Isn't being a raw foodist expensive?

[amj]

I'm not a raw foodist but the idea of it really intrigues me and I would love to become one soon. However, the best raw foods are expensive. Superfoods, for example, are very expensive. Deep down I think the raw foods diet is the best diet but it isn't a very practical diet for someone who doesn't have a lot of money. What do you think?

[bman]

No, it's actually cheaper.

You save on

1. Gas.
2. Cleaning/water.
3. Time.


You don't cook much and when you do it's just fast dipping of vege in boiling water to get rid of parasite while still maintaining the nutrients.

Broccolli for example, fast dip into boiling water then rinse with cold water.

[Beuford]

Well if your diet is largely based on fruit with vegetables, say, 70% fruit 30% vegetables (fruit includes nuts, seeds and berries) you shouldn't be paying too much. You don't need superfoods to be your staple food, but they are good to have too. Most fruits don't seem to cost too much(A third or less of what meat costs, in my area at least) and peanuts are probably the cheapest nut. And, grow your own food!

You'll also find yourself saving money on healthcare.

[Dimond]

It all depends on how you do raw. If you eat simple foods, it can be very inexpensive. You don't need tons of superfoods, if any. Your improved health will save you a lot of time and money.

Originally Posted by bman

it's just fast dipping of vege in boiling water to get rid of parasite while still maintaining the nutrients.

Dipping food into boiling water is not raw.

Peanuts (other than the raw imported kind) are a mold and shouldn't be consumed.

[Savage]

Superfoods are mostly a marketing gimmick. They aren't needed.

Bananas are cheap, as are many other fruits and veggies.

If you want to buy the fancy stuff, you'll pay extra for it, but you can certainly do raw w/o those items.

[amj]

Originally Posted by bman

No, it's actually cheaper.

You save on

1. Gas.
2. Cleaning/water.
3. Time.


You don't cook much and when you do it's just fast dipping of vege in boiling water to get rid of parasite while still maintaining the nutrients.

Broccolli for example, fast dip into boiling water then rinse with cold water.

I don't understand how it's cheaper. For me to find the best raw foods is a 15-20 minute drive so I would not save on gas or time. Making sure I ate enough would take more time and money as well.

[amj]

Originally Posted by Beuford

Well if your diet is largely based on fruit with vegetables, say, 70% fruit 30% vegetables (fruit includes nuts, seeds and berries) you shouldn't be paying too much. You don't need superfoods to be your staple food, but they are good to have too. Most fruits don't seem to cost too much(A third or less of what meat costs, in my area at least) and peanuts are probably the cheapest nut. And, grow your own food!

You'll also find yourself saving money on healthcare.

I agree that I would save on healthcare but money is the main issue for myself and many others who eat what is easy and affordable. Here are the big questions that I would have to figure out; how much food would I need to consume in order to meet my nutrional needs and how much would that cost? Fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and berries are good but from my own trial experience, I would have to buy crazy amounts of that stuff in order to have a sufficient amount. How much do you eat?

[amj]

Originally Posted by Dimond

Peanuts (other than the raw imported kind) are a mold and shouldn't be consumed.

What exactly do you mean?

[amj]

Originally Posted by Steve Pavlina

Superfoods are mostly a marketing gimmick. They aren't needed.

Bananas are cheap, as are many other fruits and veggies.

If you want to buy the fancy stuff, you'll pay extra for it, but you can certainly do raw w/o those items.

That probably is true but don't you have to consume a lot of fruits and vegetables in order to have enough? I'm already skinny and I'm afraid that if I go 100% raw I'll just blow away with the wind. Plus, how will I know whether or not I am getting enough calories, fats, minerals, vitamins, etc?

[James81]

Originally Posted by amj

I agree that I would save on healthcare but money is the main issue for myself and many others who eat what is easy and affordable.

I used to hold that same belief. I used to believe that if it were cheaper to eat healthy, I would eat healthy. But I discovered that that was just an excuse.

What helped me overcome that limiting excuse, was to make health/vitality a number one priority in my life. When I did that, I discovered that, yes, I was paying more to eat healthy (albeit it wasn't THAT much more ), but that there were other areas in my life where I could pull that money from that I didn't *need* to have.

For example, what do YOU think is most important?

Have cable television.

or

Having a healthy body.

???

See what I'm saying. No, I didn't cut out my cable. The cost for me to eat healthy didn't make my bill go up too high to make much of a difference.

It's all about priorities. Once you get your priorities straight, it'll fall in line. Those sacrifices you make in the beginning? You'll find a way to reincorporate them into your life somewhere down the line.

