What groceries are fine to buy as cheap as possible without it being unhealthy? (Cw: possible talk of animal harm) (hexbear.net)

submitted 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) by Lussy@hexbear.net to c/chapotraphouse@hexbear.net

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Like, I know most chicken is grown in the most unsanitary conditions possible and it can’t possibly be healthy to buy the standard stuff at the grocery store (or is it?).

What about fruits and veggies? Can I just buy that stuff at the cheapest store without it causing more cancer than the higher priced options?

Trying to find the perfect combination of cheap, nutritious, and bereft of microplastics.

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[-] DickFuckarelli@hexbear.net 25 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

This is the most correct answer.

I cook seven nights a week and prepare basic simple food. My diet is 75% vegetarian/vegan (I eat meat infrequently; usually for weekend cookouts and/or big events). I do not eat out often. I'm middle aged. I'm at regular weight and work out periodically.

At my last physical my doctor said if everyone's numbers were like mine hospitals would go out of business.

Best bang for your buck is lentils or dried beans. Salads are also a go-to and economically feasible if you buy ingredients and prepare yourself. Chicken thigh is the most versatile cut, with pork shoulder being a distant second. Both are economical. Beyond burgers are my favorite meat replacement but are pricey.

[-] Lussy@hexbear.net 12 points 2 days ago

How are chicken thighs so cheap when they’re so good?

‘Yeah, yeah, i know other cuts have highwr demand from producers

[-] DickFuckarelli@hexbear.net 17 points 2 days ago

Because white suburbanites have it in their heads that flacid cuts with zero fat content are superior. Same goes for filet mignon. Shit's overrated.

[-] Lussy@hexbear.net 10 points 2 days ago

they eat garbage the rest of the time so they have to eat the driest chicken breast possible to make themselves feel better

[-] Damarcusart@hexbear.net 8 points 2 days ago

They've caught on that thighs are way tastier in my part of the world, so now the thighs are like 25%-50% more expensive than other cuts. sadness

[-] Omegamint@hexbear.net 6 points 2 days ago

I have no idea. Thigh is almost universally preferable/easy to work with but it's sold as the cheapest cut.

I feel blessed to have a grocery chain nearby with the most dirt cheap produce (and often sub-dollar/lb chicken leg quarters if I'm actually eating meat). That's been the biggest game changer for me, having basically catalogued all the cheap sellers of produce in my city and keeping track of what's on sale/in season.

I'm also a firm believer in having some sort of simple frozen meals on hand (healthy or not), because anything is better than the temptation to get food out, especially since a lot of that food isn't going to be healthy anyways.