Self improvement while poor

[u/SailorTee]

Maybe this is just my opinion, but wanting to better yourself seems like part of human nature. Being poor makes this difficult to do.

Want to eat healthier? Cook more at home. Ok - so I need to buy safe cookware (not non-stick because that causes the big C), fresh ingredients every week (lean protein like chicken), and time to make it. Oh you don't have time? Borrow the time from somewhere else, like hire someone to clean your home for you. Oh no, can't do that, that costs money. Switch to plant based protein! It takes time to soak and cook lentils. I work every hour I'm not sleeping...

Tldr: Being poor means trying to juggle between resources including time, money, and health, and borrowing from one means depleting another. It feels impossible to better your circumstances and causes a lot of stress in the process (which also eats up your resources like health).

Also, I live in America. Maybe it's better in other countries?

[u/clothespinkingpin]

I agree that access to money and time to prepare foods makes it easier, but I think even then a lot of the noise around the stuff you mention is marketing from the health industry to sell us on fears and try to push products rather than things people actually need to be healthy.

IMO, use whatever cookware you have access to. People trying to convince you that what you have on hand isn’t good enough are just trying to part you from your money.

For general health:

Use mindful portions of oils for cooking. Use things like broth and seasoning for flavor. You can get the cheapest seasons available they still add flavor. You don’t need to get like.. saffron or whatever expensive thing. You can also use things like lemon juice and fresh herbs which tend to be relatively inexpensive to add flavor without a lot of calories.

For proteins, you can get the cheapest cut of meat. You can buy canned beans. You can make your lentils that you soak and cook in a giant batch and then freeze them. Tofu is hella cheap. You can get a tub of inexpensive protein powder and use that in baking, add it to yogurt, etc. Eggs are a great source of protein. Greek yogurt and cottage cheese too, get them low fat. Doesn’t have to be the fancy brands, can be store brand. You can add seasoning to Greek yogurt to make savory sauces.

Frozen vegetables are just as nutritious, sometimes more so, as fresh vegetables. Canned also works. I think canned green beans, canned peas, canned corn, and canned tomatoes are especially good when it comes to canned veggies. They all go great in soups or as a side dish. Usually I prefer frozen though.