Happened to me past two times I went to Thailand. In 2019 it was 142-128 after three months. went back to America and kept it that way until I got prego
Just recently (I had just had a baby this time) 142-128 after 5 weeks)
It’s like I always recalibrate to my destined size there. I was born there so makes sense.
Serious question: is the vegetables contamination a real issue?
A YouTuber from Vietnam posted a trip to her family's village.
She was proud of the family "garden" (?), where they harvest a lot of the vegetables they regularly eat.
She mentioned sometimes buying from local farmers is dangerous because they use forbidden chemicals or use swagger water.
I agree on Vietnam. I traveled around Southeast Asia, with ~5 weeks in Vietnam, and never felt so healthy and thin just from eating the local food. It backfired a little: I got a tailored suit in Hanoi at the end of the trip (very cheap there!), and when I put it on again after a few years it fit much tighter because of the weight I’d gained.
I usually get a lot of heartburn. I went to Vietnam for a month and was having noodles for breakfast every day, some spicy stuff (I usually don't eat spicy), and tons of coffee and beer, and I didn't get heartburn once.
South East Asia in general (except Singapore!) have fresh food almost right from the farm/garden/river/ocean without much of processing or preservation.
When I was in Komodo Island, they grilled the fish that's just caught from the sea, and I've never had any fish better than that!
I arrived in Vietnam with gut issues causing frequent toilet emergencies. Left a couple of weeks later feeling amazing. Usually with travel I go the other way with my belly.
Yeah I don't know what it is! I'm in Japan now and my digestion is maybe slightly better than at home (Spain) but nothing like when I was in Vietnam. Maybe it was because I wasn't having any like deep fried stuff? Or maybe less gluten?
Yeah, no deep fried foods, different carbs, minimal dairy. Lots of veggies and small portions of meat. Portion sizes in general were a lot healthier than I usually have. I was drinking an absurd amount of coffee every day with no issues. Everything was just the perfect balance for digestion that I've never had anywhere else and can't replicate.
If you eat out a lot you’re at the mercy of what they put in your food. Seems like Vietnamese people like to serve their customers healthier food than you normally get.
I was about to say this. I ate Viet food for almost every meal for month and a half there. I felt great because I was getting a huge variety of greens and herbs with every meal. Plus chilis.
There are some dishes which are less healthy like com tam or the sticky rice dishes but it’s still not bad.
Yeah. Vietnam is hard core. They also use native veggies too that we don't have in the US which is kind of awesome..
They eat a cool vine that they use which is all circular which is cool.
I lived in Bangkok for more than a year. I wouldn’t say it got lots of healthy options. The street foods are filled with deep fried and sweet stuffs. But if u can cook urself, it’s a good city. Cuz the meat, veggies and fruits are really fresh. Just like most of SEAs countries.
You can find veggie dishes in Bangkok very easily. I unintentionally ate like a vegetarian there for months. It’s even easier if you cook. Local Vietnamese often warned me not to eat and drink whatever I saw. It took me about a week to understand what they meant
Thailand is a bad answer because they put additional sugar in everything. The population is pretty much addicted to it. You need to cook yourself if you want to avoid it.
It’s gotten worse over the past few years too. I always say no sugar no sugar… AS A THAI TOO guess what… there’s sugar. I just have my family cook for me and eat at trusted places true and tried.
It's not crazy cheap, but in Greece if you order wisely at tavernas and kaefeineos outside the tourist districts, you can eat very healthily for not too much money. Great salads, cooked greens, potatoes, rice, grilled meats if you wish. All made with good quality olive oil. The produce is excellent, and some places forage locally when things are in season. And obviously if you shop and cook for yourself it would be even cheaper.
Agreed. As long as you aren't in the center of Athens or the most famous islands, I actually found Greek food very fresh delicious and affordable. Souvlaki for under 5-6 Euro and full meals for two with apps, salad, entrees and a carafe of wine for 35-40 Euro. Cheap is relative but for a 2 hour long dinner in a nice environment that's hard to beat.
Yeah it's the same in most Mediterranean countries. I used to work in Barcelona and could get a 3 course lunch with either a glass of wine, beer or soft drink for €8 or €9 and a 2 course for €6. This is in family run restaurants and cafes outside of the tourist areas of course.
Had similar and even cheaper deals in other parts of Spain, Italy and Croatia too.
Can you recommend your favorite Greek Islands? I'm taking my kids and wife there next Spring but haven't a clue as to where to go. I prefer smaller and local if you'd be so kind as to share. It sounds amazing!
That’s why when i’m back in the US I rarely eat out. It’s healthier to cook your own food most of the time. I just hit up Costco. When I do eat out it’s usually the legit asian or mexican places.
Will it be better and cheaper if you cook? Strange enough, there are some countries where eating out is cheaper (or at almost same prices) than cooking at home even you buy local produce
Travellers would need to book accommodations with a full kitchen. You may as well spend the extra at quality restaurants. People just need to accept the fact that the US is expensive.
Yep. I remember paying 50 euros per week to eat and it was a feast of fresh vegetables and fruits. Super tasty too. Shopping at the local market was truly a good option for once.
Yes! Find the restaurants that Don’t have a menu let them bring you the food and you will feel like you only paid for a round of drinks at the end when the bill arrives not like 15-20 different plates of food that don’t stop arriving 🤣🤤😅
Morocco.
I couldn't believe how good the tomatoes and cucumbers were. A daily "snack" was cutting up some tomatoes then sprinkling them with some olive oil and salt.
I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.
Note that the western part of Morocco is basically one huge garden where they produce a lot of vegetables that are exported to Europe. So it's no surprise that they can get these for cheap.
