Is a Raw lifestyle/diet expensive?

[VeggieGirl]

Howdy, howdy, howdy,

I'm new here, and have been reading all your posts and can I just say...what a cool group of people you all are???

I just ordered Alissa's book and DVDs. I've been a strict vegan for 3 years, and I've been reading a lot about raw (meaning- I've reserved and read just about every book about Raw in the county library system!). I'm pretty clear it's the next step for me, and luckily, my hubby (who is not vegan except when I cook) is pretty stoked on the idea of going raw, too. I've already been experimenting in the kitchen, but haven't taken 'the plunge' as of yet. My Father in law asked us what we wanted for Christmas - hubby told him "A champion Juicer, a dehydrator, and a Vita Mix!" YEAH! (My FIL loves to splurge on christmas... it's going to be a raw new year!!!)

Anywho...I am wondering if anyone can tell me- is a raw diet way expensive? It seems like it would be. And very time consuming, too. Lucky for me I absolutely LOVE to cook, so I hope that Alissa's book will give me enough to do in the kitchen to satisfy my passion for healthy food :)

It seems we spend $200-400 mo. on a mostly vegan, organic diet to feed just me and my hubby. We live in Utah where the cost of living is pretty reasonable. And there is a Wild Oats right down the street. I just have this fear that Raw is much more expensive. Any one have any facts/experience to share?

Also - any comments on answers to the 'where do you get your protein' question? As a vegan, it's easy - beans/rice, tofu, tempeh, etc. but I can't do that as a raw fooder. Just curious - I have a family full of meat-eaters who already think I'm too skinny...lol...

Thanks so much and I'm so happy to be here!

VeggieGirl

[Rawkinlocs]

Welcome Veggiegirl!

Here are a couple of links to thread that will help you get some of the answers you seek:

Budget for raw: http://rawfoodtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=480

Protein: http://rawfoodtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=408

[Tanja_swe]

For us the raw diet is MUCH cheaper than it was before we went raw. Sure, some fruit and nuts are quite expensive BUT we don't have to pay for expensive processed stuff and meat. Snacks, candy and meat are really expensive stuff! and they mount up really quick too! I think we've probably saved 30-50% on our food bill since going raw.

Time... I LOVE cooking so I don't mind spending time in the kitchen. Only thing is that raw food is so quick to prepare. Sure it takes some time if you want to dehydrate something but in the dehydrator it takes care of it self. I don't spend nearly as much time in the kitchen as I used too. And the washing up is much easier aswell :)

[Jay]

Hey Veggiegirl,

WELCOME!! :D
Have fun starting your raw journey!!

[Curtis]

Hi VeggieGirl
Nice to have you here :)
Thank you Raw for the link I missed that discussion somehow. I recently was wondering if a budget for one person set at $200 was enough.

[qetta]

Hi VeggieGirl and welcome!! I have recently gone from a vegan diet to a raw one, and have noticed that my grocery bills are a little higher. I think that's just because I'm not quite used to buying so many fruits and nuts and things and because I'm trying out new raw recipes all the time. Once the raw lifestyle becomes my groove, I think it'll be much cheaper. For me, now, the hard part is not knowing exactly how much food I'll go through in a week. Plus, I make sure to have lots of different things on hand in case I get any cooked food cravings.

I should point out, though, that grocery shopping is SO much faster now. I just pop into the bulk nuts/grains section quick and then cruise through the produce section and I'm done.

Like Tanja-swe said above, I also spend less time in the kitchen than I used to. And I also love(d) to cook. Now, though, when I want to just be in the kitchen awhile, I take my time and take great pleasure in the beauty and simplicity of the fruit/veggies I'm preparing.

And - clean up IS so much easier.

Best of luck to you on your raw journey!

-Lisa

[VeganWannaBe]

Welcome Veggiegirl :)
Is there anyway I could borrow your father-in-law next Christmas? ( ... LOL!)
Many raw blessings to you my friend!

[vegbaby]

Hey veggiegirl! For me, going raw is a little more expensive because where I live all fruits are imported. But I buy all my nuts and seeds in bulk here: www.organicfruitsandnuts.com. It's a lot of money up front, but then I keep my nuts in a big freezer and they last a long time.

As for food prep time, I've actually found it to be less time consuming. In fact, I still cook for my family at least once or twice a day, and I've had no problem adding my food prep on top of that. For one thing, they always want to eat what I make! And now my husband has found some salad recipes he loves, and HE makes them. When I make things like crackers, I make A LOT, and then they are there for me for a month or so, and I don't have to make them again.

Now, in the beginning I made a lot more complicated (not that anything raw is really that complicated) recipes to satisfy my cravings, but as time goes on I find myself eating more simply. About once a week I make a large batch of nut milk to store in the fridge, and it takes me less time to make that than to drive to the store and buy soymilk!

I was vegan for 5 years before I went raw, so I already had most of the appliances I needed (dehydrator, juicer, Vitamix), but you can often find those items used on Ebay, which I highly recommend!

Best of luck to you and welcome to the boards!

[VeggieGirl]

Thanks everyone, for your responses! I am overwhelmed at the genuine support and interest. I really appreciate your feedback and wisdom.

I've been trying to upload a pic/avatar so you can all see my face (as I enjoy seeing who YOU all are...) but all my files seem to be too big. So...I'm working on that.

Thanks again and I look forward to being a part of this community!

VeggieGirl

[Sharon in Colorado]

Hi Veggiegirl,

I just started a thread on this link. It is related to raw food budgets so I thought you would be interested.


http://www.vegsource.com/talk/raw/messages/10210.html

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