Street Food Indeed Is Delicious And Among The Best In South East Asia But...

[ballista]

Is it healthy eating everyday out on the streets?

Is it cheaper then actually cook at home?(and not just the joy which i think all europeans miss in not having a proper question.

My question is would be cheaper to actually buy at markets and cook at home or eat in the streets.

But i do see it a bit of a blasphemy to not cook at home as we have access to this huge variety of healthy vegetables and beans brown black rice, roots ect.

i just bought myself a electric hot pot and its just so amazing to stuff it with all this tasty and healthy vegetables and of course amazing selection of rices and beans.

I also bought a blender which i recommend to use for a nutritious kale/pineapple/litlle touch of coconut milk to boost your body.

Any thoughts on cost or any fast and healthy recipes which you can share with us.

Also isnt the fruit going a bit to expensive??

[glbv]

For both cost and heath wise in general it’s going to be better to cook at home.

Cost wise is pretty basic; 300b can buy 1kg of chicken, 30 eggs and plenty of veggies, enough to last a week easy. Pair that with monthly stuff like big bags of rice and sauces/spices you can easy for a few $ a day extremely easy here. Im not sure of what prices are in other areas but the stuffed thai omlet that I eat about 4-5 times a week after the gym is 80b for a small one. So 2 of them and a small rice is 170b, roughly 1/2 of what I could easily live off if eating basic.

As far as heath the only reason it would be healthier is you can control exactly what you’re consuming. I can go make an omelet with 1/2 a tbsp of oil or get one on the street that is literally dripping in it, same goes for the usual.

[sotsira]

Certainly healthier to cook your own food at home without all the

MSG & oil that the street food venders use.

That's also more important to me than which way is costlier.

I would use the street vendors occasionally for convenience reasons only.

[Chads]

I make and eat "brunch" at home. Dinner is usually at small Thai restuarants (costs between 35-50 Baht per meal).

Sometimes I cook Sausage Spagetti, Ham Sandwiches, or Fried Rice for dinner. It's definitely cheaper to cook at home, but eating dinner outside every night is still quite affordable for me.

[mja1906]

Overall I would agree that cooking is healthier, for the reasons mentioned above. When I first came to Thailand I thought , wow its so easy to be healthy here cos there's an abundance of fresh fruits and veggies everywhere. However now, I'm not so sure, as pesticide use is so rampant here and there are no enforced legal limits on what type and how much pesticides farmers use, that it makes me question whether its really beneficial for me to eat fruits and veggies here. At the very least I thoroughly wash everything before I cook it, but still that just gets rid of the the chemicals on the surface not what's actually inside.

[matt111]

Street food is rarely healthy. A lot of vendor dont have a water supply so washing of vegetables is limited. Hygiene practices and storage is debatable.

In addition practically all street food is loaded with extraordinaory amount of MSG, sugar and sometimes salt. Even those that say mai sai msg cant escape, vendor will use the cheapest fish, soy, oyster, and that red one for dipping sauces all of which contain msg (e621) and/or e211, most of time they dont know (some even have a NO MSG sticker on the trolley). Dont forget the cheapest refined palm oil.

Its basically a chemical dinner.. .

Granted it can be very nice..

Edited September 4, 2012 by matt111

[meatballs]

I tried to buy a rice cooker and cook our own food but my Thai wife is not very good at cooking. In addition, when we go to the market it costs a WHOLE lot more than 300 baht for the supplies. So I'm not sure if we'd be saving money and the taste is blah.

[anujimpex]

Offcourse it is healthy but make sure you eat from a hygienic place and do not just look for cheapest food. Remmber quality comes with some cost.

[NeverSure]

I love Thai food - no doubt. But I had a lot of trouble finding healthy, low fat foods at street vendors if I wanted protein, which I need. Not counting the unknown chemicals and sanitation, I don't see how anyone could be healthy and fit eating that food.

Here's my breakfast this morning. I made a 24 ounce (.7 liter) smoothie which took me about 30 minutes to sip on here at my computer. Very satisfying and very good. Fast, easy, no cooking.

2 cups crushed ice. - 0 calories, 0 fat.

2 whole eggs. 150 cals - some fat in yolk.

1 cup sugar free, non fat yogurt, real pineapple flavor. 120 cals

I cup orange juice - 110 cals.

Total calories, 380. Fairly high in protein, low fat and good protein, carb and fat levels. Very easy, very filling, and the protein helps stave off hunger.

Cost, $US1.50, +/-. maybe 50 baht.