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Login Here Signup Here Signup using FacebookI know what alot of you will say, eat simply with mono meals. Things like that do not satisfy me at least not right now. I want to eat meals I like to cook of course I know everything will be uncooked, but I have a vitamix, a dehydrator , and a food processor. I am just running out of money so fast. I go to the farmers market when I can, but there is not alot of organic produce at my farmers market, plus they are not open when I get off or before I go to work, only one day on my day off. I am completely out of fruits and veggies and dont get paid until friday. I dont go out I dont buy new clothes we dont even have the internet, so I cant scale down, we are about as scaled down as my family can get. How do some of you bargain buy or do you have any ideas on how to keep costs down? I am back to eating the SAD diet not because I want to but because that is all we have in the house, my husband is not cool with vegetarian, vegan, and definately not raw. He will eat it as a side dish but he wants his meat and cookies with it. For now I am just going to try to at least get my green smoothies in everyday.
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I live in Philadelphia and I go to the "Regional Produce Market", which is basically where all the local vendors get their bulk produce from. Its like the Costco's of produce. I get stuff there like 40lb box bananas, 88ct box oranges, etc. Since you buy in bulk, prices are significantly cheaper. Maybe there is some place like that around you.
Your body wants mono meals, your budget obviously needs it as well. Who cares what you want, this lifestyle is not live to eat. Food is simply food.
maybe it would help if you write out your groceries.... If it has alot of nuts, then it's going to be more expensive.. You can buy 5 pounds of organic carrots for $5. Some vegetables are still OK non-organic. LIke you I have a restricted diet, so things like avocados, peppers, even zucchini sometimes we buy non organic. I don't notice the difference with oranges, peppers, avocados, blueberries, some others.. Cucumbers are generally dirt cheap. Spinach runs about $2 a bunch where i'm at, and a bunch of spinach with a pepper, carrot, and cucumber would fill you up pretty good. Throw on some sunflower seeds and you're set. If you're really splurging get some Olive oil, mix with lime, ginger, and garlic for a tasty dressing.. Find out what's on sale, what's cheap, and make your meals around that. It's worth it! in a few months your husband will be so floored at how good you look, he might just think twice about raw... Good Luck!
if you stick with 100% raw for a few months straight, you will get to a point where you don't need to eat nearly as much as you used to. That has been the biggest money-saver for me. My first two months raw doubled my grocery bill because my body was used to being filled up with protein and starch. Now i hardly eat and have more energy than ever before. Also, i was determined to grow at least half my food myself, so even as an apartment-dweller i have a garden. I don't have my rent money and my phone is about to get shut off, but i have a garden full of food in the yard and fresh blackberries, and i know where there are apple and pear trees i can get fruit from.
I know it's hard to imagine because you're still stuck in the cooked food paradigm which causes you to experience blood sugar swings and low energy due to nutrient-lacking dead filler--seriously, it's a trap. I had to withdraw from everyone for almost a year in order to stay on my path but i knew it would be worth it. Communities such as this one provide a respite from the madness of the masses. I encourage you to learn as much as you can about the reasons why going and staying raw will change your life for the better. Spiritual Nutrition by Dr. Gabriel Cousens helped me in that way--i don't know if i could have made it through the first 6 months without that book cheering me on. It's serious scientific and spiritual material, compared to a book like Tonya Zavasta's or David Wolfe's, so it's not for everyone. It was the golden ticket for me to make it to 2 years 100% raw.
I think one of the hardest things to overcome on the raw diet is the psychological component of food cravings. it is essential that you challenge yourself by getting to the heart of what makes you believe that you need/desire/enjoy cooked food. Compare those reasons to the ones you will discover for eating raw food and you will see that raw is ultimately better for you in every way. You may have to put up with higher grocery bills at first but trust me, stick with it, break your addiction to cooked food, and your body will start thriving on what it was meant to be fueled by--in much smaller quantities. There are many days (today, in fact) that i have only 1-2 green smoothies (16oz), a piece of fruit and a handful of nuts. Some might say that's not enough food because the mainstream nutritionists only know what they read in their textbooks which is based on outdated medical misinformation. Read the chapter in Spiritual Nutrition about low calorie diets. If i weren't getting enough calories in my diet, i would be dropping weight rapidly or experiencing low energy. My weight does drop significantly when i increase my activity level over a few days, but i think i've settled at a healthy weight which is maintained by a relatively small amount of raw vegan food.
I wish you all the best and encourage you to participate in these community discussions.
jodi
madame7- I completly agree with you. When I first went raw I was spending so much money on food, because I was used to eating a lot and often. Four months later, I'm spending half of what I used to, so I'm actually saving money by eating this way!
