ANSWER: It can be, but it does not have to be. If it sounds like I am wobbling a little bit in answering a straightforward question, you are perfectly correct. The problem with giving a definitive answer is that it requires a “qualified” response (NO – I have never run for public office). The best answer is that it will depend on your “sourcing” skills and the resulting connections you are able to make. Let me explain.
If you begin your diet by getting fruit and vegetables from your local grocery store, then “by definition”, you will be paying retail. If you do your research and seek out a local farmers market that supplies fresh produce, you will predictably pay a discount for the items you buy. If you are even more resourceful and can rent a piece of ground (or own your land) to grow vegetables, obtain the knowledge to grow your own food (and if you are successful with your efforts), you can expect to pay wholesale for raw food. You can venture farther into the prospects of saving money by using tactics known as “freeganism” that will limit the costs to the labor you expend.
I will not attempt to further answer this question within the constraints of this short article. However, I can
refer the reader to an excellent blog that does a great job in addressing certain raw diet myths here. Also, I would like to pass along a recent article on the dietblog site that gathered comments dealing with the cost of their diet here. I would not attempt to submit this article for posting without including Tim VanOrden’s U-tube episode of his Running Raw Project that presents one way to shop for raw food here. Is it just me, or does Tim gather enough free samples to “make a meal”, thus subverting the incentive to purchase something from each vender? It’s OK Tim, I am just messing with you.
Now is the time for me to share the cost-saving tips that I have found helpful.
My Basic Guide to a 100% raw vegan diet on a budget…
1. You don’t need superfoods like: cacao, gogi, or maca, mana, mesquite, or acai for every or any meal. These foods can supplement your diet in a rich way when you have decided what foods work for you to be a perfectly functioning 100% raw vegan.
2. Try to get a blender if you don’t already have one. It will be a good investment to make cheap smoothies, salad dressings, desserts, etc. The dehydrators, food processors, spirulizers are all great tools as well, but you can make due without them.
3. Eat at the times of day that are most in-sync with your body’s natural physiology.
Try:
Breakfast: 8:00am-9am (or when you begin to feel hungry)
Lunch: 12:00pm-1pm
Dinner: 5:00pm-6pm
It is highly recommended to eat nothing after dinner to allow enough time for your body to digest the food before you sleep. Eating late into the evening can be detrimental to your digestive system.
4. Study the importance of “food combining”. General rule: always eat fruit alone or with greens, and especially not with fats…and wait at least 3 hours to eat fruit after your non-fruit meal. The following sites will help you prepare for that part of your diet:
a. http://www.rawfoodchat.com/forums/raw-food-interviews/interview-natalia-rose-69.html
b. http://www.detoxtheworld.com/knowledge-base-frequently-asked-questions.php#Combining%20Foods
c. http://www.giveittomeraw.com/forum/topics/1407416:Topic:409026?page=1&commentId=1407416%3AComment%3A409383&x=1#1407416Comment409383
d. http://karenknowler.typepad.com/living_in_the_raw/2007/09/reader-question.html
The Raw Food Detox Diet by Natalia Rose also has a lot of great info about food combining.
5. Here is a basic 100% raw vegan meal plan for $7-10 a day.
Breakfast: Fruit $1-1.50
Oranges, Apples, Pears, Peaches, Nectarines, Berries…whatever you like.
Lunch: Green Smoothy $3.00
Greens=either spinach, kale, collard greens, romaine lettuce, a bunch or half a bag ~200g ($1)
Neutralizer=2-4 bananas or 1-2 plantain(s) ($1)
Sweet Fruit=Grapes, Pears, Peaches, Blueberry’s….whatever you like. Add to taste ($1)
Dinner: Salad or Nori Wrap. $3-6
Salad: $6
Spinach, tomatoes, avocado, celery, alfalfa sprouts, mushrooms
Dressing:
Lemon Miso: Lemon, unpasterized miso (expensive and not quite raw ), nut base (pecans, walnuts, or almonds)
Pesto: pine nuts, basil, lemons, olive oil
Or…
Nori Wrap: $3-4
Raw Nori sheet, tomatoes, avocado, sprouts, lemon, olive oil, sea salt
-Salads and Wraps are great, but don’t wear them out. Remember there are a limitless amount of raw food possibilities out there.
-Dessert? If you still have money, Medjool dates and nuts are a great inexpensive way to go. ($6-7/lb.)
Cheaper still !!!!!!!!!!!!!
The following methods do have a bit of a learning curve, but will become very easy once you have “tested the waters” for what works for you.
6. Try growing your own vegetables, they are cheaper, healthier and self-satisfying. Growing is a great learning experience. Use non-GM seeds.
-Sprouting is a great introduction to quick and easy meals. Wheatgrass will require a wheatgrass juicer. Broccoli and chickpeas are great tasting sprouts. Find help on these sites.
http://www.sproutpeople.com/
http://www.sprouting.com/
http://www.pathtofreedom.com/
7. Wild foraging is the cheapest and most healthy way to go if at all possible for you. Many times wild foods have much higher amounts of antioxidants and enzymes.
Take a local foraging workshop. The workshops might be pricey, but it they will pay for themselves many times over.
In the UK (E. London), Raw Rob offers some great foraging workshops: http://www.rawrob.com/coaching/
In the UK (Bristol) at: http://www.selfsufficientish.com/index.php/wild-foods/190-wild-food-foraging-courses-from-p35-forage-in-a-city
In the US (NW) you can contact: http://www.wildfoodadventures.com/
In the US (NE) at: http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/
http://www.rawfoodnetwork.com/books_wildfoodandforaging.html
8. “Freeganism” involves finding and salvaging discarded or unwanted produce from a variety of places, from supermarket dumpsters to “sharing co-operatives”, like: Food not Bombs at: http://www.foodnotbombs.net/ , or try S.H.A.R.E., at: http://www.wholesaledistributorsnet.com/SHARE_food.html. For more info on freeganism, you can check out: http://freegan.info/
Good luck and enjoy.
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