Cost
It IS Possible to Eat Paleo Cheaply:
Study Shows That Low-Income Consumers Can Afford Some Paleo Diets:
"The results show that it is possible to consume a Paleolithic diet given the constraints. However, the diet does fall short of meeting the daily recommended intakes for certain micronutrients. A 9.3% increase in income is needed to consume a Paleolithic diet that meets all daily recommended intakes except for calcium." [The RDI for calcium may be high and it can be obtained by including some combination of bone broths, edible bones and/or raw dairy products in the diet.] (Source: The feasibility of a Paleolithic diet for low-income consumers. Metzgar M, Rideout TC, Fontes-Villalba M, Kuipers RS. Nutr Res. 2011 Jun;31(6):444-51. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21745626
"My total cost for food is about $7-$8 USD per day - which is less than $250 per month [which I estimate probably comes out to about $880 per month for a family of 1 adult male, 1 adult female and 2 boys--significantly less than the $1024.70 for a "moderate cost plan" for a family of 4 per the USDA http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/Publications/FoodPlans/2012/CostofFoodJan2012.pdf].
Lex's monthly order from Slankers (www.texasgrassfedbeef.com):] 32 lbs of Course Chili Beef, 24 lbs of Dog & Cat food [a meat/organ mix that is safe to eat but wouldn't pass inspection standards for humans], and 4 lbs suet. Total cost including shipping was $247" - Lex Rooker, who eats an all-meat, mostly raw Paleo diet of ground meat/fat and pemmican http://www.rawpaleodietforum.com/general-discussion/share-your-cost-saving-tips-regarding-food/msg242/#msg242
Cost-Saving Tips:
> Buy bulk meats, such as half a grassfed steer from a local rancher.
> Plant a vegetable garden and/or fruit trees and bushes.
> Check multiple sources for the cheapest sources of quality foods: farmers' markets, supermarkets, healthfood markets, food co-ops, farms, online, Trader Joe's, (Costco and Sam's Club are cheap, but the quality tends to be lower and you tend to have to buy so much that wastage can be an issue)
> Craigslist: go to your local craigslist page and post a wanted ad for 'last year's game meat,' preferably right before the start of the season for the meat you want. In the ad, tell them that you would like to buy some good quality deer, etc. meat that a hunter may need to liquidate before this year's hunt.
> Minimize wastage. Use vegetable and bone/meat scraps in soups/stews/broths; try to minimize throwing out food. Don't buy more than you can eat before it spoils.
> Make & eat home-made whole foods and avoid junk and convenience foods: Cut back on low-nutrition and discretionary food expenses like gum/candy, baked dessert goods (cookies, cakes, etc.), sodas, convenience foods, booze, cigarettes, restaurants, fast food, take out and try to make more of your own food and eat at home. Candy, baked goods and sodas offer little to no nutrition and thus are purely extravagances. Complaining about cost while continuing to buy these doesn't make sense. It's hard, because they're everywhere, so try to remind yourself of this fact. To remind and check yourself when you're tempted, think back to when you were last complaining about food costs and listen to yourself saying it.
> Stock up on foods when they go on sale (usually when they've neared their expiration date) and freeze the excess
> Ask markets if they'll throw in some free or low-cost throw-aways, like animal or fish fat/bones/etc., overripe fruits that are still good when overripe (like bananas)
> Dumpster dive
Why Quick, Cheap Food Is Actually More Expensive (in the longer run)
> According to a recent study ... we're spending about $20,000 per person for [life-prolonging] medical interventions like drugs and surgery.... That doesn't even take into account the $282 billion in costs resulting from medical interventions that go wrong--hospital infections, medical errors, deaths from drug reactions, bedsores, or unnecessary surgeries. And what if that $20,000 per year was given to each person during his or her lifetime to support better nutrition, lifestyle, and stress management? My guess is that we would save trillions of dollars in health care expenditures on chronic disease!