Thanks for everyone replying! I do want to be raw, when I eat this way I feel better (some days, detox Im sure), and I crave healthy food, I am just out of money but I am going to keep on as long as I can. I do want this and I agree that my hubby will come around when he sees the shift in me, he is already liking the green smoothies and I make him shakes with raw choc, banana, and almond milk, that he asks for now, and my 2 year old daughter loves green smoothies, even the ones I dont like she just drinks them up.
I wish I could find something like that. Memphis, TN is not a very green place but the city is trying. My husband is the head chef at a resturant I wonder if he could order me some stuff too. I found a buying club in my area for nuts and dried fruits grains all organic, it is just 15 up front per order and then you have to buy large quantities unless other people want to split it with you, but the prices are great, but just cant do it right now.
blakejack1123: Mia Dalene is coming out with a book in the near future called Smart Raw, detailing how to eat raw on a budget. Hopefully, there will some ideas in the book that you can use. :)
Thanks achin70 for that I wrote a note to myself to read that book, surely there is a way to do this frugally, I just cant get it right at this moment!!
Hi blakejack- If you want maximum results and take better care of your health, your diet should consist of 100% organic produce and grocery. And yes, even with the farmer's market available it is more expensive than the conventional stuff. But I'd rather spend more money to take care of my health so that I don't need to waste all of it on medical bills. Last year I caught a nasty cold and paid $150 out of pocket for a prescription and anitbiotics. The medical industry tries to take advantage of unhealthy and sick people so the doctors can make more money! If you can, buy in bulk so you can have a lot of food on hand. I save a lot of money by making a menu or making a list of everything I eat. I hope you can get back into eating raw. Your health comes first.
eat nearly as much as you used too? I've been raw for over a year now and I eat more than when I started out. What if she is very active? I have to eat 3,000 calories or more depending on my activity level a day, sometimes even 4,000 calories of fruit and greens. It gets cheap if you are lazily sedentary, sure.
I totally agree about everything being organic. Its not that I am spending my money on other things it is just that I am out of money. But I am trying to buy as much raw and organic as I can fit into my budget. My farmers market has only one vendor that sells organic, it just hasnt caught on down here in my part of the south. There is also only one healthfood store, and my grocery stores organic section is pitiful, most of the produce is old anyway. I am going to try to be as raw as possible.
Sounds like you're doing great Blakejack. You're doing what you can do. That's all we can ever do. Just keep doing what you can, and eventually it'll all work out. I feel like it's kinda like karma....now that you know that eating raw makes you feel good, universally if you keep doing the best you can do, then the universe will find a way to take care of you and your family. Suddenly you might just find the perfect solution to the seemingly unsolvable problem. Stay optimistic, and take it a day at a time.
Just do as much as you can, as you can do it. I understand exactly. I'm a single mother of three kids, so I have to very carefully budget every penny I spend on everything, not just food. Lol, fortunately for me I no longer have to worry about a SAD husband to grocery shop for, so all the money I was spending on pop, chips, pizza, processed frozen dead food has been channeled back into fresh, alive food. I plan way ahead, watch for sales and budget accordingly. We manage to eat three raw meals a day with either live juice or a smoothie between each meal just fine. One of the best things I found, budget-wise, was to join a co-op through some ladies at the church I attend. I can put my order on with theirs, so I never have to meet the minimum, and I don't have to pay the membership fee and they get my points, so its mutually beneficial. I live in a really small town in Northern Michigan, so there isn't much for a raw foodist around here either, so the co-op fills that need as well.
Just do the best you can and try not to get discouraged!
the59sound, you give everyone the same advice: eat a ton of food and work out 4 hours a day, because "its what you do". This is a woman who is married, probably with kids, and lives completely different than you. You're suppose to be giving her advice to help her out based on where she is at, not based on where you are at. It doesn't do any good to accuse people of being lazy, so if you don't have something constructive to say, then please, don't say it. Please, I'm not attacking you it just really isn't productive or helpful, and I think you do have a lot of insight and the potential to be incredibly helpful.
Blakjack,
Just some of my thoughts on it. Some (or many) may disagree with me. But, I'll throw them out to you anyway.
I DO believe eating healthy food (whether raw or not) is a bit more expensive. Especially if you buy organic. It may pay off later in less bills (I believe it will). But, that doesn't make it any more affordable now.
If you can only afford to buy some organic, look up the "dirty dozen" and focus on getting organic on just those for now. There are certain fruits and vegetables that are more affected by pesticides and such. I'm not saying organic isn't important. But, it's more important with certain fruits and veggies. I'd rather eat a regular banana (not organic) than a frozen pizza.
Bananas are pretty cheap, so are cucumbers. Keep lots of those.
If you can not afford to eat organic raw all the times, that doesn't mean you must return to a SAD diet. There is a difference between a SAD diet and whole food cooked. Rice and beans for two examples. Personally, I don't care for either raw, but will eat them cooked. They are cheap, that's why many people in developing countries eat them.
Or a baked sweet potato. Something like that.
