YAObesityT: Why Do People Keep Saying Bad Food Is Cheaper?

[bignateyk]

Originally posted by: skace
I'd still like to see someone compete with the $1.40 meal I pasted up above that was 14 complete ounces of instant mac and cheese. I know Eezee said he could compete with Ramen, but I'd love to see his numbers. There used to be deals at my supermarket for ramen at 10 cents a package, but even going based on netgrocer's 35 cents a pack number, I'd like to see that one worked out. Of course, when you try to compete with ramen, you have to compete using actual healthy whole wheat noodles and some sort of seasoning that is going to compare flavor wise. Granted, I wouldn't expect the flavor to be identical without a million mg of salt.

The prices up above are non-coupon based, but most poor people would be going based on coupons and most of these unhealthy items are very often found in the coupon section. Which is another added point.

You could soak a piece of card-board and eat it, and it would be just as filling and nutritious as instant mac and cheese or ramen noodles. I bet you could find that for free.

 

[nonameo]

Package of brown rice.

Quarter chicken.

Boil chicken. De-bone. Be sure to reserve broth.

Cook rice in broth.

Mix together, add salt and pepper.

quick and easy chicken and rice. If you have a pressure cooker, it's even faster.

edit: you could pretty much do the same thing for chicken and rice soup, but use less rice and add carrots and celery.

 

[HammerCurl]

Originally posted by: torpid

Originally posted by: HammerCurl
They sell some cheap candy at dollar general and wal-mart. Even the name brand stuff, 1lb of kit kat for a dollar as the last I saw. But its pretty hard to get direct comparisons with food. How about cooking oils -the stuff with hydrogenated oils lasts long and add trans fat verus an astronomical difference in cost for olive oil.

Also, drumsticks on sale are generally cheaper than $2.00 boneless skinless chicken breast.

I bought a huge tub of oatmeal for about $3 that will last a lot longer than 3 lbs of candy.

If you are deep frying everything, olive oil is not going to be much help anyway. What are you doing that you use up so much vegetable oil exactly? I go through a bottle every few months at most. That's a pretty insubstantial difference in cost per week.

Drumsticks have less meat than boneless skinless chicken breasts. Why wouldn't they cost less? Try measuring the actual amount of edible flesh present and calculating the "cost of flesh per pound" I find it hard to believe that you can get as much chicken out of a bunch of drumsticks than a bag of frozen breasts for $7.

I'll agree with you with the chicken to some to some extent. But if you go to a similar food by food comparison(not oatmeal to candy- try fruit or something else like that) its more expensive. The healthier foods of the same exact product line in a supermarket are more expensive. Leaner cuts of meat are more expensive. All the organic crap is more expensive. Not everyone wants to eat totally bare essential food all the time, but eating with variety is going to be more expensive depending on how healthy you want to go. Better quality food is more expensive, and better quality is generally healthier. I'd say its more expensive on a whole to eat healthier, but shouldnt be an excuse because its not THAT much more expensive.

 

[bonkers325]

fast food tastes good and is much quicker than preparing your own meals.

healthy food can taste as good as fast food, but you have to spend $ on ingredients like oils w/ unsaturated fats, herbs, spices and time to cook said meals

 

[nonameo]

Originally posted by: bonkers325
fast food tastes good and is much quicker than preparing your own meals.

healthy food can taste as good as fast food, but you have to spend $ on ingredients like oils w/ unsaturated fats, herbs, spices and time to cook said meals

Fast food is only quicker if you only cook enough for one. let's say it takes 15 minutes to go pick up a burger.

Do this 5 times. That's 1hr and 15 minutes. I know I could cook enough to feed me five times in that amount of time, and probably for less money, too. People eat fast food because it's convenient and not necessarily for the speed(though the speed is a part of convenience).

 

[mav451]

The main thing going against cooking is the damn clean-up. I hate it.

Gathering the pots/pans/ingredients - fun.
Cleaning, washing, etc. after you eat? - sigh.

