I know this issue has been addressed many times before, but I'm curious how you're faring in the worsening world economy. Is eating raw a pasttime for the rich, the rural, and only those who can afford to grow their own? The world of processed and cooked foods (eg, beans and rice, potatoes) is sooo much cheaper. So how can you be both healthy raw, and financially strapped?

I am faring lousy! Ha! ha! Still: Doing the RIGHT thing is not a question. We do what we can. ANYONE can grow SOMETHING. Poor....rich....NOONE can take away your right to grow your own stuff or forage. As I'm sure others will point out, eating crap is only 'cheaper' if you factor out ongoing illness, missed days at work, decreased mood, and the other problems that go along with NOT doing what you think is right diet-wise. So: do what you can and don't sweat the rest. Fears are your radar - not your counselors. Heh..heh.

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com

When it comes to a choice between good health or a few more bucks in the bank I choose good health.
In the long run good health pays off big time $$$

The best food on the planet is worth the extra cost, and there are many things you can do to save while eating raw foods.

Eat seasonally, locally
Grow your own herbs and sprouts
Stick with seeds over nuts
Eat fruits with more bang for your buck like bananas

Sunflower
Raw Food Chef and Writer
Comfortably Raw
[www.comfortablyraw.com]

I'm having a really hard time stretching the budget. Our household income has decreased dramatically.

I may have to give up the frozen wheatgrass. My daughter has had good results with adding wheatgrass to her smoothies. It's just so expensive $15.75 for a 10 day supply. I can't afford a wheatgrass juicer or I would definitely be growing my own wheatgrass. I was thinking of growing wheatgrass anyways and chewing it like the cows do except I would probably wear down my teeth and I don't have dental insurance. LOL

I've seen families at the grocery store buying several cases of "Cup of Noodles," probably because it's cheap. How sad it is when families can't afford to feed their families nutritious foods. It really is cheaper to eat like crap.

> I may have to give up the frozen wheatgrass. My
> daughter has had good results with adding
> wheatgrass to her smoothies. It's just so
> expensive $15.75 for a 10 day supply.

I'm the exact opposite. I've been considering JUST using the frozen wheatgrass and not worrying so much about regular vegetables. I was paying like $200 for a few weeks because I use Dynamic Greens. I didn't like that evergreen brand.

I was sticking with carrot+apple+beet juice once or twice a day just cause it's cheap and easy and loaded with nutrients. With my hypoglycemia, my doctor is making me lay off it.

Other than that, I'm pretty much screwed. I've been having a hard time finding a job..just got one but I'm not expecting any huge source of income plus I have credit cards to pay off since I was living off of credit cards. I just let my car insurance drop which is saving me $100 a month..and it's actually easier and safer to drive through the boonies ..to get more "local" veggies so less chance of getting caught since less crazy people and no cops..Got to do what you got to do I guess.

I want to spend another $200 or so on credit to get a water distiller because it makes more sense in the long run and probably pays for itself instead of buying bottled water(yeah might not be great but it tastes better than tap) Plus, I'm sick of lugging the things in the house and then throwing a bunch of empty bottles out on garbage night.(recycle, but still)

Around here, the grocery chains aren't doing well and the "discount grocery stores" that sell the same food are booming. Save A Lot, Price Rite, etc. Like instead of name brand cereals, they get those brands for a dollar less. Americans think they'll get thinner but they'll probably get fatter.

Anyway, I'm trying to stick with the most nutritious foods for the price. Like carrots were still about $4 for 5lbs. I'm eating cheap and easy calories again like oatmeal and peanut butter.Pumpkin Seeds..cheap and easy iron. (All bulk at Whole Foods or health food stores) I was sprouting millet, beans and quinoa and adding them to salads but I'm not crazy about the taste. Since it's considered "Bird Seed" it's still cheap. Apples of course are really cheap right now along with banannas and frozen berries for smoothies. Plus if you go through a co-op, sometimes you can get a deal for buying in bulk and make it even cheaper. usually if you do volunteer work at a co-op, you get discounts that way too.

If you can't do 100% raw, at least go with the "healthier" SAD choices.

Steamed sweet potato, broccoli, and cauliflower are not all that bad, nor is a serving of beans every day, especially if you sprout them and then only lightly steam them for a few minutes.