I'm not trying to encourage you to not eat raw. I just do not think the "all or nothing" mentality is very healthy or helpful. Sometimes we need to give ourselves a break and realize we are doing the best we can.
Otherwise we get in the "failure mode" and decide why not just eat burgers and fries from McDonalds for lunch every day. I think we sometimes forget that (I know I do).
Thanks luxdivon, its good to her those optimistic words, that is the mindset I am trying to keep.
Thank you sisterbecky, I am trying to make meals out of what I have on hand at the house until payday tomorrow. But if I have beans and rice that is usually what I eat when I am out of my raw food. I am getting used to all this and I have to spend half of my grocery money which isnt much on my hubby who eats a SAD diet, but it will all work out and I will get the hang of it soon. :)
Thinking like that is a huge step backward for raw and vegan eaters. If we want to get people interested in this kind of diet, we need to be creative. Just because a lot of us are into being healthy doesn't mean that we're going to completely deny how much we love food. If someone is not satisfied with simply mono meals, they're not someone who considers the concept of "food is simply food." A lot of us are true food lovers, we live to eat, not eat to live, and I think that makes an enormous statement for the vegan and raw community.
I agree with sisterbecky. To reiterate in my own words, just because you can't eat raw organic doesn't mean you have to eat crap. The point with every meal is to eat as high up on the "health" scale as you can, so just because you can't make it to the healthy extreme doesn't mean you have to revert to the other side. Think of it like climbing a mountain. Sure, it would be great to be at the very top. But, as you're climbing, the view is still good the higher you go. Enjoy where you are at and don't get discouraged that you aren't at the top. Any place you are at can be rewarding and exciting if you percieve it that way! Many people say "eating raw isn't for me", then continue to eat junk food. But eating whole unprocessed foods is still a wonderful step in the right direction!!! Its good to hear your optimism with this, keep up the good work.
P.S. Of course, stay motivated to eat the best you can and don't let the required discipline get in the way when going a little "higher" really is feasible.
daliwndrland i don't think you understand. Mono meals are EXPENSIVE. Even a banana mono meal which would be like 5 lbs of bananas is $5. For some of us $15 a day is way over budget for a day..Me and my fiancee are stuck to about $10/day. Beans and Rice are $2 and especially if you already have them in your cabinet and they can keep you alive, then we're just saying it's not a bad thing to eat good healthy cooked food, when financially not able to buy raw. It seems like nothing in your post even makes sense with the rest of the thread.. maybe i'm missing something.
U mad? Okay, work out one hour, eat 2,500 calories a day. Buy bananas in bulk and eat them as your staple. Conventional produce is acceptable, I do not eat organic, unless it's on sale.
Wow, I can't imagine having so little to spend on food. Can you get another job or something? How are you getting any nutrition? Beans and rice might be cheap, but they don't have many nutrients, and are both acid-forming and inflammation-producing.
opps I meant $20 a day for both of us...still barely enough to get what we need..anywayz..it's all good.
we're musicians...so getting a shitty corporate job is not my thing...i would rather starve than work for coporate america... i hope to be making music full time soon enough but hey that's not gonna be that great of money either...
However, we're almost always raw and make it work.
Oh, blakejack i just thought of one - quinoa .. soaked is cheap and is great with fresh vegetables and some spices.
I am actually thinking about getting an extra job at The Whole Foods Market, 20% discount, but I have 2 jobs already a mom and a bank job. We only allow $70 a week for groceries but I end up spending all my extra income on food anyway, so it ends up being alot more for me.
Luxdivon- thanks about the quinoa, love that stuff, but never tried it sprouted, so going to have to give that a shot. I hate my corporate job but just dont know what else I can do right now, have a little girl so just trying to do what is best for her right now.
Blakejack1123: I have a similar predicament, finance-wise! I incorporate cooked grains like quinoa, millet, amaranth, and occasionally rice into my diet, mixed with spices and herbs (and I don't care to hear the gasps of the purists on this forum). These grains (w/exception of rice) are known to be very alkaline. Plus, I have a rice cooker, which cooks all grains and is soooooo easy.
And EVERY morning, w/out fail, I have a green smoothie, which is about the only thing that gets me out of bed some days. I make sure greens and fruit are always plentiful, and if I have money to make other dishes, i do it. If I don't, I don't stress. Better to be calm and relaxed about your diet then fanatical.
The59Sound, is that a Gaslight Anthem reference? Also, "U mad?" - this is not theb9...
bridge 9 is for new hardcore jerk offs. i don't belong to forums, only soulseek hardcore/punk room. and yes, the gaslight anthem are the 21st century bruce springsteen meets clash meets tom petty meets the cure. i'm in love with them atm.
i am in the same boat, eating raw i have found is more expensive becuase i eat massive amounts of fresh food. i agree with sisterbecky, so as much as you can. and things like sweet potatoes, sprouted grain breads, lentils and legumes can be life savers. they are very economical. good luck :)