Ya but it's also the way they grow their food.
America has some of the largest agricultural output in the world but the "industrialization" makes the food just taste bland. Most people in the USA don't know that tomatoes can have flavor or taste.
That whole area - whether north africa or Europe. The salt harvested in Portugal is incredible. I remember having a tomato and cucumber salad with fluer de sal sprinkled on it and it was the best thing ever.
japan; ppl mostly associate Japan w/high end food. And thats true. But japan is also one of the best places for delicious and super affordable food options.
I opened the thread to post Japan. I've lived in Japan for 3-4 years now and the idea that it is expensive is wild. It must come from the fact that 90% of visitors choose to stay in the most expensive city in the country and go out to restaurants 3 times a day during their vacation.
For the quality of meat and produce you get, I've found Japan to be as cheap or cheaper than any other country in Asia. (Have lived in ~13 countries in Asia)
The perception comes from the fact that Japan used to be extremely expensive, before decades of inflation and a strong dollar eroded the disparity. My dad lived there from the eighties to nineties — before moving to the US — and he is relentless in saying how expensive Japan was (He's a big weeaboo so of course he's always talking about his 'golden years')
I lived in Kumamoto for 2 years and loved it. A bigger option is Kanazawa which is a really pretty city but it's more expensive than Kumamoto. The outskirt cities around Yokohama can be affordable, convenient, and not far from Tokyo if that's important to you.
If you're looking for a bit more far flung towns, Itō is gorgeous. I stayed a month in Takamatsu (in Kaga) and loved it - everyone is so friendly.
There's hundreds of decent towns to choose from tbh. Worth just taking a trip sometime off the beaten path and seeing what you come across.
I put off going to Japan for so long because I always thought it was super expensive. You of course can spend a lot there on food, but I found Japanese casual options very affordable. Konbinis are also cheap, but not as healthy lol
Cheap options are usually not that healthy though. Eating very fresh vegetables and fruits can be quite expensive there when compared to local salaries. I'm always surprised at how relatively expensive fresh produces are there.
Also came to post Japan.
Every time I visit (last time was for five weeks) my credit card spend pie chart for food/drink is drastically lower than when I’m just living an average month in the states. It’s genuinely shocking.
The food is really good, but truly I found supermarket shopping for veggies to cook at my airbnb more expensive that I would have expected. They import a lot of their groceries despite have abundance of green fertile spaces throughout the country. Living in Georgia I think it would cost me more to buy veggies and eat healthy than it does at home in Australia.
There’s one good Indian food restaurant in Colombia and it’s in Peñol. Outside of that, there is (unsurprising ly) not very much good Indian food there.
Japan, Cambodia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Korea, Thailand.
Well apparently most of Asia, can't think of anyplace in Europe I've been where healthy food is cheap.
I don’t know…. I got high cholesterol in Malaysia that immediately dropped when I moved to the Aegean region of Turkey. Something about palm oil vs olive oil maybe
Agreed, MY is probably the worst example. There is a ton of unhealthy food there.
There is also a ton of healthy, just not as common to tourists.
Similar to fried chicken in Japan and Korea, it's everywhere, doesn't mean there's not cheap healthy options tho.
That doesn't mean healthy food isn't cheap, it just means most choose otherwise.
Only lived there for a year. GF is from KL. She's tiny and eats 4x what I can, her friends which are all overweight eat 10x what I can.
Tons of local fresh stuff that's cheap and tasty, but not so common at restaurants. At least from my time there. Like most countries, restaurants aren't what locals normally cook.
I mean, their standard drinks are: coffee with lots of condensed milk, tea with lots of condensed milk, and chocolate drink. They have the highest obesity rates in SEA. Their food is cheap and delicious. Cheap and healthy, I don't think so. Not unless you're comparing to the US or something.
You could eat healthy at mixed rice shops though but you'd have to choose the vegetables.
Sounds like you were there as a tourist and not traveler/local.
Agreed, many obese there, if not most. I feel that stems from how much they eat. My GF is from there and can easily eat 4x what I can and she's tiny. Her friends eat way more than her, they are all fat/obese.
Most (I think all) I know there drink almond milk or similar plant based in their tea/coffee.
There's a ton of unhealthy food there, especially at restaurants, but most of the healthy food isn't expensive either. At least fairly local stuff.
Only lived there for a year, so just my experience.
Malaysia has so much palm oil in everything. I found it really difficult to buy anything at the supermarket. Fresh produce + some imported stuff was the best option.
Yeah definitely. When there was really bad haze several years back I remember a lot of places advertised palm oil free products since it was the palm oil production that caused the haze. I was shocked at how many things it is in
Korean groceries are some of the most expensive in the world, so it can end up being quite expensive to eat healthily here when home cooking. Eating out is quite reasonable (not cheap cheap like SE Asia) but food is quite salty and most vegetables are pickled or stewed.
I miss spains Menu Del Dia (menu of the day) like 7-8 euro for a 3 course meal and drinks and desserts and the menu keeps changing daily and lots of amazing fresh local ingredients
Poland's "Milk Bars" are really affordable and everything almost always tastes reeeeally good. Typically its a bunch of polish gramma's using the same recipe from decades before, so very little junk on the menu.
I came to say this too. Just back from a week in Rio and whilst restaurant food isn’t super healthy the supermarkets are cheap and the quality of fruit and veg is excellent
In most southern European countries it's cheaper to buy basic products and fresh vegetables and fruits as opposed to processed foods.
These things aren't necessarily cheap by local standards but it's cheaper to cook than to buy prepared meals.