I'm going to be eating more sweet potato for sure. Not very happy about it but I don't want to lose my house or anything like that and I can get them for about $0.45/lb at the Asian store. I am cutting back where I can.

you won't get sick and join the other millions with no healthcare + high risk-disease then? just a pro

buy seasonal, and local. Whole FOOODS

so yeah, paying for food is worth it

green veggies are still cheap
most under two bucks
those are my staple

more bang for my buck
most dense nutrients

> buy seasonal, and local. Whole FOOODS

Doing that is actually more expensive where I am.


> so yeah, paying for food is worth it

I don't think that was the question. More like how can you afford it with everything doubling in price lately?

Everything is going up in price expect for people's income.

la_veronique Wrote:
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> green veggies are still cheap
> most under two bucks
> those are my staple
>
> more bang for my buck
> most dense nutrients

Sure, if you buy your vegetables from Super Walmart. Personally, I question the nutrient content of something bought at Walmart.

Green veggies sure aren't cheap here.

Also, I've simply been eating less. Living in a big American city, I simply cannot afford to be a fruitarian, especially as the cold creeps back in.

Quote

I simply cannot afford to be a fruitarian

I can't afford not to be.

But then I'm not a fruitarian as I eat fresh fruits, veggies, and some of the seeds that come through my kitchen.

I eat for the health of it.

I think making a serious investment into the wellbeing of every cell in my body is the single greatest investment there is to make. I feel like there's nothing to fear if I make sure I have the strongest building blocks in my body possible. The stockmarket may crash, but my vitality certainly won't.

I mean... with supercharged cells... and pure, oxygenated blood going to your brain... who COULDN'T think of a solution and then be physically able to act upon it, should push come to shove? =)

Maybe that's a bit idealistic in some ways...

But dandelion greens are abundant, and there is no cheaper food for sale than sprouts--which are a SOLID source of nutrition. >8)

We may have to say goodbye to $10 dragonfruits, but that's not part of what is sustainable in my area, anyway.

I don't know how else to plainly put that buying healthy food rather then unorganic stuff is worth it. So, sorry if you disagree, it's no big deal, just don't buy it if you feel like it's not worth it.

iLIVE Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I don't know how else to plainly put that buying
> healthy food rather then unorganic stuff is worth
> it. So, sorry if you disagree, it's no big deal,
> just don't buy it if you feel like it's not worth
> it.

It's not about disagreeing or agreeing whether or not organic food is healthier than Mcdonalds. I don't know how else to plainly put that whether or not you buy healthy food or Mcdonalds is irrelevant. I don't know how else to plainly put that some people do not have the money PERIOD.

You sound like a rich snob.

Yes, well, I didn't mean to suggest substituting McDonald's for healthy raw fruits and vegetables. But raw fruits are very expensive. Some of us are going through tough economic times. So in my own little raw journey here I'm beginning to do what Arugula wrote, and I'm now eating more sweet potatoes, and the cheaper (organic) vegetables like, yes, of course, sprouts, and whatever cheap organic fare I can find.

However, what I want to eat are organic wild blueberries, cherries, raspberries, blackberries, muscadine grapes, mangoes, plums, grapefruit (just three organic grapefruit at my farmer's market cost $5.69), watermelon, pineapple, young coconuts, and I think you get my point.

Of course we're all about "let food be thy medicine..." and "let health be your wealth..." we just need cheaper ways to eat well as the economy continues to unravel.

Likeitornot--
;-p gotta agree with you; i certainly can't afford much organic, and even have to forego some non-organic produce that is just too pricey.

i try to stay 100% raw and eat as healthy as possible, but when a cantalaupe jumps from 2 for $4 to $3.29 ea., organic peaches are now $6.99 a lb. (big ones--that's about $5+ a peach) and so on, I have to be really picky, and it's a drag. Grapes and pineapples are very often too expensive. I wait till pineapples are 2/$4 at a tiny little market in a nearby town every once in awhile, and I buy lots of them.

i can't just think about myself, you know? my husband eats somewhat different foods from me. he's frugal and very unselfish, and always thinks of my needs first over his own, so i can't justify spending lots of money on myself at his expense. i have to find balance. probably many of us are in this situation.

On a more positive note, I've found somewhat of a way around all of this: I have started creating a very controlled menu of foods for a month or so at a time, and I try not to deviate too much from it. This saves me a LOT of money, and actually really helps me to eat better too because I don't get distracted, and i end up easting less food. My current menu plan is for the month of October, and one of the main elements is raw apple sauce made with local apples.

Sharrhan:


[www.facebook.com]

I've been having a hard time too. My budget is $300 a month for food & toiletries for three people. I just found a local grocery store (not a chain) that had oranges, apples, & pears for 30 cents a pound. Veggies were cheap too. I got 12 bags of groceries for $50 today. I'm really excited! Now off to the juicer!