And if you consider time is money...yeah. TBH, I cooked more in college than after. Main reason was dollar cost - not time cost. It took a while to cook and clean, but remember I wasn't making much in school at the same time. Hell, I probably ate better - frozen veggies + chicken. Frozen veggies + bulgogi. Corn + frozen veggies + (insert random meat). Kinda crap...but oh well worked for me haha.

Now that I'm out of college, I value time alot more since I have so little now. Money's great, but when you have 8-5 instantly gone from 5 days a week? Fack. I think anyone who just got out of college would understand where I'm coming from.

 

[Special K]

Originally posted by: MrChad
You're comparing apples and oranges: home prepared food vs. restaurant prepared food.

If you look at what it costs to buy x number of calories, "junk" food is usually cheaper than fruits and vegetables.

http://www.mymoneyblog.com/arc...nomics-of-obesity.html

This is essentially what I was going to post. Healthy food is more expensive than unhealthy food in terms of calories/$.

Then again, I eat what I know I *need* to eat, in terms of calories, whereas a lot of people eat until they *feel* full, however many calories that may happen to add up to. In that respect, I can see how my price analysis may not hold for everyone because some foods are clearly more filling than others. If you eat based on feeling, then those foods can have a measurable effect on how much you spend.

 

[skace]

Originally posted by: torpid
Brown rice is cheaper than mac and cheese. It's usually $1 per lb or less. 1 lb is a lot of rice - about 10 cups of cooked rice (or 80 ounces for the lazy).

People can eat mac and cheese as a "complete meal", I've never seen anyone eat JUST brown rice. So what exactly are you cooking with this brown rice?

I personally can't stomach brown rice at all on it's own.

 

[skace]

Originally posted by: bignateyk
You could soak a piece of card-board and eat it, and it would be just as filling and nutritious as instant mac and cheese or ramen noodles. I bet you could find that for free.

Your sarcasm or bad sense of humor is noted, but you might want to give it a serious approach. A family can't live off soaked cardboard, they can live off mac and cheese. It may not be good for them, but we are discussing obesity here.

 

[HammerCurl]

Originally posted by: skace

Originally posted by: torpid
Brown rice is cheaper than mac and cheese. It's usually $1 per lb or less. 1 lb is a lot of rice - about 10 cups of cooked rice (or 80 ounces for the lazy).

People can eat mac and cheese as a "complete meal", I've never seen anyone eat JUST brown rice. So what exactly are you cooking with this brown rice?

I personally can't stomach brown rice at all on it's own.

White rice is cheaper than brown anyway (and unhealthier).

 

[QueBert]

Originally posted by: skace

Originally posted by: torpid
Brown rice is cheaper than mac and cheese. It's usually $1 per lb or less. 1 lb is a lot of rice - about 10 cups of cooked rice (or 80 ounces for the lazy).

People can eat mac and cheese as a "complete meal", I've never seen anyone eat JUST brown rice. So what exactly are you cooking with this brown rice?

I personally can't stomach brown rice at all on it's own.

hehe I eat rice, with steak and cheese in it, mac & cheese is one of the best filler foods out there. When it's on sale I can make it for like 75 cents a box (milk + butter included) and I can get full off 1 box. You will find nothing as cheap that's as filling as mac & cheese.

I know my diet sucks balls, but I also know I save probably $150 a monthon my shopping by eating stuff like Mac & Cheese and things I like. I will pay for my diet in the long run but I enjoy every meal and the money I have left over from buying 88 cent loafs of bread over the 4 dollar ones. I can have more fun and buy more computer shit

 

[Eeezee]

Originally posted by: bignateyk

Originally posted by: Eeezee

Originally posted by: bignateyk

Originally posted by: QueBert

Originally posted by: bignateyk
Because fat people are lazy, and won't cook for themselves. Once you eliminate cooking for yourself, junk food is a pretty cheap alternative.