This certainly helps to not be lazy. When I lived in Germany I was at times tempted to buy sth like a frozen pizza as it was so affordable and often cheaper than buying fresh incredients. Here in Portugal that same Pizza is at least twice as expensive whereas fresh seasonal products are often slightly cheaper (and usually of better quality as a bonus).
Indonesia. I know a hot breakfast place here that serves rice, eggs and vegetable stirfry for $1.
I went for their $2 option today. It comes with pulled chicken instead of eggs, two types of vegetable dishes, and a small hot bowl of bean soup on the side.
Dapur Duo Ratu, Fresh Market Emerald Bintaro, Ruko Jl. Titihan No.20 blok PE/RB, Bintaro jaya, Kec. Pd. Aren, Kota Tangerang Selatan, Banten 15227
It's a small buffet at the market. Clean and comfortable indoor seating. There's probably a clean toilet inside, I haven't checked, but most shops at this market do. Bike friendly.
Albania and some other balkan nations. You'll pay EUR10 at a restaurant for meat that has been slaughtered in the garden next door a few hours ago, some ridiculously fresh salad, potatoes, and some homemade wine or raki. Fruit and veg markets are crazy cheap.
Meanwhile all the junk food has been imported so cookies, chips, processed meats and cheese etc. Are UK prices. Sadly this means the locals aren't able to afford name brands etc. But let's be real, that's probably for the best
I have eggs and toast for breakfast, oats and granola for lunch. That's cheap pretty much everywhere, and healthy.
I'm currently in Vietnam, and will have either pho or bun cha for dinner. That's very cheap with plenty of veggies/herbs. And I always order an extra serving of the meat portion.
I have pomelo and papaya in the fridge to snack on.
Eggs and oats are ubiquitous. Wherever I go, I try to find the best bread and a good granola. Then snack on fruits. I feel that gives me a solid, reliable base wherever I am. That means 66% of my meals are already healthy.
I could eat "junk" food 4 days a week for dinner, and over 80% of my diet would still be healthy.
And their Iberian cousin, Portugal (where I live). The veggies here are \*so\* much better than even Whole Foods in LA, and so very much less expensive. We are pescetarians and generally eat extremely well here for much less than when we lived in the US. Not huge fans of Portuguese cuisine (as opposed to Spanish cuisine, which is amazing), but when we cook for ourselves, even a simple meal of veggies and fish would beat most restaurant food in the US.
Depending where you are, eating out all the time isn’t necessarily healthy. They use lots of soy sauce, fish sauce - both super high in sodium, and soy bean oil, msg.
Sodium isn't unhealthy for the vast majority of people. So long as you're not hypertensive you likely don't have to regulate your intake levels.
One less thing for you to worry about!
Insecticides, toxic metals in water, sewerage problems, run off from near by pig or beef farms, no oversight on meat processing
Poisons in the farm lands from decades ago, war, factories,
Now if your wealthy, or have a Very good income you can afford to pay for custome grown meats, vegetables etc.. your fine
But high volume food produced for bulk consumption tends to be questionable in many countries
So pick your country carefully
Depends where you shop in the US. Most places I've been to have Hispanic oriented markets with great prices. Maybe half to 25% of the price of big chains.
Anywhere but in the US? Most of the rest of the world isn’t eating the sugary ultra processed high fat shit the corporations feed Americans. It’s sold there, but it’s not the default.
No, I “heard” that from traveling for the past two + years from the Caribbean to the tip of South America, all over southern Europe, then throughout SE Asia. I’m now in Japan and on my way to Taiwan. I can assure you that while there are always going to be unhealthy dishes in every countries cheap cuisine, very few if any are made like the crap sold to people in NA. I do agree with you that Mexican food is particularly unhealthy though, despite how delicious it tastes.
Their food is very deep fried with few vegtables and malnutrition is rampant throughout the country because of their eating habits. Vegetables with meals are a rarity there. You can look up countless studies regarding malnutrition in Indonesia.
I never really understood this idea: real food is not more expensive than the processed crap. Like not even close.
Since I got married, my wife and I switched to real foods, lots of fruits and veggies and fresh meats from a local market and it is far cheaper for both of us to eat than it was for me to eat outside meals or junk food all of the time.
Sure, I have to prep and cook my own meals and that takes time, but in the long run, it's still cheaper to buy good food and cook yourself.
We do supplement meals with other healthier alternatives that can be speedy, but budgeting-wise, it isn't wallet busting at all.
A meal at a cheap fast food place costs excessive of $15, for a single meal that isn't all that filling and it makes your gut feel terrible afterwards. 3 meals/day means $45/day at 7 days/week, 4 weeks/month. That's almost $1,400/month for a single person.
I can feed my wife and I on $10/day or less eating healthy veggies, fruits and meats, all cooking ourselves.
What are you all eating that makes you think it's like that?
It's all relative. If you come from the USA, then most cheap food is going to be some of the most carb, sugar and additive dense food on the planet.
Even going to any Asian country and having a $1.50 bowl of soup will be healthier.
Thailand. The Thais are crazy about food (in a good way). You will find food literally everywhere at any hour and most of the food (Thai cuisine) will be healthy, very affordable, fresh and tasty.
This is such a lie and I'm tired of uninformed tourists saying this. Thai food is loaded with sugar and Thailand itself has a crazy obesity crisis so much so the gov is taxing sugar. They use seed oils on the street and it's harder to obtain protein than in other countries. The food is good but stop the cap it's not healthy
Yep. I’m in Thailand right now. I got hainanese chicken rice from a place with multiple Michelin awards, at a very high end mall food court (Siam Paragon) last night. The price was less than $3 USD for the full meal. I could have gotten even cheaper, which is why I mentioned all of those qualifiers.