> When you go to [a fast food joint] for a cheap burger and fries, you might immediately compare that lower price to whole organic foods which are more expensive in the short term. But the total cost isn't reflected in how much you pay for your meal in the immediate moment, it's the cumulative cost of what those decisions cost you over a lifetime...--the costs of medical visits, co-pays, prescription medications, and other health services skyrocket.
> There are other non-economic costs of eating poorly as well. You reduce your ability to enjoy life in the moment due to increased fatigue, low-grade health complaints, obesity, depression, and more. The biggest advantage of eating well now is not just preventing disease and costs later, but simply enjoying each day to its fullest. [Don't assume that you can't improve your health and wellbeing by eating better--"we should never mistake what is habitual for what is natural".] (Source: Why Quick, Cheap Food Is Actually More Expensive, Mark Hyman, MD, Practicing physician, Posted: August 14, 2010 08:00 AM
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/why-quick-cheap-food-is-a_b_681539.html)
Healthy People Make More Money:
Studies indicate that slim people tend to receive more raises and make more money (Studies indicate that slim people tend to receive more raises and make more money (Surprise! Pretty [and slim] people earn more, April 11, 2005, http://money.cnn.com/2005/04/08/news/funny/beautiful_money), and people with disabilities caused by diseases often find it hard to make any money at all.
Americans Spend Much Less of Their Budget on Food Than They Used to and than Europeans and Spend More of it Outside the Home:
"Americans as a whole actually spend less on food than any other country when it comes to percentage of income. In the U.S., our average food expenses constitute about 9-12% of our income (depending on the source (1 (PDF), 2, 3) you consult). In 1949, it was 22%.
By contrast, much of Western Europe today devotes 14-17%+ of their total household budget to food. In Pakistan, families spend an average of 46% of their income on food.
On top of this, there’s the breakdown of food spent for “at-home” consumption (i.e. groceries) versus “away” (i.e. restaurants, fast food). Of the roughly 10% of income Americans spend on food, more than 40% is spent eating out (PDF)." [What is the Cost of Eating Healthy Foods? http://www.marksdailyapple.com/what-is-the-cost-of-eating-healthy-foods/#ixzz2DGmsB0yn]
Study Shows That Low-Income Consumers Can Afford Some Paleo Diets:
"The results show that it is possible to consume a Paleolithic diet given the constraints. However, the diet does fall short of meeting the daily recommended intakes for certain micronutrients. A 9.3% increase in income is needed to consume a Paleolithic diet that meets all daily recommended intakes except for calcium." [The RDI for calcium may be high and it can be obtained by including some combination of bone broths, edible bones and/or raw dairy products in the diet.] (Source: The feasibility of a Paleolithic diet for low-income consumers. Metzgar M, Rideout TC, Fontes-Villalba M, Kuipers RS. Nutr Res. 2011 Jun;31(6):444-51. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21745626
"My total cost for food is about $7-$8 USD per day - which is less than $250 per month [which I estimate probably comes out to about $880 per month for a family of 1 adult male, 1 adult female and 2 boys--significantly less than the $1024.70 for a "moderate cost plan" for a family of 4 per the USDA http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/Publications/FoodPlans/2012/CostofFoodJan2012.pdf].
Lex's monthly order from Slankers (www.texasgrassfedbeef.com):] 32 lbs of Course Chili Beef, 24 lbs of Dog & Cat food [a meat/organ mix that is safe to eat but wouldn't pass inspection standards for humans], and 4 lbs suet. Total cost including shipping was $247" - Lex Rooker, who eats an all-meat, mostly raw Paleo diet of ground meat/fat and pemmican http://www.rawpaleodietforum.com/general-discussion/share-your-cost-saving-tips-regarding-food/msg242/#msg242
Cost-Saving Tips:
> Buy bulk meats, such as half a grassfed steer from a local rancher.
> Plant a vegetable garden and/or fruit trees and bushes.
> Check multiple sources for the cheapest sources of quality foods: farmers' markets, supermarkets, healthfood markets, food co-ops, farms, online, Trader Joe's, (Costco and Sam's Club are cheap, but the quality tends to be lower and you tend to have to buy so much that wastage can be an issue)
> Craigslist: go to your local craigslist page and post a wanted ad for 'last year's game meat,' preferably right before the start of the season for the meat you want. In the ad, tell them that you would like to buy some good quality deer, etc. meat that a hunter may need to liquidate before this year's hunt.
