Guest guest Posted October 27, 2004 Report Share Posted October 27, 2004 > I would like to start a discussion here about the costs of eating > raw. Strictly from a food budget perspective (not a health > perspective), is it cheaper to eat raw? Speaking only about the direct costs of the food you purchase, I think it's safe to say that it *can be* much cheaper to eat a cooked/processed diet than a raw one. Non-organic produce is significantly cheaper than organic produce, and the cost of rice, ramen, and bread are so low that anyone in the US could easily subsist for $3 a day or less on such foods (which many college students undoubtedly do). That is only a small part of the picture though. Other costs: - Medical costs. Over the long term, it seems likely that as a raw foodist, one would save considerable money on medical expenses. Of course there's no real way to know, but if you accept the premise that raw foods helps prevent degenerative diseases, there is a lot to be saved here. - Electricity. It almost certainly costs more in heating to have a cooked diet vs. a raw food one, even counting dehydrators. Other electricity used in preparation (running blenders, etc.) is probably equivalent. - Gardening. In exchange for some of one's time, you could save money by growing some of your own food (or wildcrafting it). My guess here is that, when compared to spending some time gardening versus working at a paying job, most people would save money overall by growing some of their own food. Only people with large salaries would probably be better off dollar-wise buying all their food and spending their time earning money instead of gardening. Though their food would certainly not taste as good! - Restaurants. Cooked fooders are much more likely to spend money in restaurants - not only because there are virtually no raw-food restaurants available (this is changing), but because social gatherings happen in restaurants so often in the US. Though if a person never eats out to begin with this is irrelevant. In the overall picture, based strictly on monetary differences, I don't see a real strong argument for raw foods as being cheaper in the short-to-mid-term (which is probably what most cooked-fooders would be looking at if considering a conversion). If a person cares a lot more about saving money than being healthy, then I think you would be hard-pressed to convert them to raw foods based solely on the money argument, especially since the " eating raw saves medical costs " argument relies in part on the health argument. That being said, in the long run I think a lot of raw fooders will save food money simply because they will eat less and less over time. Once that stage is reached food expenses can get quite low. In my experience, the best way to " convert " somebody to rawfoods is to use all the " why raw " arguments at your disposal -- health, ecology, money savings, joy. What matters to each person will be different. And more importantly, don't be pushy or inflexible about it -- you can plant a seed, but if you force it too much, they will never get to the watering. Joel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 27, 2004 Report Share Posted October 27, 2004 Regarding money and jobs and eating raw - Raw foodists may have less, if any, sick days, which means more productivity and, potentially, more income. Many raw foodists need less sleep, which means probably more potential productivity, whether at work, home, or vollunteering, etc. They may also have more energy, etc., so may get more done in the course of a day. Of course, even raw foodists may have lazy days occasionally! Regarding food costs, as was mentioned before, as we do not tend to consume cheap foods, like rice/bread, we can spend more on food, especially when supporting organic. There are still some foods, such as buckwheat and flax seed, which many raw foodists use in crackers, cookies, and other foods, which may not be as pricy per pound as most fruits and veggies. One less expensive fruit is the banana. I have purchased many cases of bananas over recent years. At 50 to 60 cents per pound, they are a good deal! Case purchases, such as at Central Market, can help keep food costs down. If the vollume of cases is too much, they may be shared with other raw foodists to share the discount. Jeff > ------- > [RawSeattle] Re: Cost of eating raw > " joelpt2 " <joelpt > Wed, October 27, 2004 12:42 pm > RawSeattle > > > > I would like to start a discussion here about the costs of eating > > raw. Strictly from a food budget perspective (not a health > > perspective), is it cheaper to eat raw? > > Speaking only about the direct costs of the food you purchase, I > think it's safe to say that it *can be* much cheaper to eat a > cooked/processed diet than a raw one. Non-organic produce is > significantly cheaper than organic produce, and the cost of rice, > ramen, and bread are so low that anyone in the US could easily > subsist for $3 a day