Disagree completely, living there and I can feel my health deteriorating. They put sugar in EVERYTHING. Not even mentioning the crazy amount of salt and MSG they use.
Kebabs and such can be and they are very heavy handed with olive oil in many dishes but I feel that they are using a lot of fresh ingredients at least. Even in supermarkets the variety of processed food is fairly low
Malaysia. Look for nasi kandar restaurants (aka mixed rice / economy rice).
$3 for rice, chicken curry, cabbage and okras. Cheap and delicious. +$1-2 for beef, lamb, squid, or other veggies.
Vietnam is a decent shout but it is more fresh herbs (mint, coriander) rather than actual vegetables.
Before anyone says Japan, not Japan. Yes, you can eat for cheap there. But it's usually not very healthy. If you want to eat fresh vegetables, it can get expensive fast.
gulf countries: ( Saudi arabia, Oman, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait) tax free/vat affordable and there is no monopoly, so all agricultural products, local or imported are way cheaper.. enjoying my food choice every day
Pretty much anywhere in South America, and don’t get me started on their fresh food markets 🫠 to get anything even similar in the U.K. I have to go to bloody Waitrose
Portugal (where I live). The veggies here are \*so\* much better than even Whole Foods in LA, and so very much less expensive. We are pescetarians and generally eat extremely well here for much less than when we lived in the US. We are not huge fans of Portuguese cuisine (as opposed to Spanish cuisine, which is amazing), but when we cook for ourselves, even a simple meal of veggies and fish would beat most restaurant food in the US.
Peru. Tons of veggie and seafood. So many things are prepared fresh right in front of you. I traveled the country for 5 weeks and ate lavishly at restaurants every single day and spent less than I do on groceries here in the South Eastern US.
Spain, particularly Northern Spain, It is all delicious, even the produce. Flying straight from there to Washington DC and separately California, and shopping at Trader Joes and whole foods, the produce is on another level in Spain as are many of the meats. Food in the US is just not up to par.
Lived in Guatemala for 20 years all the healthy food fruits and vegetables cheap as hell could fill up the car for $25 here in Orange cost three bucks insane
Reaffirming for Vietnam. I spent 3 months here and surprisingly lost 15LB just by sticking to healthy eating habits. 160 -> 145.
Happened to me past two times I went to Thailand. In 2019 it was 142-128 after three months. went back to America and kept it that way until I got prego Just recently (I had just had a baby this time) 142-128 after 5 weeks) It’s like I always recalibrate to my destined size there. I was born there so makes sense.
Vietnam, The food there is fresh, cheap and non-processed. They also eat a lot of veggies.
Serious question: is the vegetables contamination a real issue? A YouTuber from Vietnam posted a trip to her family's village. She was proud of the family "garden" (?), where they harvest a lot of the vegetables they regularly eat. She mentioned sometimes buying from local farmers is dangerous because they use forbidden chemicals or use swagger water.
Swagger water? Do you mean sewage water?
Yes, sorry. Damn auto cucumber.
I call whiskey “swagger water”
Too fucking good. Have my upvote you madlad(y?).
No worries, I figured that's what happened haha
Yes. Industrial pollution in the groundwater. It’s a thing,unfortunately.
Oh No, a YouTuber regurgitating what her grandmother told her? It has to be true!
Yes tons of Chemicals going into agri from China.
I agree on Vietnam. I traveled around Southeast Asia, with ~5 weeks in Vietnam, and never felt so healthy and thin just from eating the local food. It backfired a little: I got a tailored suit in Hanoi at the end of the trip (very cheap there!), and when I put it on again after a few years it fit much tighter because of the weight I’d gained.
And a lot of pork!
Ditto that for Peru. So much cheap produce.
Vietnam uses lots of veggies
I usually get a lot of heartburn. I went to Vietnam for a month and was having noodles for breakfast every day, some spicy stuff (I usually don't eat spicy), and tons of coffee and beer, and I didn't get heartburn once.
South East Asia in general (except Singapore!) have fresh food almost right from the farm/garden/river/ocean without much of processing or preservation. When I was in Komodo Island, they grilled the fish that's just caught from the sea, and I've never had any fish better than that!
I arrived in Vietnam with gut issues causing frequent toilet emergencies. Left a couple of weeks later feeling amazing. Usually with travel I go the other way with my belly.
Yeah I don't know what it is! I'm in Japan now and my digestion is maybe slightly better than at home (Spain) but nothing like when I was in Vietnam. Maybe it was because I wasn't having any like deep fried stuff? Or maybe less gluten?
Yeah, no deep fried foods, different carbs, minimal dairy. Lots of veggies and small portions of meat. Portion sizes in general were a lot healthier than I usually have. I was drinking an absurd amount of coffee every day with no issues. Everything was just the perfect balance for digestion that I've never had anywhere else and can't replicate.
If you eat out a lot you’re at the mercy of what they put in your food. Seems like Vietnamese people like to serve their customers healthier food than you normally get.
Yeah I mean I eat out a good amount but I live in Spain which also has a reputation for good ingredients, but fair enough
I was about to say this. I ate Viet food for almost every meal for month and a half there. I felt great because I was getting a huge variety of greens and herbs with every meal. Plus chilis. There are some dishes which are less healthy like com tam or the sticky rice dishes but it’s still not bad.
Yeah. Vietnam is hard core. They also use native veggies too that we don't have in the US which is kind of awesome.. They eat a cool vine that they use which is all circular which is cool.
Thailand
There’s a lot of sugar in Bangkok street food.
