Nutrition cost comparison of veggies VS. nuts

[raweater]

I noticed many people here say nuts are expensive and don't buy any thinking they are saving money. It's important to realize that about 90% of the weight of most fruits and veggies is water which has no nutritional value. Of course we need to eat vegetables, but by eating 500 calories of nuts which is just pennies you could expect to eat about 500 calories less of fruits or vegetables which would cost several dollars. I eat about 4000 calories a day since I'm very active, and get about 3000 of those calories from nuts, otherwise it would cost a fortune in groceries.

Let me compare both extremes to really put this in perspective:
I calculated that if I ate just spinach, it would cost me $400-530 per day or $145,000-190,000 a year on groceries to get the ~4000 calories I eat a day. On the other extreme, if I ate just walnuts, it would cost me $5-7 a day or $1,650-2,520 a year.

How's that for perspective lol.

Still think nuts are expensive?

[saxmaam]

I like it. Thanks!

[raweater]

Bumping this to help others that think they're saving money by avoiding "expensive" nuts.

[raweater]

What's "druthers"? Is that some sort of disease?

I also said we do need vegetables and never said to eat just nuts, that would be silly and very unhealthy, but getting all the calories you need from just fruits and vegetables is extremely hard, especially when you're very active. Also having a lot of fat on a raw diet is not a problem, especially if you're active as you burn that fat for energy and it "goes away". I have about 60-70% of my calories from fat and feel great.

So fruits/veggies and nuts compliment each other, the fruits/veggies have more nutrition and next to no calories, and the nuts have less nutrition but tons of calories.

[saxmaam]

What's "druthers"? Is that some sort of disease?

Seriously? It's a folk expression, a contraction of "I would rathers", meaning "preferences."

Or you knew what it meant and were just being clever?

Hmm?:p

[rawstrength]

Remember that calories aren't the only nutrient that provides fuel and builds muscle.
Chromium, for example, allows the body to digest carbohydrate, fats, and proteins. Without getting a good supply of chromium in your diet, you are wasting your money on nuts because you can't digest them!
Cacao, rommaine lettuce, and tomatoes are all relatively low in calories, but provide lots of chromium (and other important minerals).
It's mainly about the minerals :) .
It's all about a balance between the high calorie foods, like nuts, and the high nutrient foods, like lettuce, as raweater has so aptly pointed out. Each of us has a different balance depending on our unique bodies, activity levels, metabolisms, etc. For example, I am very small (short, light) so in general I don't require a lot of high calorie foods like nuts. Yet when I am running (like now I am running an average of 7 miles per day, sometimes more) I can eat a ton more high calorie foods like nuts and coconuts and olive oil and avocado and honey (yum!) because I just burn them right up.

I consider all fresh, organic, raw food grown in mineral rich soils to be the best deal and the cheapest source of nutrition for your money.
Afterall, why would you cook your food? That's just throwing your nutrients away! (but I think most of us on this website have realized that, anyway).