I spent six months of last year without getting TV/interenet in my apartment when I moved out. At first it was kinda tough, but I actually got to the point where I didn't miss it. I made due.

I'm sure if you take a look at your finances, you'll see areas where you can make sacrifices to recoup the extra money. After all, what is more important than your health?

[amj]

Originally Posted by James81

I used to hold that same belief. I used to believe that if it were cheaper to eat healthy, I would eat healthy. But I discovered that that was just an excuse.

What helped me overcome that limiting excuse, was to make health/vitality a number one priority in my life. When I did that, I discovered that, yes, I was paying more to eat healthy (albeit it wasn't THAT much more ), but that there were other areas in my life where I could pull that money from that I didn't *need* to have.

For example, what do YOU think is most important?

Have cable television.

or

Having a healthy body.

???

See what I'm saying. No, I didn't cut out my cable. The cost for me to eat healthy didn't make my bill go up too high to make much of a difference.

It's all about priorities. Once you get your priorities straight, it'll fall in line. Those sacrifices you make in the beginning? You'll find a way to reincorporate them into your life somewhere down the line.

I spent six months of last year without getting TV/interenet in my apartment when I moved out. At first it was kinda tough, but I actually got to the point where I didn't miss it. I made due.

I'm sure if you take a look at your finances, you'll see areas where you can make sacrifices to recoup the extra money. After all, what is more important than your health?

I understand what you mean. My body is important to me. It sounds like you are agreeing with me and saying it is more expensive to live as a raw foodist. If that's the case, you understand why so many people choose not to live that life (I'm not speaking for myself right now). A burger will fill a person up better than an apple and some carrots.

Not only is it more expensive, but I don't know exactly what foods I should be consuming on a regular basis in order to maintain proper health.

[James81]

Originally Posted by amj

I understand what you mean. My body is important to me. It sounds like you are agreeing with me and saying it is more expensive to live as a raw foodist. If that's the case, you understand why so many people choose not to live that life (I'm not speaking for myself right now). A burger will fill a person up better than an apple and some carrots.

Not only is it more expensive, but I don't know exactly what foods I should be consuming on a regular basis in order to maintain proper health.

Just to be clear...I'm not a raw foodist, so I don't know how expensive it is to be a raw foodist. I DO eat healthy (my diet follows more along the lines of the food guide pyramid--the newest one), so I do understand that moving from eating boxed crap, to fresher, more healthy foods, can be more expensive, yes.

But those people who choose not to life that life only do so because they use this excuse to justify their lifestyle. It has very little to do with money. It has everything to do with your personal beliefs.

Not knowing what foods you should eat is an excuse too. Granted, there's conflicting information out there, but one thing there is NOT is a LACK of information. Information on health/diet/exercise is so abundant and available to us that the only reason to NOT know what foods to eat is to willfully choose to live in ignorance on this issue.

[amj]

Originally Posted by James81

Just to be clear...I'm not a raw foodist, so I don't know how expensive it is to be a raw foodist. I DO eat healthy (my diet follows more along the lines of the food guide pyramid--the newest one), so I do understand that moving from eating boxed crap, to fresher, more healthy foods, can be more expensive, yes.

But those people who choose not to life that life only do so because they use this excuse to justify their lifestyle. It has very little to do with money. It has everything to do with your personal beliefs.

Not knowing what foods you should eat is an excuse too. Granted, there's conflicting information out there, but one thing there is NOT is a LACK of information. Information on health/diet/exercise is so abundant and available to us that the only reason to NOT know what foods to eat is to willfully choose to live in ignorance on this issue.

Actually, I think people live this way because of lack of information/wrong information, time and money.

Not knowing what foods to consume on a raw diet isn't an excuse. It's a fact. Do you know how much vitamin A, B, C, zinc, potassium, calcium, etc you should have in a day? Which vitamins and minerals are more important than others? How much fat should you consume in a day?

Yes information is everywhere, but what information is accurate? Everybody on the internet isn't a professional. By reading different sites I can get conflicting information. By mentioning that I don't know, I was trying to say that I have questions that I need answered before I assume this lifestyle. If you have the answers then I'm all ears. Teach me. If not, don't tell me I'm making excuses. I'm trying to learn as much as possible and with so much conflicting information (lies) circulating tv and the internet it's hard to separate fact from fiction.

Getting first hand knowledge is my favorite source of information.

[James81]

Originally Posted by amj

Actually, I think people live this way because of lack of information/wrong information, time and money.

