shopping...

[afterthefact]

I'm about to start eating raw. I do have a tendancy to jump into stuff head first, and while I should probably just start implementing things here and there until I get to where I want to be, I can't help but just try to make a 180 degree turn into full rawness, so to speak. My biggest fear: grocery shopping. I guess because I do eat pretty unhealthy now (I feel comfortable saying that, since I am planning to change), I don't have a good feel for how many pieces of fresh food I should buy at a time. I don't want to buy too much and let a lot go to waste because I can't get to it all in time, but I don't want to buy too little and have to run to the store every other day. I don't really see how anyone could give me much advice here really, since nobody can really say how much I should buy, but anyone else deal with this at some point? Maybe some words of encouragement are all I need. Who knows, this may not even really be my fear at all, and I could just be using it as a scapegoat :)

[astraltraveler]

When I was first starting out early last year I was going to my local coop every 2-3 days. My grocery bill per shop would usually be between $20 to $30 for all organic produce.

My staples were:
red leaf lettuce (1 head for a salad meal)
bananas (I buy by the 40lb box now for an *AFFORDABLE* organic smoothie everyday)
apples (make a meal with almond butter or even healthier just raisins and cinnamon)
juicing veggies(the base: celery, carrot, cucumber. after that add kale, spinach, parsley, cilantro, love.. the skys the limit!)
and then various fruits that look good! (plums, peaches, anything in season)

Basically find your favorite fruits and eat them as much as you want because that will keep your calories high so you aren't craving any toxic junk. Whatever you do keep up with the leafy greens everyday!

Also, don't be hard on yourself. I've only been vegan 1 year (vegetarian for 5) and im 90% raw. You will go completely raw when you're ready - theres no need to rush. You're already making a step in the right direction so relax, enjoy, and gorge on delicious lifegiving food!

[ICTBassist]

Hey and welcome! For me it was easier to just make a 180 degree turn. It was the only way I could truly stay raw. For others its easier to make a gradual change. Every person is different. I'm more of an all or nothing person :D As for shopping, that was rough for me at first. I bought all kinds of things I normally don't eat because I read I should. Well I don't do that anymore haha! I used to buy way to much food as well, because it truly is hard to know how much to buy when you are just starting out. The only advice I can give you is trial and error =/ If you buy too much you can always freeze it for later. Or if you buy too little, you know to buy a little more next time :) If you plan to make a lot of recipes you could always plan way ahead and buy everything you would need for a week or so? For me I tend to go to the store twice a week. That works for me, maybe not for you. But good luck =] Just with knowing how much to eat, you will eventually get the hang of knowing how much to buy. It can seem a little overwhelming at first, but now I look forward to going to the store! haha I tend to walk around the produce for half an hour just looking at things I've never eaten and debating if I want to try it :X

[afterthefact]

Thanks! I guess I have just a hard time wrapping my head around how many options there really are. Most diets are about limiting yourself, while this way of eating really opens things up. I figured I would start out with simple fruits and veggies that I like just pretty much plain, and also try making a few smoothies, and keep the more complicated recipes out until later. Otherwise I'll probably just overwhelm myself :) If I can learn to buy right for the basics, then I will probably have time later to learn to buy for the other things. Here's hoping :)

[MimiYoyo]

There is a really good raw foods recipe book called "Raw Food Made Easy For 1 or 2 People" by Jennifer Cornbleet. Great for beginners -- you don't need a dehydrator or expensive blender for the recipes. She tells you what kitchen utensils you need for each recipe (very basic) and also gives you a shopping list of what you should have in your pantry as well as what you should buy each week to make virtually all of the recipes in the book. The grocery list is quite limited -- she has a lot of recipes that use the same basic ingredients in different combinations. It's an excellent book!

[modernmonkey]

Hey there, great decision you have just made.