Plus they like to use any excuse possible to justify their obesity.

people who eat fast food a lot, will typically cook unhealthy food when they do cook so what does it matter? I own a deep fryer and have pretty much figured out how to deep fry everything from potatoes to hot pockets to burritos (chimmichanga) eating healthy costs too much and takes too much effort. I buy chicken, dip it in eggs, roll it in flower and deep fry it for 13 minutes BOOM dinner. with veggies I have to be careful to buy fresh ones, but not too fresh, I have to make sure I eat them before they spoil.

I'm not fat, but I eat like a fat person. Most fat people I know don't make any excuse they just go "fuck it I'm fat and I like to eat fried foods" But, it is a lot more work to cook healthy.

veggies don't fill me up, I could eat 5 full size salads and still be hungry. And when I do eat healthy I tend to get hungry again much quicker. I need meet and grease to really give me a full feeling. Of course I'm able to eat a 1 lb burger with fries like it was a 99 value meal so maybe I'm abnormal, but without the junk calories I seem to leave a meal feeling less than satisfied .


*runs off to fry some wings*

Cooking healthy is not any more expensive or difficult than cooking an unhealthy meal. Fat people just can't admit to it. It's as simple as using a different kind of oil, using a different cut/kind of meat, using a different kind of veggie that doesnt spoil as fast, using brown pasta/rice instead of white pasta/rice, using leafy greens instead of iceburg. Get rid of the potato chips and eat some carrots. There are plenty of fruits/veggies that stay fresh for a week or more. All it takes is buying a different subset of ingredients at the store.

If you wanna eat like shit and be fat, good for you, I just don't want to hear any excuses for being fat or bitching when they finally decide to increase health insurance premiums for fat people.

edit: I guess what i'm trying to say is: being fat is a choice. I don't want to hear any excuses or complaining when that choice inevitably leads to bad results.

Lean hamburger costs more than fatty hamburger. A BOX of Mac and Cheese costs less than an apple. There is no comparison.

I agree that being fat is a choice, just as spending more money on food is a choice. People are cheap.

I'm sure there are cases where junk food is cheaper than it's alternative. I think if you looked at the big picture, there really isn't a whole lot of difference though. Likewise, I have a pretty hard time believing that fat people buy the stuff because it's a few cents cheaper. I think it's more that they just want to eat the "tastier" food, and could care less that it isn't heathy. The price is just a convenient excuse. I think if you priced lean burger and fatty burger the same, the obese person would choose the fatty burger 9 times out of 10.

That's despite the fact that lean burger tastes just as good and doesn't take any longer to cook? If you priced lean hamburger to be cheaper than fatty hamburger, the lean hamburger will sell better. They are equally tasty (the meat itself tastes good, the extra bit of fat doesn't add much to the flavor - they both still have fat, and the fat still melts).

 

[skace]

Originally posted by: bignateyk
Fat doesn't fill you up. PROTEIN fills you up. Eating veggies isn't a substitute for eating protein. It's not like you have to make a choice between eating meat and eating fruit for dinner. Eat 1lb of baked chicken vs. 1lb of fried chicken wings. I guaruntee that they will fill you up the exact same amount. Now how about eating some brown rice with that chicken instead of white rice? Brown rice will fill you up more, and won't cause a huge insulin spike. Now toss some leafy greens on the side with a little olive oil as dressing. Thats called a COMPLETE meal, and could be prepared in less than 20 minutes.

Oh, and the reason soda fills you up is the carbonation. Drink some sugar free club soda and you will feel just as full. Sugar WILL NOT fill you up. In fact, it will make you hungrier as soon as your body releases an insulin spike. This is exactly the problem today. Noone has a fucking clue about basic nutrition.

You might want to rethink that post. You are abusing the phrase "fill you up". Technically, anything with substance can fill you up. It isn't the carbonation that makes you feel full, it is the liquid you just poured into your body. Of course fat fills you up, just like protein fills you up, just like carbs fill you up.

