The financial aspect of a raw foods diet

[MoonMama78]

I am looking for approximates on the cost of a raw foods diet. Are you and or your family 75% or more raw foodists? If so, approximately how much do you spend a month on food and what state/province do you live in?

Cheers,

MoonMama

[fresh_veggie]

I'm interested in this as well - bump! :

[CharlieToaster]

I'm getting ready to do this. I need to go shopping sometime very soon. I think it depends on how far you go. I mean, nuts are expensive. I'm just starting so I think I'll be doing lots of green and fruit smoothies. I'm going to invest in a dehydrator and a juicer but not the mega expensive ones at this point. I'm going raw. If the rest of the family follows suit I will invest in more. My kids are little so I'd like to make raw chips and such for them to start. I think the initial investment is high but then once you see what you use it will taper off to regular shopping. It also depends on where you buy your veggies and fruits and if you are going to be all organic. I'm not going to push the organic thing from the beginning. I'm in the midwest so I think it would be limiting. It also depends on if you are going to use all fresh fruits and veggies or flash frozen. Depends of if you want your greens in a bag pre-washed or you clean them yourself.

I have read that once you are on the diet for a while you find yourself eating less because your body utilized the nutrients better because of the live enzymes.

I was raw for a while a few years ago but I was living overseas and many of the things were hard to get. I'm thinking a dehydrator and a juicer are going to be necessary for variety.

I think I will tally and see.

[SugarAndSun]

I think it is a little pricey because you can't fill in with things like rice and pasta. You need enough veggies and fruits to fill you up... or plan way ahead with soaking, etc.

I am going raw again soon. It's great during the summer, but harder during the winter. I always allow myself tortillas though since I like to put my salad in them... so I guess I am more like 90% raw.

[number572]

When I was above 90% raw for about a half a year I felt so vibrant & looked really full of life & I had a ton of energy. Raw is the way to eat if you can afford it, for sure. I couldn't. I noticed that my looks, energy level, positivity all went down very shortly after going back to my cheap cooked staples like pasta or beans. But I couldn't afford it. Nothing like a huge plate of chopped up veggies or fruits for a meal, awesome.

Subbing to get ideas of how to do it cheaper.

[caiesmommy]

:

We go pretty raw in the summer and I can't wait...I need tips on lowering the cost too!

[CharlieToaster]

I did my first raw shop yesterday. I have very little time so I shopped at
Walmart. It's in a nice part of town so they had nice things. I did a lot of research on juicers yesterday because I'm very much drawn to the idea of the healthiness of carrot juice. I would rather put everything else in a blender though. It makes a thicker smoothie but I want all the fiber and nutrients from the whole fruit or veggie. I ended up with a much less expensive juicer to start since it's only for carrots. it was 60 bucks. I was originally going to get a different one but they were more expensive in the store then online. I have an Oster blender with a food processor attatchment. the blades are sharp and they work well.

I picked up some walnuts and almonds. The only raw nuts I could find. Walmart often had raw nuts in the produce section but that may be more seasonal around x-mas. Strawberries were on sale for 98 cents a quart so I stocked up. Doesn't matter if they start to get soft I'm going to put them in a blender anyway. Oranges and grapefruits were at a good price. They had Dole flash frozen fruit a 4 pound bag for 7.98. It was peaches mango strawberries and pineapple. I didn't buy it but good to know it's there. It was later in the day and they were out of most bunches of greens so I had to get pre-washed spinach and mixed darkest greens they had. Raw honey was 6.98. Tomato's, onions, garlic, kiwi, lemons, apples, banana's. I think the lemons were expensive but I picked up 2. cantelopes, cucumbers, carrots. Avacado's were hard. 1.38 each. Thought I'd wait. Don't think I'll be eating one soon. I'm set on juices and smoothies for now. I feel heavy and want to clean myself out.

I still need to go to Trader Joes and Whole foods to check out what they have. Nuts are usually least expensive at TJ and they have good prices on frozen fruits. Walmart had nut butters but they were roasted. I'm sure WF will have more raw stuff.

I think I'll be offsetting some of the prices at the moment because I'm going to clean out my cupboards feeding dh and the kids. When it's emptier I think more fruits and veggies will be in season and I can do more fresh stuff for them. DH is happy with hotpockets. Kids love fruit. A cantelope is my son's happy meal. :-)

I am still getting it all together, organizing the kitchen etc... I think it will be the end of the week before I'm totally raw but I'm getting there and my body is creally craving this stuff so it feels great. I'm going to try and go raw today. I'm not hungry yet, still full of the non raw dinner I had. amazing to see how it is slowing him down!

[lurve]

just so you know, the term "raw" is not legally defined so companies can use the term and the stuff not be raw. for example, my beloved trader joe's. those nuts are NOT raw. i sent an email asking them if their nuts/seeds were raw and here is the email they sent me back

Aloha, -

Thanks for your email. The raw nuts we carry that are steam treated
are:

Walnuts
Pecans
Hazelnuts
Brazils
Almonds
Cashews
Mixed
Organic Almonds
Pepitas
Pine Nuts
Sunflower Seeds
Go Raw Trek Mix
Organic Walnuts

Thanks for shopping with us,

Marci
Trader Joe's Customer Relations

[lurve]

also wanted to add that the more i eat raw, the less i seem to eat...

