Eating raw well on any budget

Buying in bulk is one of the best ways to reduce you wallet price, save you gas and frequent trips to the market

How to Eat Raw on a Budget…

February 19, 2014cost of a raw diethow to eat raw on a budgetAnthea Frances

“Eating raw is so expensive.”

“How can you afford it?”

“..definitely a middle class diet.”

… Just a few of the questions and statements people have made since I embarked on this lifestyle 2 years ago.

I must admit I too was concerned at the beginning.  We did seem to be spending more money on food, which was already our biggest living expense.  And I felt a bit extravagant bringing home boxes and boxes of fruit.

But, when I really thought about it, in the year prior to going raw, I had been spending a huge amount of money on medications for my myriad ailments:  Medications for headaches, asthma, eczema and acne, rhinitis, antibiotics for recurrent infections, candida pills and creams and, increasingly, gastric reflux medication.

I could see that if I wasn’t careful I would end up taking a similar range of medications to my mother, who is on drugs for blood pressure, reflux, auto-immune inflammation, depression as well as other drugs to counter the negative side-effects of the drugs she’s taking.

I always marvel when I watch her lining up her pills on the kitchen counter each morning.  I personally feel sick if I take just one drug, let alone a whole cocktail.

When I asked her recently what she was spending per month on medications she told me it was around $100 a month.  (And this is in Australia where prescription medication is heavily subsidized by the government.)

For the record, the average American is on 12-15 medications, Omeprazole (an indigestion medication) being at the top of the list.

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The truth is, eating good quality, preferably organic, fruits and veggies simply negates the need for drug ‘therapy’.

I now realize I have a choice – I can either pay for health now, or pay later with my health…

Either way, I WILL pay:  I’ll have good health into old age, or rapidly deteriorating health and severely diminished quality of life.

BUT, even though eating raw is generally more expensive than a standard diet or even a plant-based diet, it doesn’t have to be…

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Here are my top 7 tips for eating raw on a budget:

1.  Eat Low Fat Raw Vegan (aka 80/10/10)

I’ve tried the gourmet, high fat approach to raw and it didn’t suit me for a number of reasons:  1) my digestive system didn’t cope with all the nuts and oils, 2) it was labor intensive making all those fancy meals, and 3) it was damn pricy purchasing all those superfoods and novelty items.

On the contrary, with a high fruit or fruit-based diet the emphasis is on simple meals of less than five ingredients (preferably even mono fruit meals).  When you eat this way you can choose to eat mono or very simple meals of whatever fruit is in season and on sale this week.  Eating mono also means that you can buy in bulk and nothing will go to waste.

2.  Buy in Bulk

It goes without saying, buying fruit buy the box is ALWAYS cheaper than by the piece.  Ask your local store manager about good deals right now.  Get to know them by name and they will go out of their way to help you find bargains.

3.  Limit packet purchases

This includes superfoods, special oils like flax oil, Bragg Liquid Aminos, Nama Shoyu, Agave syrup.  You really don’t need these foods, people!  They’re expensive, often highly refined and high in sodium.

Nothing beats fruit, veg, nuts and seeds in their original, natural packaging.  Their nutrients are intact until you bite into them for the very first time.  You can’t say that about anything that comes in a packet!  It’s also so much cheaper to buy humble fruit and veg than health food store superfoods.

4.  Buy in season

If it’s in season, then generally there is more supply than demand and therefore it will be cheaper by default.  Your body will naturally crave the fruits that are in season, and with good reason.  Summer fruits are high in water content and glucose to keep you cool and carbed up, winter fruits are often higher in Vitamin C to ward off those pesky flu bugs.

The question about whether to buy organic always comes up when people are tight on funds.  Of course, organic is optimal but, if I had to choose between cooked organic beans and rice (which are cheap) and conventional raw fruits and veggies, I would choose conventional raw any day.  However, if you can stretch a little, try to buy the Dirty Dozen organic.  This list includes things like apples, berries, celery, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers and some leafy greens.  Just google search Dirty Dozen and you’ll find the most current list.