What I think you were trying to hint at, was how high GI items break down quickly in the body. In other words, while you CAN fill up on candy bars, they will break down extremely fast in the body, leaving you hungry much faster than you should be. The speed at which things break down is far more important than whether they "fill you up".

 

[skace]

Originally posted by: QueBert
hehe I eat rice, with steak and cheese in it, mac & cheese is one of the best filler foods out there. When it's on sale I can make it for like 75 cents a box (milk + butter included) and I can get full off 1 box. You will find nothing as cheap that's as filling as mac & cheese.

I know my diet sucks balls, but I also know I save probably $150 a monthon my shopping by eating stuff like Mac & Cheese and things I like. I will pay for my diet in the long run but I enjoy every meal and the money I have left over from buying 88 cent loafs of bread over the 4 dollar ones. I can have more fun and buy more computer shit

That's my point though, and people are trying to argue that it isn't true. Mac and cheese is one of the staple "poor foods" that leads to an ultimately horrible diet. It does taste good, it tastes fucking excellent, which makes it doubly bad. Kids love it, it's cheap for parents.

 

[torpid]

Originally posted by: HammerCurl

Originally posted by: skace

Originally posted by: torpid
Brown rice is cheaper than mac and cheese. It's usually $1 per lb or less. 1 lb is a lot of rice - about 10 cups of cooked rice (or 80 ounces for the lazy).

People can eat mac and cheese as a "complete meal", I've never seen anyone eat JUST brown rice. So what exactly are you cooking with this brown rice?

I personally can't stomach brown rice at all on it's own.

White rice is cheaper than brown anyway (and unhealthier).

But still healthier than mac and cheese. You can add a small amount of seasoning or nut oil to rice and it tastes quite good.

 

[QueBert]

Originally posted by: Eeezee

Originally posted by: bignateyk

Originally posted by: Eeezee

Originally posted by: bignateyk

Originally posted by: QueBert

Originally posted by: bignateyk
Because fat people are lazy, and won't cook for themselves. Once you eliminate cooking for yourself, junk food is a pretty cheap alternative.

Plus they like to use any excuse possible to justify their obesity.

people who eat fast food a lot, will typically cook unhealthy food when they do cook so what does it matter? I own a deep fryer and have pretty much figured out how to deep fry everything from potatoes to hot pockets to burritos (chimmichanga) eating healthy costs too much and takes too much effort. I buy chicken, dip it in eggs, roll it in flower and deep fry it for 13 minutes BOOM dinner. with veggies I have to be careful to buy fresh ones, but not too fresh, I have to make sure I eat them before they spoil.

I'm not fat, but I eat like a fat person. Most fat people I know don't make any excuse they just go "fuck it I'm fat and I like to eat fried foods" But, it is a lot more work to cook healthy.

veggies don't fill me up, I could eat 5 full size salads and still be hungry. And when I do eat healthy I tend to get hungry again much quicker. I need meet and grease to really give me a full feeling. Of course I'm able to eat a 1 lb burger with fries like it was a 99 value meal so maybe I'm abnormal, but without the junk calories I seem to leave a meal feeling less than satisfied .


*runs off to fry some wings*

Cooking healthy is not any more expensive or difficult than cooking an unhealthy meal. Fat people just can't admit to it. It's as simple as using a different kind of oil, using a different cut/kind of meat, using a different kind of veggie that doesnt spoil as fast, using brown pasta/rice instead of white pasta/rice, using leafy greens instead of iceburg. Get rid of the potato chips and eat some carrots. There are plenty of fruits/veggies that stay fresh for a week or more. All it takes is buying a different subset of ingredients at the store.

If you wanna eat like shit and be fat, good for you, I just don't want to hear any excuses for being fat or bitching when they finally decide to increase health insurance premiums for fat people.

edit: I guess what i'm trying to say is: being fat is a choice. I don't want to hear any excuses or complaining when that choice inevitably leads to bad results.

Lean hamburger costs more than fatty hamburger. A BOX of Mac and Cheese costs less than an apple. There is no comparison.