I made the 180 degree choice too. But I kept it simple to start with. I avoided all the raw recipe ingredients and just began with fruit and veg. I bought a bit of everything and made lots of smoothies, salads and mono meals. Anything in abundance or starting to wilt became a green smoothie so very little waste. Quickly in time it becomes clear what your staples are. My banana numbers just keep going up and they are so cheap! This way your food bill shouldn't alter that much. And if you are serious, it is very therapeutic to chuck out all your SAD stuff and reorganise your kitchen. Good luck!

[RawSar]

Do not go grocery shopping hungry! That is the worst! lol

[afterthefact]

Thanks again! I'll probably check that book out, sounds like something I could really use. And Monkey, I like the idea of throwing my leftovers into smoothies :)

[Stella Green]

The Raw Food Witch (who is also a member of this forum and Alissa Cohen supporter) has this super cool magic menu thing. You plan your meals for the week, and then press a button and you see the list of ingredients you need. It was so nice having this list when I went to the store... sometimes I don't even type in everything, I just type in the stuff I want for lunch and a snack, because that's when my downfalls are so I need to make sure I have enough supplies.
Nathalie (raw witch) offers one week of this service for free, so it's a good thing to try. Just google raw witch magic menu. :throwhearts:

[Mrs. Papaya]

As a new raw eater myself, I will say this: You will probably need more food than you expect. Also, even when you buy a lot, you probably will need to go to the store every 2-3 days. Since almost everything you are buying is fresh and perishable, you need to shop more often than when you were buying boxed/canned/frozen goods.

In a typical day for me, which includes at least one large salad, one tall glass of juice, and lots of fruit for breakfast/snacks, I can go through nearly a bunch of swiss chard, at least half a container of spinach, 5-6 carrots, 3+ bananas, several apples or oranges/Clementines, a head of Romaine, half a head of red leaf lettuce, half a container of cherry tomatoes, and more. In one day! Yet I don't buy 6 heads of Romaine lettuce at once in preparation for the week, since I can't be sure they will all still be good. So I buy 2-3 heads and then go back to the store. Also, as my household includes non-raw people who are storing containers of cooked leftovers in the fridge, I just don't have the room for tons and tons of veggies or 5 huge bags of carrots (as much as I'd like to, since carrots last longer!)

Anyway, it will take some practice and time to understand what you like to eat, how much you eat, etc. It sounds like many people who first go raw feel like they are eating way more than usual because they are eating fresh, healthy, raw fruits and veggies that aren't quite as filling as, say, a big plate of pasta or bread.

Even though it can be expensive and time-consuming, I do love going shopping and selecting all the beautiful fruits and veggies and then admire my cart piled high with that good stuff. It's also nice to be able to avoid basically every other section of the store. :)

Finally, I suggest stocking up on nuts, seeds, and nut butters once you find the place they are cheapest since obviously these items last longer.

[MimiYoyo]

The Raw Food Witch (who is also a member of this forum and Alissa Cohen supporter) has this super cool magic menu thing. You plan your meals for the week, and then press a button and you see the list of ingredients you need. It was so nice having this list when I went to the store... sometimes I don't even type in everything, I just type in the stuff I want for lunch and a snack, because that's when my downfalls are so I need to make sure I have enough supplies.
Nathalie (raw witch) offers one week of this service for free, so it's a good thing to try. Just google raw witch magic menu. :throwhearts:

It's a great idea, but she charges $27/month for the program. Yikes!

You can enter recipes and create shopping lists for FREE at food.com. Food.com also gives the nutritional breakdown for each recipe. The only thing Food.com doesn't do that the Witch's app does is allow you to add meals to a calendar. But if you want nutritional breakdowns and shopping lists, Food.com is great (and free!).

[Shels]

Better to go every other day than have to throw things out! I think I still have to go to the store every few days or so, but I prefer it that way, because then I can buy what my body craves as I need it. :)

I actually prefer to go shopping while I'm hungry, so that I have an idea of what types of food I'll need in the next few days.