable diet composition can > have long-term consequences for the occurrence and progression of a number of diseases. The Second International AcidBase > Symposium, Nutrition–Health–Disease, provided deeper insight and updates in the scientific basis of the relation > among diet, acid-base homeostasis, physiology, and pathophysiological consequences. J. Nutr. 138: 413S–414S, 2008 I Googled “The Second International AcidBase Symposium” and I got exactly one hit. It was a for a review article by Peter Melamed and Felix Melamed. So then I Googled Felix Melamed: > [@](#): > > He took further training in acupuncture, herbal medicine, and internal detoxification at universities in Saint Petersburg, Moscow, Perm, and Odessa. He was granted a license to practice acupuncture in Russia in 1978, and from that time he combined conventional Western medical treatment with herbs, acupuncture, and other non-drug healing therapies. > > In 1975, Peter Melamed established Biotherapy in Russia as a natural holistic approach to healing. Biotherapy combines the wisdom of traditional Russian folk medicine, ancient Oriental medical therapies, and European and American naturopathy with cutting-edge Western technology. > **[About us - Biotherapy](https://www.biotherapy-clinic.com/about.html)** > > Peter Melamed, Lic.Ac., RN, Ph.D., received his medical education first as a registered nurse and was then trained as a medical doctor in Russia. Subsequently Something tells me that YamatoTwinkie’s links are at least a tad more reliable. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2018, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-nutrition-on-the-least-amount-of-money-possible/804975/75 "2018-01-04T23:24:29Z")
> [@Fenris](#): > > I’m really, _really_ sensitive to most legumes. If they’re mashed into a paste like peanut butter I can tolerate them, but even a few tablespoons of peanut butter (more than you’d need for one PB&J) or refried beans will have me on the toilet for a few hours later on. (And it’s much worse if I eat the beans whole. I _love_ baked beans but…ahem…they do NOT love me. 😃 ) > > So–is there any alternative to legumes+rice=whole protein? (Note: this is purely hypothetical and a question I keep meaning to ask but keep forgetting to.) Have you tried Beano? It contains an enzyme that breaks down some of those indigestible sugars that give you the bowel shimmies. And the gas. Or ask your pharmacist for some of the alternate products that do the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2018, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-nutrition-on-the-least-amount-of-money-possible/804975/76 "2018-01-05T00:58:10Z")
Why would he want an alternative product to give him the bowel shimmies? It sounds like beans already work just fine. 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-nutrition-on-the-least-amount-of-money-possible/804975.md?page=3)