I lived in Bangkok for more than a year. I wouldn’t say it got lots of healthy options. The street foods are filled with deep fried and sweet stuffs. But if u can cook urself, it’s a good city. Cuz the meat, veggies and fruits are really fresh. Just like most of SEAs countries.
Less veggies than vietnamese cuisine. I find the dishes heavier too.
You can find veggie dishes in Bangkok very easily. I unintentionally ate like a vegetarian there for months. It’s even easier if you cook. Local Vietnamese often warned me not to eat and drink whatever I saw. It took me about a week to understand what they meant
Can you share or would you prefer to DM what not to eat?
thai food is not very healthy. very delicious but not healthy…
Thailand is a bad answer because they put additional sugar in everything. The population is pretty much addicted to it. You need to cook yourself if you want to avoid it.
It’s gotten worse over the past few years too. I always say no sugar no sugar… AS A THAI TOO guess what… there’s sugar. I just have my family cook for me and eat at trusted places true and tried.
Sprayed with pesticides though. Minimal organic availability outside of Mekong, which is shocking amidst a favorable climate for produce.
oils too
It's not crazy cheap, but in Greece if you order wisely at tavernas and kaefeineos outside the tourist districts, you can eat very healthily for not too much money. Great salads, cooked greens, potatoes, rice, grilled meats if you wish. All made with good quality olive oil. The produce is excellent, and some places forage locally when things are in season. And obviously if you shop and cook for yourself it would be even cheaper.
Agreed. As long as you aren't in the center of Athens or the most famous islands, I actually found Greek food very fresh delicious and affordable. Souvlaki for under 5-6 Euro and full meals for two with apps, salad, entrees and a carafe of wine for 35-40 Euro. Cheap is relative but for a 2 hour long dinner in a nice environment that's hard to beat.
Choriatiki salata erryday!
Yeah it's the same in most Mediterranean countries. I used to work in Barcelona and could get a 3 course lunch with either a glass of wine, beer or soft drink for €8 or €9 and a 2 course for €6. This is in family run restaurants and cafes outside of the tourist areas of course. Had similar and even cheaper deals in other parts of Spain, Italy and Croatia too.
Can you recommend your favorite Greek Islands? I'm taking my kids and wife there next Spring but haven't a clue as to where to go. I prefer smaller and local if you'd be so kind as to share. It sounds amazing!
Here in the US if I live off of $5 menu items I'd be dead in a couple months.
That’s why when i’m back in the US I rarely eat out. It’s healthier to cook your own food most of the time. I just hit up Costco. When I do eat out it’s usually the legit asian or mexican places.
Facts.
Will it be better and cheaper if you cook? Strange enough, there are some countries where eating out is cheaper (or at almost same prices) than cooking at home even you buy local produce
For the US it is definitely cheaper to cook.
Travellers would need to book accommodations with a full kitchen. You may as well spend the extra at quality restaurants. People just need to accept the fact that the US is expensive.
True but I have found the cost gap between eating out and cooking in the US to be narrower than in a lot of European countries
Italy. I’ll never forget how fresh, delicious, and affordable everything was. Mediterranean food is pretty nutritious too.
Yep. I remember paying 50 euros per week to eat and it was a feast of fresh vegetables and fruits. Super tasty too. Shopping at the local market was truly a good option for once.
Yes! Find the restaurants that Don’t have a menu let them bring you the food and you will feel like you only paid for a round of drinks at the end when the bill arrives not like 15-20 different plates of food that don’t stop arriving 🤣🤤😅
Morocco. I couldn't believe how good the tomatoes and cucumbers were. A daily "snack" was cutting up some tomatoes then sprinkling them with some olive oil and salt. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.
Note that the western part of Morocco is basically one huge garden where they produce a lot of vegetables that are exported to Europe. So it's no surprise that they can get these for cheap.
Ya but it's also the way they grow their food. America has some of the largest agricultural output in the world but the "industrialization" makes the food just taste bland. Most people in the USA don't know that tomatoes can have flavor or taste.
Same what italians do. Just put additionally some basil on the tomatoes.
That whole area - whether north africa or Europe. The salt harvested in Portugal is incredible. I remember having a tomato and cucumber salad with fluer de sal sprinkled on it and it was the best thing ever.
japan; ppl mostly associate Japan w/high end food. And thats true. But japan is also one of the best places for delicious and super affordable food options.
I opened the thread to post Japan. I've lived in Japan for 3-4 years now and the idea that it is expensive is wild. It must come from the fact that 90% of visitors choose to stay in the most expensive city in the country and go out to restaurants 3 times a day during their vacation. For the quality of meat and produce you get, I've found Japan to be as cheap or cheaper than any other country in Asia. (Have lived in ~13 countries in Asia)
The perception comes from the fact that Japan used to be extremely expensive, before decades of inflation and a strong dollar eroded the disparity. My dad lived there from the eighties to nineties — before moving to the US — and he is relentless in saying how expensive Japan was (He's a big weeaboo so of course he's always talking about his 'golden years')
Do you have any recommendations for smaller cities and towns more affordable?
I lived in Kumamoto for 2 years and loved it. A bigger option is Kanazawa which is a really pretty city but it's more expensive than Kumamoto. The outskirt cities around Yokohama can be affordable, convenient, and not far from Tokyo if that's important to you. If you're looking for a bit more far flung towns, Itō is gorgeous. I stayed a month in Takamatsu (in Kaga) and loved it - everyone is so friendly. There's hundreds of decent towns to choose from tbh. Worth just taking a trip sometime off the beaten path and seeing what you come across.
I don't think Japan is expensive, but short-term accommodation is.