I agree that being fat is a choice, just as spending more money on food is a choice. People are cheap.

I'm sure there are cases where junk food is cheaper than it's alternative. I think if you looked at the big picture, there really isn't a whole lot of difference though. Likewise, I have a pretty hard time believing that fat people buy the stuff because it's a few cents cheaper. I think it's more that they just want to eat the "tastier" food, and could care less that it isn't heathy. The price is just a convenient excuse. I think if you priced lean burger and fatty burger the same, the obese person would choose the fatty burger 9 times out of 10.

That's despite the fact that lean burger tastes just as good and doesn't take any longer to cook? If you priced lean hamburger to be cheaper than fatty hamburger, the lean hamburger will sell better. They are equally tasty (the meat itself tastes good, the extra bit of fat doesn't add much to the flavor - they both still have fat, and the fat still melts).

what mis information, the extra fat is what gives it the flavor, lean meat doesn't make good burgers, even cooked properly they come out more tough and with less flavor. lean meat cost more because it cooks down less. if I buy 1 lb of 10% far beef and make 4 burgers and do the same thing with 1 lb or 18-20% fat, I will have a lot more food with the 10% meat, but it won't taste as good. People who don't care about fat content and like taste will go 20% all the time, you are out of your damn mind if you think there isn't a taste difference. And that's not just my opinion, 10% tastes nothing like 20% at all.

 

[Eeezee]

Originally posted by: skace
I'd still like to see someone compete with the $1.40 meal I pasted up above that was 14 complete ounces of instant mac and cheese. I know Eezee said he could compete with Ramen, but I'd love to see his numbers. There used to be deals at my supermarket for ramen at 10 cents a package, but even going based on netgrocer's 35 cents a pack number, I'd like to see that one worked out. Of course, when you try to compete with ramen, you have to compete using actual healthy whole wheat noodles and some sort of seasoning that is going to compare flavor wise. Granted, I wouldn't expect the flavor to be identical without a million mg of salt.

The prices up above are non-coupon based, but most poor people would be going based on coupons and most of these unhealthy items are very often found in the coupon section. Which is another added point.

Bowl of ramen at my supermarket is 50 cents for a cup of noodles.

Cheap box of noodles = $2, and you get noodles that are twice as long and you get probably 4x-5x as many noodles. That's a factor of 8-10x more noodle volume for only 4x the price.

The ramen noodles are actually worse for you than regular noodles (that starchy glue shit they use to hold the noodles together), so the cheap box is a fine comparison. The cheap box isn't much better for you, but it's better.

 

[Eeezee]

Originally posted by: torpid

Originally posted by: skace
I'd still like to see someone compete with the $1.40 meal I pasted up above that was 14 complete ounces of instant mac and cheese. I know Eezee said he could compete with Ramen, but I'd love to see his numbers. There used to be deals at my supermarket for ramen at 10 cents a package, but even going based on netgrocer's 35 cents a pack number, I'd like to see that one worked out. Of course, when you try to compete with ramen, you have to compete using actual healthy whole wheat noodles and some sort of seasoning that is going to favorable compare flavor wise. Granted, I wouldn't expect the flavor to be identical without a million mg of salt.

The prices up above are non-coupon based, but most poor people would be going based on coupons and most of these unhealthy items are very often found in the coupon section. Which is another added point.

Brown rice is cheaper than mac and cheese. It's usually $1 per lb or less. 1 lb is a lot of rice - about 10 cups of cooked rice (or 80 ounces for the lazy).

White rice is even cheaper than that. I can buy a 20lb bag of whtie rice for less than $10. That's less than 50 cents per pound compared to $1 per pound of brown rice.