or less on such foods (which many college > students undoubtedly do). > > That is only a small part of the picture though. Other costs: > > - Medical costs. Over the long term, it seems likely that as a raw > foodist, one would save considerable money on medical expenses. Of > course there's no real way to know, but if you accept the premise > that raw foods helps prevent degenerative diseases, there is a lot to > be saved here. > > - Electricity. It almost certainly costs more in heating to have a > cooked diet vs. a raw food one, even counting dehydrators. Other > electricity used in preparation (running blenders, etc.) is probably > equivalent. > > - Gardening. In exchange for some of one's time, you could save money > by growing some of your own food (or wildcrafting it). My guess here > is that, when compared to spending some time gardening versus working > at a paying job, most people would save money overall by growing some > of their own food. Only people with large salaries would probably be > better off dollar-wise buying all their food and spending their time > earning money instead of gardening. Though their food would > certainly not taste as good! > > - Restaurants. Cooked fooders are much more likely to spend money in > restaurants - not only because there are virtually no raw-food > restaurants available (this is changing), but because social > gatherings happen in restaurants so often in the US. Though if a > person never eats out to begin with this is irrelevant. > > In the overall picture, based strictly on monetary differences, I > don't see a real strong argument for raw foods as being cheaper in > the short-to-mid-term (which is probably what most cooked-fooders > would be looking at if considering a conversion). > > If a person cares a lot more about saving money than being healthy, > then I think you would be hard-pressed to convert them to raw foods > based solely on the money argument, especially since the " eating raw > saves medical costs " argument relies in part on the health argument. > > That being said, in the long run I think a lot of raw fooders will > save food money simply because they will eat less and less over > time. Once that stage is reached food expenses can get quite low. > > In my experience, the best way to " convert " somebody to rawfoods is > to use all the " why raw " arguments at your disposal -- health, > ecology, money savings, joy. What matters to each person will be > different. And more importantly, don't be pushy or inflexible about > it -- you can plant a seed, but if you force it too much, they will > never get to the watering. > > Joel > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 27, 2004 Report Share Posted October 27, 2004 Joel - I agree 100% with what you have said. Especially the part about health. Being one with no health insurance I always answer the question - " I'm going to pay for it one way or the other and I'd rather pay for organic produce than medical poison. " Shari Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 28, 2004 Report Share Posted October 28, 2004 Well said. The biggest remark about health I hear from people is, " I need more energy. " Well, they are going to get a lot more energy from raw foods than from coffee. That's one approach. And we don't have to make someone a virtual raw foodist overnight. If they start adding in more raw foods and start to feel better, they could be on their way to making more adjustments as their body starts to cleanse. Tastes in food can change as the body cleanses and the junk people used to like should give way to better choices. Ron RawSeattle , " joelpt2 " <joelpt@e...> wrote: > > In my experience, the best way to " convert " somebody to rawfoods is > to use all the " why raw " arguments at your disposal -- health, > ecology, money savings, joy. What matters to each person will be > different. And more importantly, don't be pushy or inflexible about > it -- you can plant a seed, but if you force it too much, they will > never get to the watering. > > Joel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 28, 2004 Report Share Posted October 28, 2004 My husband and I are live on a very, very small income. I am constantly asked by people who make triple the amount we do and have no kids how we can afford to eat all organic. (By the way, I'm only about 60-70% raw). I tell them that first of all, we live simply and don't buy junk food, I cook (or uncook) from scratch, we rarely eat out, we don't go to the doctor or use medication, we don't buy expensive and toxic household cleaners, we're not in debt (don't use credit cards), we're not into the " latest " gadgets and fads, etc. Also, we reuse....shop at thrift stores...and we feel really smart for doing so! Sheree Jeff Rogers <jeff wrote: Regarding money and jobs and eating raw - Raw foodists may have less, if any, sick days, which means more productivity and, potentially, more income. Many raw foodists need less