raw food mommies

I'm a mom of three growing boys, ages 4 and under!! :eek: I was wondering how expensive it is to be on a raw diet. I've heard that it can be expensive. i can't buy organic right now so i was just going to purchase that Fit veggie wash (anyone heard of it?) to cut down on cost for now until my budget can increase. for some things i was going to buy organic like nuts, seeds, dates, etc. but as for fresh produce, i probably won't. are there secrets to buying raw? I know alyssa's book says to keep the essentials. can anyone give an example of how they got started? Thanks for the info!

WELCOME TO A NEW WORLD OF LIFE -

How I got started - I saw an article about 10 years ago and tried those recipes and they were a hit, but not sustainable because there wasn't a lot available mainstream yet. In the past few years, I have gained more knowledge. Yes, it can be expensive, however, on one of the threads is a beginning grocery list. I also buy veggies that are featured for the week and splurge on some things if budget allows. For me that is the key. I also shop at our local farmers market and yesterday even purchased two bunches of organic spinach - which is beautiful for 1.00 for both. At this particular vendor all veggies are 1.00 a basket and it is some pretty good buys.

Rawkinlocs stated that planning is the key - and Alissa provides a week (I think since my book is still in a box that I can not find), of menus to use, and again that's the planning. Olive has used the suggestion of buying seeds, since nuts are so much more expensive, and that cuts cost.

Now, on Alissa post of 10/10 - she tells you how to stay raw - read that through a couple of times, it should get you going, posting here and reading here should keep you going.

Are you transitioning from a full blown SAD diet? That might be a challenge for the boys, but they appear to be young enough and for the most part, many of the younger children pick ut up well. If you PM me, I have a file of raw recipes for young children that I can send you.

Hope this helps

i haven't started the diet yet. i'm just doing lots of research and collecting recipes, etc to be better prepared. I am on the SAD diet (which is exactly how it is abbreviated! lol). I don't think it will too hard for my boys because they LOVE FRUITS. i try not to give them too much sugar. i think for them it will be in between because my husband will probably not go raw and they may want some things that he will eat. for instance, McD's. we all know the golden arches, lol our 'tradition' was to make a trip at mcd's after we went grocery shopping since the boys would be hungry by the time we got finished. to my husband, its a special time to treat the boys. which i can understand where he is coming from. so they may not go 100% raw. as for me, i am going to try going full-blown!! lol raw or bust. ever since i started researching, i have actually had times where i would crave these recipes just by reading them! they seem so mouth watering, lol which is probably a sign my body is telling me that it is lacking BAD! as my budget allows i'll start buying some equiplment, etc. and go from there!

Just Me!! Welcome...I am new to the sight and am also a mother of three boys....my oldest will be 4 in march (also a 2.5 year and a one year old)...I am also on a tight budget so I COMPLETELY Relate to you...my husband has loved the changes he has seen in me the past few months and is eating more raw....but like you said...I don't think he or my boys will ever quit McD :)...anyway...feel free to PM me if you like...I am going through a big transition right now in my raw journey...but we can chat back and forth....my boys love smoothies by the way...my 2.5 year loves tomatoes....I am just making small changes but they are small...I don't by organic either...too expensive... I do love farmers markets though and a lot of times their produce is organic and cheap....anyway...I just saw your post and had to write...my boys keep me busy all day as I am sure you understand.

God Bless,
Sarah

Hi Justme~

I also am a mom of 2 ( 5 and 2) kids. My whole family went raw suddenly for 1 month last spring. WOW...it was expensive. But we have never felt better in our entire life!!!! What I learned from that time and since to save money is we do gourmet raw only occassionally, and simple raw foods most of the time. I also have been ordering from two co-op's that are here on the west coast: Mountain people and Azure Standard. This way we can buy organic and in bulk. Over this last year we have slowly purchased our raw kitchen: exaclibur dehydrater, greenstar juicer, cuisinart, vitamix, and water distiller. We also sold our garage freezer and replaced it with a fridge . This way we have a place to hold all of the bulk produce we buy:). Going Raw is most definitely a journey for us. For some change is a gradual adjustment and others can go cold turkey. We all are different:). But to sum it up: when I first got interested in RAW, I think I overcoplicated it. In everyway. Now my family likes the simple side of raw best. It makes it fun and flexible!

Hi everyone and a big welcome to JustMe,

If you guys haven't seen the movie SuperSize Me, watch it, it's amazing. And let your kids watch with you. Afterwards my 8 year old said "I'm never eating there (McD's) again"

Everyone has given great advice on this thread. I'd just add that eating well is the best health insurance and a lot cheaper in the long run than coping with all the medical problems SAD can create.

Just Me - I can totally relate to where you're at. The expense seem a bit daunting atm. My DH (and all our relatives) are also into the "junk food at treats/rewards" thing which I just HATE. At least we don't have meat in the house...

Mishka - great to hear of your families journey to raw. That's more or less what I'm hoping to do with my family (me, DH, just over 3, yo & nearly 2 y.o). The cost is a bit prohibitive - whilst my rational brain KNOWS it's not that I can't afford Raw (organic produce & kitchen gadgets etc) it's that I can't afford NOT TO do it - in terms of my families health. We are in quite a tight spot financially atm, but hopefully as the year progresses & things get better I can gradually do more & more Raw.

Sarah - what to you make smoothies with (I mean - any kind of milk substitute?)

I will definately search to locate that start out grocery list too!

I feel quite awful sometimes now -because my knowledge of Raw & nutrition in general is way ahead of my food preparation skills & finances...lol. So I almost feel like I "poisoning" my family everytime I cook something!! :eek: The old favourites of spagetti & rice etc don't seem very wholesome after all..

I wonder if there shouldn't be a seperate forum "Kids and Raw"...lol? Seems to be a concern for all Raw or wannabe raw Mums...

Hi Caramba~
You could use raw almond milk. That's what we do when we want creamy smoothies that taste like "orange julius". We use 5 cups water to 2 cups soaked almonds, and 5 soaked dates. Yummy and creamy...the kids love it:) And it's good straight or with raw carob powder too!!!

Sounds delicious Mishka - will give it a go & report back!

I completely understand the expense! We have seven children, and our biggest expense is food. Every week I buy 50 lbs. carrots, 2 cases bananas, 1 case apples (we need two), and zillions of other fruits and vegetables. One thing that is helpful is getting my nuts, seeds, and dried fruits from our co-op. They are cheaper than the health food store. We basically just had to decide that the cost of the food was worth it for our health. It still makes my husband squirm a little, but he knows it's for the best.

Allison

I have 3 children, ages 4, 9, & 10. Surprisingly enough, my oldest is the first to try new things. We have incorporated more raw foods each day into their diet, but I'm not sure they will ever get to 100%. I'm happy with the choices they are making now and want to make sure that it is their choice so that it will be a life long choice in eating well. I feel like I'm giving them the tools that they will need. I don't think we could afford for the whole family to be 100% right now. It's hard. It makes me so angry that the healthiest way to live is the most expensive and that poor people are being filled up with processed junk! Oooh, don't get me started on that soapbox! :rolleyes:

Karen