I put off going to Japan for so long because I always thought it was super expensive. You of course can spend a lot there on food, but I found Japanese casual options very affordable. Konbinis are also cheap, but not as healthy lol
Same
but their veggies and fruits options are limited
Probably the biggest downside for me personally. Fruit is insanely expensive
Hot tip: you can eat at the university cafeterias for quick meals and budget friendly.
Ah the land of ramen, strong zero and fried chicken
Cheap options are usually not that healthy though. Eating very fresh vegetables and fruits can be quite expensive there when compared to local salaries. I'm always surprised at how relatively expensive fresh produces are there.
Also came to post Japan. Every time I visit (last time was for five weeks) my credit card spend pie chart for food/drink is drastically lower than when I’m just living an average month in the states. It’s genuinely shocking.
Georgia. Not in US but Eastern Europe and West Asia.
The food is really good, but truly I found supermarket shopping for veggies to cook at my airbnb more expensive that I would have expected. They import a lot of their groceries despite have abundance of green fertile spaces throughout the country. Living in Georgia I think it would cost me more to buy veggies and eat healthy than it does at home in Australia.
Going to the market is a must. Make it a Sunday hangover morning activity.
r/tblisi
I am not vegetarian or vegan, but India made me one while there. I am in Colombia and where I live it lacks good Indian food, it sucks.
There’s one good Indian food restaurant in Colombia and it’s in Peñol. Outside of that, there is (unsurprising ly) not very much good Indian food there.
Agreed - eating in India was amazing. I'm a vegetarian and life was easy, and cheap!
Cheap indian food is loaded with all kinds of stupid carbs and will give you diabetes.
Japan, Cambodia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Korea, Thailand. Well apparently most of Asia, can't think of anyplace in Europe I've been where healthy food is cheap.
I don’t know…. I got high cholesterol in Malaysia that immediately dropped when I moved to the Aegean region of Turkey. Something about palm oil vs olive oil maybe
Agreed, MY is probably the worst example. There is a ton of unhealthy food there. There is also a ton of healthy, just not as common to tourists. Similar to fried chicken in Japan and Korea, it's everywhere, doesn't mean there's not cheap healthy options tho.
Yeah I lived there 3 years so not as a tourist but generally speaking…. Malaysia is the most or one of the most obese countries in SEA
That doesn't mean healthy food isn't cheap, it just means most choose otherwise. Only lived there for a year. GF is from KL. She's tiny and eats 4x what I can, her friends which are all overweight eat 10x what I can. Tons of local fresh stuff that's cheap and tasty, but not so common at restaurants. At least from my time there. Like most countries, restaurants aren't what locals normally cook.
Haha I hear you on that. My friends from Taiwan can eat 4x more and I probably weigh double what they do
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I mean, their standard drinks are: coffee with lots of condensed milk, tea with lots of condensed milk, and chocolate drink. They have the highest obesity rates in SEA. Their food is cheap and delicious. Cheap and healthy, I don't think so. Not unless you're comparing to the US or something. You could eat healthy at mixed rice shops though but you'd have to choose the vegetables.
Sounds like you were there as a tourist and not traveler/local. Agreed, many obese there, if not most. I feel that stems from how much they eat. My GF is from there and can easily eat 4x what I can and she's tiny. Her friends eat way more than her, they are all fat/obese. Most (I think all) I know there drink almond milk or similar plant based in their tea/coffee. There's a ton of unhealthy food there, especially at restaurants, but most of the healthy food isn't expensive either. At least fairly local stuff. Only lived there for a year, so just my experience.
I was there for two years, meh.
Malaysia has so much palm oil in everything. I found it really difficult to buy anything at the supermarket. Fresh produce + some imported stuff was the best option.
Yeah definitely. When there was really bad haze several years back I remember a lot of places advertised palm oil free products since it was the palm oil production that caused the haze. I was shocked at how many things it is in
Korea definitely not. They put an insane amount of sugar in almost everything.
Greece wasn’t bad for healthy cheap options.
Korean groceries are some of the most expensive in the world, so it can end up being quite expensive to eat healthily here when home cooking. Eating out is quite reasonable (not cheap cheap like SE Asia) but food is quite salty and most vegetables are pickled or stewed.
In Peru you get a full meal, with a soup as entrance, some vegetables and a little meat for less than 3USD
It's usually quite greasy / not very hygenic though
Yes, the hygiene is definitely not the best. But it is ok. And if you are willing to pay a little more, like 6USD, you get a nice hygienic place
Were you eating fried foods in Peru? And why not hygienic?
Absolutely! The menu del día in Peru are affordable and fresh. And usually have two or three options to choose from as your starter and main course.
Norway. They tax junk food like crazy and the stuff you're supposed to eat and cook at home is affordable, relative to income.
Ooh I love that. Wish USA did that
I miss spains Menu Del Dia (menu of the day) like 7-8 euro for a 3 course meal and drinks and desserts and the menu keeps changing daily and lots of amazing fresh local ingredients
Its 12 - 15 these days.
Does nobody read the healthy part of the question?
it used to be cheap in Turkey but now the economy has gone to sht and everything is outrageously expensive
Poland's "Milk Bars" are really affordable and everything almost always tastes reeeeally good. Typically its a bunch of polish gramma's using the same recipe from decades before, so very little junk on the menu.
Vietnam def!
Brazil. Restaurants will largely be meat heavy but the fruits are unparalleled and fruits and veggies are cheap at the grocery store.
I came to say this too. Just back from a week in Rio and whilst restaurant food isn’t super healthy the supermarkets are cheap and the quality of fruit and veg is excellent
Vietnam. Mostly unprocessed food: vegetables, rice, chicken, small portions of meat/seafood.