sleep, which means probably more potential productivity, whether at work, home, or vollunteering, etc. They may also have more energy, etc., so may get more done in the course of a day. Of course, even raw foodists may have lazy days occasionally! Regarding food costs, as was mentioned before, as we do not tend to consume cheap foods, like rice/bread, we can spend more on food, especially when supporting organic. There are still some foods, such as buckwheat and flax seed, which many raw foodists use in crackers, cookies, and other foods, which may not be as pricy per pound as most fruits and veggies. One less expensive fruit is the banana. I have purchased many cases of bananas over recent years. At 50 to 60 cents per pound, they are a good deal! Case purchases, such as at Central Market, can help keep food costs down. If the vollume of cases is too much, they may be shared with other raw foodists to share the discount. Jeff > ------- > [RawSeattle] Re: Cost of eating raw > " joelpt2 " <joelpt > Wed, October 27, 2004 12:42 pm > RawSeattle > > > > I would like to start a discussion here about the costs of eating > > raw. Strictly from a food budget perspective (not a health > > perspective), is it cheaper to eat raw? > > Speaking only about the direct costs of the food you purchase, I > think it's safe to say that it *can be* much cheaper to eat a > cooked/processed diet than a raw one. Non-organic produce is > significantly cheaper than organic produce, and the cost of rice, > ramen, and bread are so low that anyone in the US could easily > subsist for $3 a day or less on such foods (which many college > students undoubtedly do). > > That is only a small part of the picture though. Other costs: > > - Medical costs. Over the long term, it seems likely that as a raw > foodist, one would save considerable money on medical expenses. Of > course there's no real way to know, but if you accept the premise > that raw foods helps prevent degenerative diseases, there is a lot to > be saved here. > > - Electricity. It almost certainly costs more in heating to have a > cooked diet vs. a raw food one, even counting dehydrators. Other > electricity used in preparation (running blenders, etc.) is probably > equivalent. > > - Gardening. In exchange for some of one's time, you could save money > by growing some of your own food (or wildcrafting it). My guess here > is that, when compared to spending some time gardening versus working > at a paying job, most people would save money overall by growing some > of their own food. Only people with large salaries would probably be > better off dollar-wise buying all their food and spending their time > earning money instead of gardening. Though their food would > certainly not taste as good! > > - Restaurants. Cooked fooders are much more likely to spend money in > restaurants - not only because there are virtually no raw-food > restaurants available (this is changing), but because social > gatherings happen in restaurants so often in the US. Though if a > person never eats out to begin with this is irrelevant. > > In the overall picture, based strictly on monetary differences, I > don't see a real strong argument for raw foods as being cheaper in > the short-to-mid-term (which is probably what most cooked-fooders > would be looking at if considering a conversion). > > If a person cares a lot more about saving money than being healthy, > then I think you would be hard-pressed to convert them to raw foods > based solely on the money argument, especially since the " eating raw > saves medical costs " argument relies in part on the health argument. > > That being said, in the long run I think a lot of raw fooders will > save food money simply because they will eat less and less over > time. Once that stage is reached food expenses can get quite low. > > In my experience, the best way to " convert " somebody to rawfoods is > to use all the " why raw " arguments at your disposal -- health, > ecology, money savings, joy. What matters to each person will be > different. And more importantly, don't be pushy or inflexible about > it -- you can plant a seed, but if you force it too much, they will > never get to the watering. > > Joel > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 28, 2004 Report Share Posted October 28, 2004 Viktoras touted the cost benefits of a raw food based diet in Love Your Body and the Survival book, citing the ability to grow low cost sprouts for pennies. Growing sprouts does seem like an economical addition to meals, but I guess one can only go so far with sprouts, and it can get harder (though no impossible) to grow sprouts like sunflower and buckwheat greens in the winter here in Seattle with the shorter days. This thread makes me want to keep track of food expenses for a while, and see what percentage of my income they eat up... David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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