Hello all,

I am completely new to the raw vegan diet. Very recently I have finished Dr. Graham's 80/10/10 book and have been interested in going into a raw vegan diet for the rest of my life starting from the beginning of my undergraduate studies.

However, one the difficulties of my situation that I have been thinking about would be the time and cost that would be required to sustain such a lifestyle. How often does one need to go to the market to restock on foods? How much would it cost to continually buy fruits and other snacks for say cost per month? Would it be possible to balance my studies while on a diet that I am completely alien to?

In Dr. Graham's book, he lists many different daily diets one can choose from, however, these daily meals usually include large amounts of fruits. As a result, I am a bit concerned about the cost, I don't believe I can sustain such a diet if the cost-benefits aren't there.

Ultimately my desire to be on a raw vegan diet comes from the need to be healthier and not overweight which I am currently.

Thank you for all your replies!

Hiya, this might help some:

[www.youtube.com]

Depending on where you're living, you also might not be too far away from a produce distribution warehouse. I've taken to going to one here in Philly, where I spend around $150 every week for an all-organic haul that would run around twice as much retail. Just have to buy everything by the case.. which might not work for everything you'd want to eat, but it could probably help on cost and cutting down on multiple trips.

Also, you may want to look into growing some of your own food. I'm personally planning on going this route over the fall:

[windowfarms.com]
[our.windowfarms.org]

in my opinion, its the cheapest way to go ( except if you were to compare it to ramen ... but ramen will be expensive cuz of medical bills in the long run)

maybe most will disagree but anyhow

if u think about what most students eat, "fast food" you think of hamburgers, fries, doritos, and the all prevalent pizza

i think those items are gobs more expensive then say... veggies

veggies are most certainly cheaper than meat

certainly cheaper than fast food or junk food ( i think junk food is the most expensive food you can get if you compare nutrients to pennies... you get zero nutrients for lots of pennies)

hence if u compare pennies to nutrient per oz for vegetables, you get a LOT more nutrients for every penny you spend

okay, that's the best way i can explain it

or express how i feel concerning cost

you are just simply getting more for your buck

thus in the long haul, its "cheaper"

poor inferior or even "mediocre" health

is just kind of pricey, dicey and tricky and it can be even trickier on your wallet too

not to mention emotional and mental health

these can suffer as well

not saying that food is a pancea for all

but if you are studying in school

you want to be on your A Game as much as possible because focus is the name of the game

high nutrient foods ( most just happen to be raw)

could be your ticket to the "Focus Dome" ( that's what I call the arena where I can focus... yeah, i put a name on it

also, fasting with veggie juice, i found helped me focus a LOT
when i had exams and whatnot

its like having focus on steroids

believe me, it works ( if you can handle the stress of your own conditioning that tells you that you are "hungry" even if your body is getting enough nutrients)

but if you are not comfy with that, and uncertain about it and not enough info. experience, faith etc. forget it.. you will just be defeating yourself if you think you are damaging yourself.. you just might damage yourself from your own belief system

but just thought i'd tell you what worked for me when i was in school

i think if you are starting out , you kind of just need to be your own guinea pig and forget what everyone tells you ( including me)

and just experiment and experience for yourself what works for you

i mean that

you won't believe or follow anyone's advice ( and you shouldn't )

unless it works for you

everyone says that

but few actually believe we are as individual as we claim to be

we really ARE all very individual and unique

so don't be surprised if you find that what works for one won't work for another

that's just the way it goes

that's my best "advice"

the body gets more easily happy with raw food - simply said one needs less food - much less - especially if you don't go into complicated recipes that require expensive ingredients -

just stick to fresh local fruits and vegetables, add some soaked nuts and seeds, do some sprouting and you'll loose weight even without thinking about it while at the same time saving money on grocery bills

love
Cynthia