[CharlieToaster]

Originally Posted by lurve

just so you know, the term "raw" is not legally defined so companies can use the term and the stuff not be raw. for example, my beloved trader joe's. those nuts are NOT raw. i sent an email asking them if their nuts/seeds were raw and here is the email they sent me back

Aloha, -

Thanks for your email. The raw nuts we carry that are steam treated
are:

Walnuts
Pecans
Hazelnuts
Brazils
Almonds
Cashews
Mixed
Organic Almonds
Pepitas
Pine Nuts
Sunflower Seeds
Go Raw Trek Mix
Organic Walnuts

Thanks for shopping with us,

Marci
Trader Joe's Customer Relations

WOW! Thanks for letting me know! I will have to check out Whole foods. I'm not giant nut person at the moment...I'll have to check out the Healt Food stores too.

[SugarAndSun]

Wow! That is crazy about TJ's nuts. I guess they say that because they aren't roasted! Too bad, they re so much cheaper!

How cn one determine if nuts are raw? Is there a good online source?

[MoonStarFalling]

I spend about $200 a month just for ME being 100% raw and juicing at home. Produce $50/week and nuts $50/month. Medium COL area. I try to buy what's on sale and I don't eat that many nuts. You can also check dumpsters for produce. I don't live in town so I don't usually make it on the right day for that. During the summer I can get by a lot cheaper because of all the local produce.

[CharlieToaster]

hmmmm.......

My Hamilton Beach $60.00 juicer works great for carrot juice! Juicers by nature are complicated machines so I think I'll only be using it once a day for carrots. It's not difficult, just a lot of pieces to wash. I'm currently only juicing for me so for the volume it's not worth it. Although, my son had a great time making fresh lemonade with honey. I was glad he didn't drink it because it was yummy!

I was reading about raw nuts last night. Very complicated issue. it makes me wonder if any nuts are raw. The article I read about what nuts are actually able to sprout within a reasonalble time was short. Most nuts are treated with some sort of heat to make sure they are clean enough and won't grow bacteria. The author of the article who test them said the best thing to do is purchase your own raw nuts if you can and that seems almost impossible. He did say in the article he did his experiments and research in the 80's and things may have changed. I decided to buy raw nuts, as in un flavored and unroasted and leave it at that. It's a smaller part of the diet vs. fruits and veggies so I'm going to let that go. It may make me 80% raw or whatever but I really don't see other viable options besides spending what? 5.99 for 8 oz or nuts online? I'm open to other info and suggestions!

[clovergirl]

it is near impossible to find truly raw nuts in most grocery stores. ones labeled raw are usually steam treated, like the previous poster mentioned. occasionally the bigger markets like whole foods or small health food stores will carry raw nuts from companies specializing in raw food- raw dried fruit, raw nuts and seeds, raw cacao, etc. but real raw nuts are crazy expensive-be prepared for sticker shock.

[MoonStarFalling]

Some raw foodists also include some grains which are usually steam heat treated as well to prevent mold or whatever. Dried and frozen fruits are often boiled before they're dried/frozen. It's pretty much impossible to truly be 100% raw unless you grow everything yourself. I just try to stick or organic produce as much as possible.

[CharlieToaster]

So true. Do a google search an there is so much info about raw vegan eating and lifestyle. So much information based on personal experience. It's all great info but I think we all have to find our own way. Whatever works to make us feel at our best. Realistically speaking, I was thinking about the raw nut issue and decided I didn't really want to have raw nuts trucked in from somewhere that haven't been treated kwim? I live smack dap in the middle of the country. We have cold winters. Yes, we will get organic, local stuff in the summer and fall but it doesn't mean I should eat cooked veggies or processed foods just because I can't get organic. Fresh fruits and veggies, even if they are grown w/pesticides have to be better that that. Same with nuts.

[sweetpeppers]

I buy cases (40lbs) of bananas as my staple food (like rice, grains, etc for a cooked food person). I don't eat all organic, so I buy most of my food at produce junction. I buy 2.5lb bags of spinach. I tend to buy things that are on sale, in season, and in bulk. I'll buy a lot of strawberries one week when they are 2lbs for $3, and the next week I'll get a whole bunch of mangoes when they are on sale. I don't eat a lot of nuts, so I'm not spending $10 a pound on anything. About nuts, all the nuts that you buy aren't really fresh, they've all been dehydrated to keep them fresh. Whole foods may be the best place to buy them though, because they are upfront about what has been blanched, steamed etc.

[CharlieToaster]

I shopped at Costco yesterday. It was great to buy in bulk! A case of Oranges, A 15 lb bag of grapefruits, 5lbs of organic carrots, pre-washed spinach - lot's of organics! I'm not sure it it was all drastically cheaper but it great to buy in bulk and I think the quality is excellent in comparison to where I usually shop. a 3lb bag of baby spinach for 3.29 is good! They also had raw almonds and raw almond butter at very good prices too. The almond butter is Maranatha. We will be spending a lot of time shopping at Costco!

[CharlieToaster]

Holy Cow! excuse the pun. I went to Whole Foods today. Outrageously expensive! Truly raw nut butter was $29.99! I didn't see any truly raw nuts. Regular nut butters were 6.99-9.99. I realize they carry all organic and specialty products but even the easy to find organic items were at least 1/3 more then anywhere else if not more! WOW!!

[Danielle13]

we're raw til dinner.

Usually we spend about....4-500/m for 2 adults and a baby.

we live in alaska though. So that contributes to the price!