So a piece of advice I see often, both in communities that promote eating less meat due to ethical reasons, and here for financial reasons, is to eat a lot of rice and (dry) beans. And like… Is there a specific reason why this combo? I'm aware beans are pretty high in protein for plants, but why them specifically?
Is it some kind of aminoacid or vitamin-related reason? Or just regional differences in price and availability? I ain't in the USA, so beans actually aren't that cheap – they tend to be 12 zł/kg off-sale here, while dry peas, which have around the same amount of calories and protein as beans, are 4zł/kg. Cheapest off-sale boneless pork is probably the same as beans, 12zł/kg, but it goes on sale more often, and goes down to 8zł/kg or even 7zł/kg regularly. Chicken liver tends to be around 7zł/kg even off-sale. I understand that meat is less "bulkable" than dry plants, but still
Similarly, why rice? I understand that kasza isn't really a thing in the USA, which tends to take a similar culinary role to rice while costing similar, but y'all still got potatoes (admittedly less shelf-stable) and flour
Why rice and beans specifically, out of all foods?
byu/Firanka inFrugal
Posted by Firanka
18 Comments
Together they form a complete protein source.
Very low cost and high nutritional value.
**The combination of beans and rice creates a complete protein**. Beans alone and rice alone both lack certain essential amino acids. If eaten together, however, each contributes what the other is missing to form a complete protein.
red meat should be consumed in moderation for health reasons
rice and beans are cheap in many countries across the planet
you can substitute the beans for chickpeas, lentils or idk peas
white meat is healthier than red
fish is super healthy too and can be cheap depending on where you live
Cheap, easy to store, lasts a long time, covers a lot of nutritional bases.
Nutrition aside, it’s cheap and keeps you alive. Potatoes, sure, yes, but I can eat much more beans and rice for the same price.
I don’t know where you live, but I’ve lived on 3 continents, and rice was cheap in every place I lived, and beans were readily available and cheap both in North and South America. I guess I didn’t really eat beans often in Asia, but I didn’t really think that much about it because budgeting was extremely easy for me in all the places I lived there.
It also depends on if you live somewhere walkable or not. Rice and dry beans both store well and are foods you can buy in bulk and reduce trips to the store. When I lived in Asia I was able to walk to the market so I went a few times a week rather than needing food that stored long term.
Grains and legumes naturally complement each other. Individually their essential amino acids are lacking, together they form a more complete source of protein.
Wheat for instance works similarly, but many food traditions have tended to pair the rice and beans.
Pretty much around the world it’s an inexpensive food pairing though there may be some cultures where say wheat would be cheaper and easier to source.
Everything here is correct. Beans by themselves are partial plant based protein, but with rice they become a whole protein like you would find in meat. Plus it’s cheap, healthy, you can buy it in bulk and store it forever, it’s filling by itself but can be made into a variety of flavor profiles with different spices, veggies, and sides. It’s like water or sleep, basic and perfect for humans in general.
Cheapest off-sale boneless pork is probably the same as beans? Then eat pork mate.
In the US, dried beans are $1 a pound (after being cooked that’s about 25 cents per pound), and pork is around $3 before or after cooking.
Beans and rice are cheap, provide a complete protein in one meal and can be spiced up into a very tasty meal. You can experiment with different types of beans and spices for more variety.
Shelf stable
Because even if you use canned black beans (then rinse) it’s a simple meal that is leagues healthier than a bowl of pasta generally. Full protein source and endlessly customizable.
They’re relatively healthy and filling, can be easily dressed up to taste good if you have some veggies, cheese, or spices on hand, and they’re cheap and pretty widely available.
Also they keep for a long time in the pantry, which is really helpful for people who need to front load groceries at the beginning of a month or have to stretch a $20 for a couple weeks etc.
It’s cheap and an existing cultural dish with a bunch of variations in the americas. Plus, unlike potatoes, it won’t spoil if not cooked, so it’s useful to stock up on when cheaper or if more funds are available. But lots of folks in the US talk about daal type foods similarly.
For me I just grew up eating a lot of somewhat Mexican inflected food, which is not unusual in the US, so it’s familiar for the same reason peas are familiar to you.
Carbs + Protein….very tasty and friendly to our pockets
It’s worth noting that beans double to triple in volume when cooked, so 1 Kg dried beans will yield way more food than 1 Kg raw pork. Also, people will often use the term ‘beans’ to refer to all legumes: peas, beans, lentils, chickpeas, etc.
A cooked whole grain other than rice will likely have a similar nutritional profile when combined with a cooked legume, give or take.
Potatoes are definitely more expensive than rice per calorie
Nutritionally complete and cheap. There is a reason they are the standard peasant/poor people food of most cultures around the world. So many rice and legume recipes out there, you could eat your way around the world with rice and beans and enjoy every meal. That and they store well when dry so no wastage.