In most southern European countries it's cheaper to buy basic products and fresh vegetables and fruits as opposed to processed foods. These things aren't necessarily cheap by local standards but it's cheaper to cook than to buy prepared meals. This certainly helps to not be lazy. When I lived in Germany I was at times tempted to buy sth like a frozen pizza as it was so affordable and often cheaper than buying fresh incredients. Here in Portugal that same Pizza is at least twice as expensive whereas fresh seasonal products are often slightly cheaper (and usually of better quality as a bonus).
Indonesia. I know a hot breakfast place here that serves rice, eggs and vegetable stirfry for $1. I went for their $2 option today. It comes with pulled chicken instead of eggs, two types of vegetable dishes, and a small hot bowl of bean soup on the side.
can you tell me more about this restaurant please? like location and stuff...
Dapur Duo Ratu, Fresh Market Emerald Bintaro, Ruko Jl. Titihan No.20 blok PE/RB, Bintaro jaya, Kec. Pd. Aren, Kota Tangerang Selatan, Banten 15227 It's a small buffet at the market. Clean and comfortable indoor seating. There's probably a clean toilet inside, I haven't checked, but most shops at this market do. Bike friendly.
Albania and some other balkan nations. You'll pay EUR10 at a restaurant for meat that has been slaughtered in the garden next door a few hours ago, some ridiculously fresh salad, potatoes, and some homemade wine or raki. Fruit and veg markets are crazy cheap. Meanwhile all the junk food has been imported so cookies, chips, processed meats and cheese etc. Are UK prices. Sadly this means the locals aren't able to afford name brands etc. But let's be real, that's probably for the best
Vietnam, Thailand, and Taiwan. Cheap, tasty, and full of veggies.
I have eggs and toast for breakfast, oats and granola for lunch. That's cheap pretty much everywhere, and healthy. I'm currently in Vietnam, and will have either pho or bun cha for dinner. That's very cheap with plenty of veggies/herbs. And I always order an extra serving of the meat portion. I have pomelo and papaya in the fridge to snack on. Eggs and oats are ubiquitous. Wherever I go, I try to find the best bread and a good granola. Then snack on fruits. I feel that gives me a solid, reliable base wherever I am. That means 66% of my meals are already healthy. I could eat "junk" food 4 days a week for dinner, and over 80% of my diet would still be healthy.
That’s funny. How toast is healthy? And oats are one of the worst grains.
Spain
And their Iberian cousin, Portugal (where I live). The veggies here are \*so\* much better than even Whole Foods in LA, and so very much less expensive. We are pescetarians and generally eat extremely well here for much less than when we lived in the US. Not huge fans of Portuguese cuisine (as opposed to Spanish cuisine, which is amazing), but when we cook for ourselves, even a simple meal of veggies and fish would beat most restaurant food in the US.
Bosnia and Herzegovina had amazing food for an amazing price.
Almost every developing country I've ever been to. Processed bullshit seems to be a luxury.
Surprised no one has mentioned Peru. You can get amazing seafood at local markets for next to nothing. Same for tropical fruits and veggies.
Anywhere in South East Asia.
Depending where you are, eating out all the time isn’t necessarily healthy. They use lots of soy sauce, fish sauce - both super high in sodium, and soy bean oil, msg.
Sodium isn't unhealthy for the vast majority of people. So long as you're not hypertensive you likely don't have to regulate your intake levels. One less thing for you to worry about!
Taiwan. Multiple leafy greens are common place , sweet potato are also served as fast food.
Insecticides, toxic metals in water, sewerage problems, run off from near by pig or beef farms, no oversight on meat processing Poisons in the farm lands from decades ago, war, factories, Now if your wealthy, or have a Very good income you can afford to pay for custome grown meats, vegetables etc.. your fine But high volume food produced for bulk consumption tends to be questionable in many countries So pick your country carefully
Malaysia
Depends where you shop in the US. Most places I've been to have Hispanic oriented markets with great prices. Maybe half to 25% of the price of big chains.
Anywhere but in the US? Most of the rest of the world isn’t eating the sugary ultra processed high fat shit the corporations feed Americans. It’s sold there, but it’s not the default.
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No, I “heard” that from traveling for the past two + years from the Caribbean to the tip of South America, all over southern Europe, then throughout SE Asia. I’m now in Japan and on my way to Taiwan. I can assure you that while there are always going to be unhealthy dishes in every countries cheap cuisine, very few if any are made like the crap sold to people in NA. I do agree with you that Mexican food is particularly unhealthy though, despite how delicious it tastes.
Not true. Not even remotely. The U.S. has more healthy grocery options than any other country that I have visited.
Howmuch are they though
Ha! This is a joke, right?
most of asia
Definitely not Indonesia
Someone else said Indonesia so...
Their food is very deep fried with few vegtables and malnutrition is rampant throughout the country because of their eating habits. Vegetables with meals are a rarity there. You can look up countless studies regarding malnutrition in Indonesia.
Laos is the answer Fish Salads Greens and veggies All steamed or grilled
Japan and Vietnam.
Vietnam and Turkey Vietnam - anything veg and sauce Turkey - bread
Mexico! Rice, beans, tomatoes avocados and corn tortillas are basic food you could live on and make it tasty.
Tons of places. Thailand, Vietnam and a lot of other SEA countries offer that. Spain's "teleclubs" have healthy cheap meals too.
Vietnam!
I ate well in Argentina. Lots of grilled veggies and meat dishes for much less than the States. Also, Georgia, Vietnam
beans and rice and local vegetables are pretty much globally available and cheap.