WendySmiling in Oklahoma
www.16weeks2health.blogspot.com
12/17/10.......240/155/125

I thought the point of this thread was "How has the economy affected our raw food lifestyle," and not "whether or not our health is worth the the cost."

My family's health is definitely worth it. But my husband lost his job and was out of work for 6 months. He finally found another job but he's now making $10.00 less per hour than his previous job. That is a drastic decrease in wages. We don't have the grocery budget we had one year ago. So yeah, the economy has affected my family and we've had to make necessary adjustments.

I'm definitely eating a lot less than before. By eating less, I'm ensuring that my daughter has plenty of raw foods available for her. I make sure all the choicest foods are for her because we're trying to restore her health. I'm surviving on a lot of carrot juice these days. Oddly enough, I haven't lost any weight and my energy level is just as good as before.

I don't think the economy has affected my raw foods lifestyle yet, but it will: I just stopped working and am looking for income options that are more aligned with my values. I have one more paycheck coming, then life will get more complicated. We are more serious about putting up food from the gardens -- drying tomatoes and making salsas and soups for the freezer, freezing and drying peppers, not eating out at all -- this is a biggie for me. There is a vegan restaurant in town that has an amazing raw soup (if I change the rice for raw veggies), but some of the other places I have been frequenting have been compromising to where I really need to be, so I think this economic shift will be good for me. My partner works at the co-op, and I do member hours, so our discount is pretty good. Also, we can bring home any culled produce (otherwise we wouldn't get many avocados). Last winter we had food growing in our living room in January and in our greenhouse in February (in Mass.) and will do the same this winter. We'll do more sprouting too.

Talk to the produce guy. I buy alot of things in bulk and he gives me 10% off. Like I bought a case of califlower last week. It makes good filler for salads or nori rolls. Also, I only eat half of the avacado and save the other half for next meal. For us there is no option of eating cooked or non-organic and we are poor. We would be even worse off if we ate cooked non-organic because my son would get sick and we would have to go to the doctor and miss work. I am also growing lettuce & veggies in my closet and aerogardens.

.

I love the idea of buying cases of organic vegetables and fruits, but my kitchen and refrigerator are, shall we say, super-compact! ;-p It's just not possible for me right now.

My alternate tactic is to systematically and deliberately cleanse and build, cleanse and build, eating less, over and over again so my body learns that it needs less and less food (because it assimilates better and better).

Sharrhan:


[www.facebook.com]

kwan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I love the idea of buying cases of organic
> vegetables and fruits, but my kitchen and
> refrigerator are, shall we say, super-compact! ;-p

This is actually very cool. In my area, the fridge
is the number one consumer of kwH. So having a compact
instead of a full-size is very environmentally friendly.

The way to keep the high raw food diet with a compact
fridge is to shop every day for groceries, hopefully on
one's bicycle.

There is a 9.9 cf Avanti that takes 228 kwH per year,
I think that will be my next fridge.

I understand what everyone is saying here and truly sympathize, being an unemployed Michigander. However, I think raw foodists are very lucky in that they can: avail themselves of things like sprouted seeds and beans, which you can grow yourself on the cheap as a good substitute for mature protein and carb sources that may be expensive or difficult to find; smoothies, which are very filling as well as nutritious; and homemade sprouted grain breads and nut butters, which can go a long way in stretching ingredients, curbing appetite, and providing ready nutrients to satiate the metabolism instantly. It's still difficult with the price of fresh produce being what it is, but if you live in a farming state, try to shop at local markets, rather than chains--they sometimes buy from a short enough distance to not have to charge a "delivery cost" markup. Or see about buying in bulk from your local independent health food store, if they have fresh produce. And as for eating in season, I think that's good advice, with one caveat: climate. I would venture to guess, based on my readings here, that most of us aren't living in San Diego and can't grow whatever we want[herbs aren't really food] because of a prolonged growing season due to location. What if you live in rural Arizona? You can't subsist on nopales all winter. And here in the upper Midwest, if I tried that, I'd have to survive for the next six months on home made sauerkraut and shredded root vegetables. I wouldn't die of scurvy, but I might die of boredom! For me the hardest thing to remember is that, although convenience foods at the grocery store are cheaper, they are also devoid of nutrition, so in the long run, I will be hungrier and will spend more money on crap "food" to fill myself up. It really is a daily struggle to restructure my mindset . . . .