> Minimize wastage. Use vegetable and bone/meat scraps in soups/stews/broths; try to minimize throwing out food. Don't buy more than you can eat before it spoils.
> Make & eat home-made whole foods and avoid junk and convenience foods: Cut back on low-nutrition and discretionary food expenses like gum/candy, baked dessert goods (cookies, cakes, etc.), sodas, convenience foods, booze, cigarettes, restaurants, fast food, take out and try to make more of your own food and eat at home. Candy, baked goods and sodas offer little to no nutrition and thus are purely extravagances. Complaining about cost while continuing to buy these doesn't make sense. It's hard, because they're everywhere, so try to remind yourself of this fact. To remind and check yourself when you're tempted, think back to when you were last complaining about food costs and listen to yourself saying it.
> Stock up on foods when they go on sale (usually when they've neared their expiration date) and freeze the excess
> Ask markets if they'll throw in some free or low-cost throw-aways, like animal or fish fat/bones/etc., overripe fruits that are still good when overripe (like bananas)
> Dumpster dive
Why Quick, Cheap Food Is Actually More Expensive (in the longer run)
> According to a recent study ... we're spending about $20,000 per person for [life-prolonging] medical interventions like drugs and surgery.... That doesn't even take into account the $282 billion in costs resulting from medical interventions that go wrong--hospital infections, medical errors, deaths from drug reactions, bedsores, or unnecessary surgeries. And what if that $20,000 per year was given to each person during his or her lifetime to support better nutrition, lifestyle, and stress management? My guess is that we would save trillions of dollars in health care expenditures on chronic disease!
> When you go to [a fast food joint] for a cheap burger and fries, you might immediately compare that lower price to whole organic foods which are more expensive in the short term. But the total cost isn't reflected in how much you pay for your meal in the immediate moment, it's the cumulative cost of what those decisions cost you over a lifetime...--the costs of medical visits, co-pays, prescription medications, and other health services skyrocket.
> There are other non-economic costs of eating poorly as well. You reduce your ability to enjoy life in the moment due to increased fatigue, low-grade health complaints, obesity, depression, and more. The biggest advantage of eating well now is not just preventing disease and costs later, but simply enjoying each day to its fullest. [Don't assume that you can't improve your health and wellbeing by eating better--"we should never mistake what is habitual for what is natural".] (Source: Why Quick, Cheap Food Is Actually More Expensive, Mark Hyman, MD, Practicing physician, Posted: August 14, 2010 08:00 AM
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/why-quick-cheap-food-is-a_b_681539.html)
Healthy People Make More Money:
Studies indicate that slim people tend to receive more raises and make more money (Studies indicate that slim people tend to receive more raises and make more money (Surprise! Pretty [and slim] people earn more, April 11, 2005, http://money.cnn.com/2005/04/08/news/funny/beautiful_money), and people with disabilities caused by diseases often find it hard to make any money at all.
Americans Spend Much Less of Their Budget on Food Than They Used to and than Europeans and Spend More of it Outside the Home:
"Americans as a whole actually spend less on food than any other country when it comes to percentage of income. In the U.S., our average food expenses constitute about 9-12% of our income (depending on the source (1 (PDF), 2, 3) you consult). In 1949, it was 22%.
By contrast, much of Western Europe today devotes 14-17%+ of their total household budget to food. In Pakistan, families spend an average of 46% of their income on food.
On top of this, there’s the breakdown of food spent for “at-home” consumption (i.e. groceries) versus “away” (i.e. restaurants, fast food). Of the roughly 10% of income Americans spend on food, more than 40% is spent eating out (PDF)." [What is the Cost of Eating Healthy Foods? http://www.marksdailyapple.com/what-is-the-cost-of-eating-healthy-foods/#ixzz2DGmsB0yn]