Worried about pesticides…

5.  Grow your own

I’m not a green thumb and so it has taken me quite a while to learn not to kill everything I plant. J  But a bit of willingness and an adventurous spirit goes a long way, and I’ve learned that I can make some real savings by planting my own.  This year we had the most delightful crop of plums – simply the tastiest plums I’ve ever had.

It really pays to grow your own leafy greens and berries, which can be expensive at the store and heavily sprayed.  They are very easy to grow and do not take up a whole lot of space either.  And they can also be planted in pots for people who live in small spaces or apartments.

5.  Pick your own

Keep your ear to the ground for local fruit farmers who will happily have you come to their farm and pick straight from their orchards.  You’re doing them a favour.  They won’t have to pay freight or middle man charges to get their fruit into your hands, so produce ends up being loads cheaper.

And there’s nothing nicer than biting into a juicy apple that you’ve just handpicked from the tree.  Mmmmm…

Another option is to forage for food.  If you keep your eyes open you’ll be amazed at what you can find for free.  That fruiting mulberry tree on the nature strip outside a vacant rental house, or black berries growing wild. (Just make sure they haven’t been sprayed).

6.  Waste Not Want Not

I love the fact that frugality is back in fashion!  It’s cool to be careful about conserving and using up food rather than letting it go to waste.  If you eat a lot of fruit like I do then you get very good at learning how to ripen, consume and save fruits in bulk.

I make sure I check my fruit daily, making sure that spotty bananas are separated and nicely aired to slow down their ripening process, and freezing any that are ready to use right now but are surplus to my needs right now.

A tip on freezing fruit:  You must peel it first.  It can be chopped and placed on a platter to freeze first before putting into zip-lock bags or containers.

Freezers and dehydrators really come into their own when you want to make cheap fruit and veg last as long as possible.  Dehydrate your own herbs, tomatoes, or celery to make celery salt.

Dumpster diving has also risen in popularity with the whole frugality movement.  Stores throw out enormous amounts of perfectly good produce at the end of each day, and if you’re prepared to dress in overalls, carry a flashlight and work at night time then you can spend very little or nothing on food.

Check out this news clip on Dumpster diving:

News Report on Dumpster Diving

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7.  Make substitutions

The following are great substitutions for more expensive raw items:

Expensive OptionCheaper AlternativesNutsSunflowers, Flax or sesame seedsFlaxseed OilGround flaxseeds mixed into waterExotic fruitsSeasonal fruits like bananas, apples, oranges and pearsLimesLemonsStore bought leafy greensDandelion weeds from your gardenGoji or Acai BerriesDates, Raisins and Prunes

Budget Raw Recipe Tip:  Banana Dandelion Smoothie

7 spotty bananas

2 cups of dandelion weeds

1-2 cups of water

Blend and Enjoy!

Conclusion – See!  Eating raw doesn’t have to be expensive at all.  Frederic Patenaude has done some great research on living on plant-based and raw diets on a budget, and he believes you can live on a raw diet for $10 a day.  If you’re not raw, you can do a plant-based vegan diet for $3.33 a day.  Where there’s a will, there’s a way, I say!

What are your best tips for budget raw living?  Please share in the comments section below.  I’d love to hear from you!

 If you found this article interesting or useful and would like to share it with someone in your life, or with the world, I’m more than happy for you to do that!  I just have one request – please copy and paste the message in its entirety, including my details below.

Anthea Frances is a writer, raw food health coach and student of holistic health and nutrition.  She is also the author of a free special report on “The Shocking Truth about High Protein Diets – 5 Key Reasons Why they are Damaging Your Health” and also a free bonus recipe guide “Six Sexy and Sensational Smoothies to Keep You Satisfied”.  To get your free copy of both of these reports go to www.realrawnutrition.com and start improving your health today!