 

[bignateyk]

Originally posted by: skace

Originally posted by: bignateyk
Fat doesn't fill you up. PROTEIN fills you up. Eating veggies isn't a substitute for eating protein. It's not like you have to make a choice between eating meat and eating fruit for dinner. Eat 1lb of baked chicken vs. 1lb of fried chicken wings. I guaruntee that they will fill you up the exact same amount. Now how about eating some brown rice with that chicken instead of white rice? Brown rice will fill you up more, and won't cause a huge insulin spike. Now toss some leafy greens on the side with a little olive oil as dressing. Thats called a COMPLETE meal, and could be prepared in less than 20 minutes.

Oh, and the reason soda fills you up is the carbonation. Drink some sugar free club soda and you will feel just as full. Sugar WILL NOT fill you up. In fact, it will make you hungrier as soon as your body releases an insulin spike. This is exactly the problem today. Noone has a fucking clue about basic nutrition.

You might want to rethink that post. You are abusing the phrase "fill you up". Technically, anything with substance can fill you up. It isn't the carbonation that makes you feel full, it is the liquid you just poured into your body. Of course fat fills you up, just like protein fills you up, just like carbs fill you up.

What I think you were trying to hint at, was how high GI items break down quickly in the body. In other words, while you CAN fill up on candy bars, they will break down extremely fast in the body, leaving you hungry much faster than you should be. The speed at which things break down is far more important than whether they "fill you up".

Actually, it IS the carbonation that makes you feel full while drinking soda and beer. When a carbonated drink (especially when cold) is consumed, it warms and releases gases, which put pressure on your stomach, thus making you feel full.

 

[OutHouse]

Originally posted by: v1001
Ok first of all the McChicken sandwich is not all that bad for you. And they use wheat bread not white bread. Not saying it's totally the best but it's probably one of the better things for you if you are going to eat at McDonald's at all.

I alway get the McChicken Sandwich (PLAIN) with a bottled water and small frys. It's really not a bad way to eat.

first off white bread and wheat bread are made from WHEAT.

second of all wheat bread is generally worse for you because it has molasses in it which gives it the dark color so it has more carbs and sugar than white.

 

[torpid]

Originally posted by: HammerCurl

Originally posted by: torpid

Originally posted by: HammerCurl
They sell some cheap candy at dollar general and wal-mart. Even the name brand stuff, 1lb of kit kat for a dollar as the last I saw. But its pretty hard to get direct comparisons with food. How about cooking oils -the stuff with hydrogenated oils lasts long and add trans fat verus an astronomical difference in cost for olive oil.

Also, drumsticks on sale are generally cheaper than $2.00 boneless skinless chicken breast.

I bought a huge tub of oatmeal for about $3 that will last a lot longer than 3 lbs of candy.

If you are deep frying everything, olive oil is not going to be much help anyway. What are you doing that you use up so much vegetable oil exactly? I go through a bottle every few months at most. That's a pretty insubstantial difference in cost per week.

Drumsticks have less meat than boneless skinless chicken breasts. Why wouldn't they cost less? Try measuring the actual amount of edible flesh present and calculating the "cost of flesh per pound" I find it hard to believe that you can get as much chicken out of a bunch of drumsticks than a bag of frozen breasts for $7.

I'll agree with you with the chicken to some to some extent. But if you go to a similar food by food comparison(not oatmeal to candy- try fruit or something else like that) its more expensive. The healthier foods of the same exact product line in a supermarket are more expensive. Leaner cuts of meat are more expensive. All the organic crap is more expensive. Not everyone wants to eat totally bare essential food all the time, but eating with variety is going to be more expensive depending on how healthy you want to go. Better quality food is more expensive, and better quality is generally healthier. I'd say its more expensive on a whole to eat healthier, but shouldnt be an excuse because its not THAT much more expensive.

OK, I agree with this. However, less healthy alternatives to junk food such as non-lean meat or white rice are still cheaper and healthier than junk food in most cases. I'd also be curious to see comparisons to fruit that isn't fresh to candy. A bag of frozen blueberries is pretty cheap. I'm sure canned fruits are even cheaper. Candy probably wins out in the end, but it can't be as big of a cost difference as candy versus fresh fruit.

