i've been wanting, for awhile now, to move on to the raw vegan diet. the food just seems tastier and healthier, and i've read about the many benefits of going raw... my problem is, why is it so damn expensive!? i mean, how can anyone ever make the transition, unless you're rich?? does anyone know of anyway to make the switch, but without being too cost effective??? also, the whole thing seems kind of complicated, does anyone know how to go about it in a more easy way??? any help is appreciated, thanks.
I joined a co-op last year. They have cheap organic foods, like carrot, oranges, bananas, apples. The almonds are cheap there. that's is what I'm trying to do, eat the cheaper organic foods, and every once in a while, getting a raw treat every now and then.
I'm a vegan at college; I can assure you, it is not expensive, unless you make it expensive. I eat huge packs of vegan fig newtons for $.50 for like 20 figs, Big cans of iced tea, The fake oreos that are vegan, Yaki soba and other assorted noodles, Rice and soy sauce, All kinds of mad-cheap things! You just have to look; veggies aren't THAT expensive!
yeah, but i'm pretty much the same. i eat mainly the vegan meats, spaghetti, and assorted soups and stuff. iced tea, slushies, etc. i'm sick of doing that, i want to make the transition to a full, healthy, raw vegan diet but cost effectively.
well..are there co-op near you? our is $5 a semester and volunteering gets you discounts. You can volunteer like 2 hours a week if needed. That's how me and the man eat.
haha.. no. they are stores run by the members. Like, the one where i go, has a small paid staff and is basically run by volunteers. You pay a yearly or semester fee and you get like a small percentage off your food, but if you volunteer, you get more off. It's non-profit organizations.
Hey inbloom! Check out a Macrobiotic diet. Sorry i don't have a link for you but there should be lots of good sites if you google search it. It is not a "diet" as such, that word is used just like "Vegetarian diet" etc. There is a bit to it so do some research and check out whether this would suit your tastes/budget. All the food is natural, and raw or par raw and it goes by the Ph levels of your body. goodluck
i met some nice kids in Ashland who were on the raw diet. they shared a meal with me, i don't remember what was it was called but it was like a layered pudding of various veggies punished by a foodprocessor then topped with (i think) kiwi slices and berries. delishous!
time might be more of a concern than money, if you purchased a food dehydrator. Then you can make all of your own snacks, like fruit leather, flax crackers, and jerkys. basic raw vegan things should not cost you too much money; think about it- you're not buying breads, grains (except if you're sprouting them), or much else except the basics. so buying bulk items cheaply (to make sprouted beans, grains, dehydrated veggies and crackers) won't cost you much - then supplement it with some more costly treats, like berries and tomatos and stuff. what's costing you? seems efficient.
http://www.vegansociety.com/html/food/raw_food.php read this link first, in my experences there are to many nutritional sacrifices both in terms of callerie intake and vitimen/mineral intake and the quantities of vegitables must decrease if not cooked eg. i can eat a whole plate (and more) of steamed runner beans as opposed to just a handfull raw, why not just eat more fruit and salads and cut out any junk foods from you present diet? for one thing this is sure to help you and will definatly not harm you, such as total changes to any diet can, be it a good or bad change that is just my experience. Remember this is what sustains you and it can seriously effect you to your detriment if you just happen to get it wrong. Yes it is expensive to eat exotic fruits and vegtables nuts cold pressed olis est est, and small increases in spending onec a week add up to houndreads a year. I do agree with finding a local food co-op. ''The longest-living population in the world, the Japanese Okinawans, make extensive use of cooked grains, sweet potatoes, vegetables and soy products...'' id would say eat wholefoods vegetables and fruit, and get on with your life. best wishes
resurrecting this as I nabbed a dehydrator for free on Freecycle.org's local list. I too see this as a time investment, and another appliance. I need a food processor, because I just can't grind up small enough with my mortar and pestle. THe calories expended overreach the calories in the food! While the Standard American Diet could use this, I see an energy net loss, so food processor it is.
Ive been raw for around 7 months, on and off. Its not expensive. Im a poor as shit college-whatever person and I get it through a co-op. And if your going to spend money, invest in your health. Junk food is cheap for a reason. Its an awesome lifestyle. I got a personal-rawchef gig lined up for rich folk who want raw healthy organic food. hey! Sure beats a cash register! So go for it, there is a lot of support. Anyone can send me a message and I could get you hooked up to some kind of support/information for ya. Good luck! Renee
I'm not qualified/knowledgeable enough to comment on the merits/demerits of a raw vegan diet, but - and I'm being completely serious - I would suggest you to look into wild plants! A great number of wild plants are edible (..as well as useful in other ways). And - to solve your problem - they are completely free! If you decide to look into it, you could try the following resources: Plants for a Future - their database with information on over 7000 plants is currently located here, but it's location might be changing soon, so... Wild man Steve Brill - his site has a lot of good info on edible wild plants as well Henriette's plant photos - good for plant identification. There is lots of information on edible wild plants on the internet - just do a search if you need more info. I'm thinking of getting a small pocket-book for plant-identification that I could bring with me on trips - I think it could really help. This quite likely seems completely off-the-wall , but I just offered it on the off-chance it could help (..which I hope it does)! In all fairness, it does take the 'cost' element out of the equation! All the best! ..Don't eat anything you're not sure is safe (..plants have varying levels of toxicity of certain substances, and some are quite dangerous apparently - maybe even fatal, I'm not sure - so); and I hereby absolve myself of any responsibility etc.. I might say more, but you probably think this is crazy enough already, so .... P.S. Would I be somewhat correct in guessing that the higher costs you allude to are due to the food being organic?
This guy I'm seeing was ona a raw food vegan diet... one day he was walking through the local gardens... and found himself feeling very hungry at the smell of the plants hehehe how cute!
I don't know what it is that you think is expensive about this diet but maybe it's the specific recipes you have tried, look around on the web for simple raw recipes or you can pm me. Like someone else said its more using of time than money. Another good idea would be if you have space to garden to plant some veggies for your own use.