Not knowing what foods to consume on a raw diet isn't an excuse. It's a fact. Do you know how much vitamin A, B, C, zinc, potassium, calcium, etc you should have in a day? Which vitamins and minerals are more important than others? How much fat should you consume in a day?

Yes information is everywhere, but what information is accurate? Everybody on the internet isn't a professional. By reading different sites I can get conflicting information. By mentioning that I don't know, I was trying to say that I have questions that I need answered before I assume this lifestyle. If you have the answers then I'm all ears. Teach me. If not, don't tell me I'm making excuses. I'm trying to learn as much as possible and with so much conflicting information (lies) circulating tv and the internet it's hard to separate fact from fiction.

Getting first hand knowledge is my favorite source of information.

Mine too. I simply will not listen to anybody who hasn't experienced what they are telling me. I don't want no keyboard jockey advice. I want advice that has been field tested and has worked for someone else. So I get that.

And I understand how hard it is to sift through the crap, but good information is out there.

And hey, you're on a personal development message board with hundreds of other people who are on the raw food diet as we speak. If you have a question, ask and sift through the advice that shows that the person telling you is actually doing what they are telling you what to do.

Doesn't change what I said. The information is still out there. You just have to take charge and start sifting through it, finding the most common, congruent advice you can find, and then testing it for yourself to see if it works for you.

[Dimond]

What makes no sense though, is when everyone is eating unhealthy foods, they rarely stop and think about those questions-what they should eat and how much, how many vitamins, etc. So if you don't think of it then, why use that as the reason to not eat healthy. Just eat healthy, eat raw and don't worry about everything. It's good to research anything related to health and just do your best based on that info. Every single person is different. There is no one way to eat raw.

At first, you may require larger amounts of food on raw. This is why many eat heavier/high fat meals. For example, a soup or smoothie is more filling with added fats such as avocado or nut/seed butter. Or you can just consume a larger quantity. You start out eating a lot more, more often. As you get use to eating this way, your body requires much less food. This is when you start cutting things out. Mainly it's about paying close attention to how you feel.

Joining a couple of the raw forums can be very helpful and give you the support you need.

[amj]

Originally Posted by Dimond

What makes no sense though, is when everyone is eating unhealthy foods, they rarely stop and think about those questions-what they should eat and how much, how many vitamins, etc. So if you don't think of it then, why use that as the reason to not eat healthy. Just eat healthy, eat raw and don't worry about everything. It's good to research anything related to health and just do your best based on that info. Every single person is different. There is no one way to eat raw.

At first, you may require larger amounts of food on raw. This is why many eat heavier/high fat meals. For example, a soup or smoothie is more filling with added fats such as avocado or nut/seed butter. Or you can just consume a larger quantity. You start out eating a lot more, more often. As you get use to eating this way, your body requires much less food. This is when you start cutting things out. Mainly it's about paying close attention to how you feel.

Joining a couple of the raw forums can be very helpful and give you the support you need.

You are absolutely right. And I do eat healthy. I am the health nut when compared to my friends. Honestly, one of the main things preventing me from going 100% raw is money. Buying lots of healthy foods is expensive. You have probably heard people say they will start eating healthy once they get more money. Well, they say this because healthy foods are typically more expensive.
Thanks, I'll check out the raw forums

[ginkgo]

No boubt adout it. A study in America and Europe showed that the richer people were, the healthier they were.

[amj]

Originally Posted by ginkgo

No boubt adout it. A study in America and Europe showed that the richer people were, the healthier they were.

Makes sense to me.

[Holistic Star]

But that could also be down to other lifestyle factors, like not smoking or drinking so much. Having more time to exercise. I read a study where the better your job, the less stressed you were likely to be, so again that contributes to overall health.

I think one of the problems with the raw food diet is planning. Fresh food goes off so quickly compared to packets and jars that you can keep in the cupboard. I would find I would either have too much food and have wastage, or suddenly not enough.

[amj]

Originally Posted by Holistic Star

But that could also be down to other lifestyle factors, like not smoking or drinking so much. Having more time to exercise. I read a study where the better your job, the less stressed you were likely to be, so again that contributes to overall health.

I think one of the problems with the raw food diet is planning. Fresh food goes off so quickly compared to packets and jars that you can keep in the cupboard. I would find I would either have too much food and have wastage, or suddenly not enough.

That is a good point. Planning would be a challenge. Since I love eating, I would rather have too much vs not enough. Then it just becomes a matter of spending the money on the food and not eating too much too quickly.