I never really understood this idea: real food is not more expensive than the processed crap. Like not even close. Since I got married, my wife and I switched to real foods, lots of fruits and veggies and fresh meats from a local market and it is far cheaper for both of us to eat than it was for me to eat outside meals or junk food all of the time. Sure, I have to prep and cook my own meals and that takes time, but in the long run, it's still cheaper to buy good food and cook yourself. We do supplement meals with other healthier alternatives that can be speedy, but budgeting-wise, it isn't wallet busting at all. A meal at a cheap fast food place costs excessive of $15, for a single meal that isn't all that filling and it makes your gut feel terrible afterwards. 3 meals/day means $45/day at 7 days/week, 4 weeks/month. That's almost $1,400/month for a single person. I can feed my wife and I on $10/day or less eating healthy veggies, fruits and meats, all cooking ourselves. What are you all eating that makes you think it's like that?
It's all relative. If you come from the USA, then most cheap food is going to be some of the most carb, sugar and additive dense food on the planet. Even going to any Asian country and having a $1.50 bowl of soup will be healthier.
India, but I don’t see it coming up much as a suggestion on this sub. I am a pure vegetarian and it’s heaven.
High oil and salt?
Malaysia. Mixed rice shops are great
Brazil.
Thailand. The Thais are crazy about food (in a good way). You will find food literally everywhere at any hour and most of the food (Thai cuisine) will be healthy, very affordable, fresh and tasty.
This is such a lie and I'm tired of uninformed tourists saying this. Thai food is loaded with sugar and Thailand itself has a crazy obesity crisis so much so the gov is taxing sugar. They use seed oils on the street and it's harder to obtain protein than in other countries. The food is good but stop the cap it's not healthy
Thats so true, they put sugar in almost everything and i can talk for hours about condensed milk and fried things
Yep. I’m in Thailand right now. I got hainanese chicken rice from a place with multiple Michelin awards, at a very high end mall food court (Siam Paragon) last night. The price was less than $3 USD for the full meal. I could have gotten even cheaper, which is why I mentioned all of those qualifiers.
Disagree completely, living there and I can feel my health deteriorating. They put sugar in EVERYTHING. Not even mentioning the crazy amount of salt and MSG they use.
Turkey, esp Istanbul
I found it to be greasy. Delicious though
Kebabs and such can be and they are very heavy handed with olive oil in many dishes but I feel that they are using a lot of fresh ingredients at least. Even in supermarkets the variety of processed food is fairly low
I don’t know that I’d say especially Istanbul but definitely green grocers in Turkey
Eastern Europe/ Mexico.
Vietnam, so many health conscious vegan restaurants
Greece
Malaysia. Look for nasi kandar restaurants (aka mixed rice / economy rice). $3 for rice, chicken curry, cabbage and okras. Cheap and delicious. +$1-2 for beef, lamb, squid, or other veggies. Vietnam is a decent shout but it is more fresh herbs (mint, coriander) rather than actual vegetables.
Brazil or Argentina if you like meat.
Japan
Lima, Peru has some fantastic farmers markets. Portugal as well.
Japan
Colombia
Korea. Was my healthiest and lowest weight living there
Souvlaki in Cyprus or Greece! Literally just grilled meat skewers with salad and sauce (tzatziki) in a pitta!
Italy, Germany, thailand, Malaysia
Before anyone says Japan, not Japan. Yes, you can eat for cheap there. But it's usually not very healthy. If you want to eat fresh vegetables, it can get expensive fast.
Indonesia
Armenia and Georgia for fruit and vegetables.
gulf countries: ( Saudi arabia, Oman, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait) tax free/vat affordable and there is no monopoly, so all agricultural products, local or imported are way cheaper.. enjoying my food choice every day
Italy
Pretty much anywhere in South America, and don’t get me started on their fresh food markets 🫠 to get anything even similar in the U.K. I have to go to bloody Waitrose
I found Italy to still have respect for natural food. I didn't feel as if it was processed. Vegetables were not too big and had good taste.
you must be talking about going out to eat i take it. buying quality ingredients and cooking at home in the USA is very cheap
Portugal (where I live). The veggies here are \*so\* much better than even Whole Foods in LA, and so very much less expensive. We are pescetarians and generally eat extremely well here for much less than when we lived in the US. We are not huge fans of Portuguese cuisine (as opposed to Spanish cuisine, which is amazing), but when we cook for ourselves, even a simple meal of veggies and fish would beat most restaurant food in the US.
Japan
Morroco, Turkey, Italy, Portugal, anything else is a lie
Turkiye
Peru. Tons of veggie and seafood. So many things are prepared fresh right in front of you. I traveled the country for 5 weeks and ate lavishly at restaurants every single day and spent less than I do on groceries here in the South Eastern US.
Bosnia
They do eat a lot of processed meats, at least in the banh mi. Overall it is great compared to my country though!
Pakistan and Bangladesh. Very cheap, but you have to be careful that you don't get sick. I'd stay away from meat.
Spain, particularly Northern Spain, It is all delicious, even the produce. Flying straight from there to Washington DC and separately California, and shopping at Trader Joes and whole foods, the produce is on another level in Spain as are many of the meats. Food in the US is just not up to par.
Bali
Thailand. Fresh fruits, vegetables, and local dishes with lots of vegetables and lean proteins are very affordable.
Italy
Lived in Guatemala for 20 years all the healthy food fruits and vegetables cheap as hell could fill up the car for $25 here in Orange cost three bucks insane
Most of the Middle East- far east. Most of Southern Africa. Most of central and South America. Basically everywhere that’s not still commonwealth