 

[Eeezee]

Originally posted by: QueBert
what mis information, the extra fat is what gives it the flavor, lean meat doesn't make good burgers, even cooked properly they come out more tough and with less flavor. lean meat cost more because it cooks down less. if I buy 1 lb of 10% far beef and make 4 burgers and do the same thing with 1 lb or 18-20% fat, I will have a lot more food with the 10% meat, but it won't taste as good. People who don't care about fat content and like taste will go 20% all the time, you are out of your damn mind if you think there isn't a taste difference. And that's not just my opinion, 10% tastes nothing like 20% at all.

Obviously we just disagree on this point. I make better burgers out of lean meat than fatty meat (I only make them on the grill, never in a pan). I don't like the taste of the fattier burgers.

Edit: Buffalo wings are my favorite food (specifically from Wing Stop, the garlic parmesean is probably the worst thing you can eat but I just love it)

 

[bignateyk]

Originally posted by: Citrix

Originally posted by: v1001
Ok first of all the McChicken sandwich is not all that bad for you. And they use wheat bread not white bread. Not saying it's totally the best but it's probably one of the better things for you if you are going to eat at McDonald's at all.

I alway get the McChicken Sandwich (PLAIN) with a bottled water and small frys. It's really not a bad way to eat.

first off white bread and wheat bread are made from WHEAT.

second of all wheat bread is generally worse for you because it has molasses in it which gives it the dark color so it has more carbs and sugar than white.

That depends entirely on what kind of wheat bread. The "enriched" stuff isn't much better than white bread. Breads with whole grain in them are much healthier than white bread. White bread contains simple carbs. Wheat bread contains complex carbs. Complex carbs or not bad for you. Simple carbs are.

 

[Kaido]

I eat like a King...on a budget. When I have friends over and cook something nice like salmon, they say "oh that must be expensive"...in reality it's $2 per fillet vs. $8+ for a meal at McDonalds. So I'm eating really great food for 1/4 the cost of eating out. Plus everything else is dirt cheap - potatoes, rice, homemade bread, etc.

I've also started using more homemade techniques for doing good food quickly without going out to eat. I use RideFree's 11-cent loaf recipe almost daily for fresh wheat bread and my rice cooker for rice, which makes a great base or side for tons of dishes. I picked up an inexpensive deli slicer from Walmart for $30 and slice my own ham and turkey (plus bread etc.), so I get a lot more for my money. I freeze leftovers for lunches and quick meals when I need them.

The end result is that I have great meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, I'm saving a lot of money by only eating out 1-2 times a month instead of 1-2 times a week, and the food is healthier for me. Plus with modern appliances it only requires a small time investment on a daily basis...like to make RideFree's bread, it only takes about 2 minutes a night to dump the ingredients in the machine and press the Start button, then I wake up to a fresh loaf of bread! Add in a George Foreman grill ($20), a rice cooker (price varies), and a small veggie steamer ($20) and you've got a ready-made meal with 5 or 10 minutes of effort

 

[Special K]

Originally posted by: bignateyk

Originally posted by: Citrix

Originally posted by: v1001
Ok first of all the McChicken sandwich is not all that bad for you. And they use wheat bread not white bread. Not saying it's totally the best but it's probably one of the better things for you if you are going to eat at McDonald's at all.

I alway get the McChicken Sandwich (PLAIN) with a bottled water and small frys. It's really not a bad way to eat.

first off white bread and wheat bread are made from WHEAT.

second of all wheat bread is generally worse for you because it has molasses in it which gives it the dark color so it has more carbs and sugar than white.

That depends entirely on what kind of wheat bread. The "enriched" stuff isn't much better than white bread. Breads with whole grain in them are much healthier than white bread. White bread contains simple carbs. Wheat bread contains complex carbs. Complex carbs or not bad for you. Simple carbs are.

One easy way to tell how healthy the bread is is to look at the fiber content. True wheat bread should have 2-3g of fiber per slice. White or "enriched" wheat bread will not contain any fiber.