A Word About the Economic Side of Vegetarian and Particularly Raw-food Preparation

One of the concerns I hear a lot about eating healthy is "But it costs so much!" Well, there's two arguments to present in response to that, and one of them which is often heard is:

• Argument 1: eating healthy, while expensive, is an investment against the cost of future disease caused by unhealthy eating habits.
  

Screw that. Throw that argument out the window. Because in my experience, while it may be true that the TIME you spend planning and preparing healthy food is far greater, if you are frugal or even simply a pretty careful shopper, you won't spend any more on fresh, healthy food than you do on the "Standard American Diet" fare, and in fact you'll probably spend less.

My commitment is to create healthy, satisfying meals that will cost you under $12 (per dinner) , that will serve three, and will usually have leftovers.

Some Do's and Don'ts that are helpful. I've learned these by trial and error, so they are vetted by experience!

• DO plan a weekly menu on the day of, or the day before, you shop. This one is crucial.
  
• DO continue to shop at the store or stores you can afford.
  
• DO save your trips to specialty-stores for after you have already purchased everything you can at your regular store.
  
• DO find your local farmer's market, or community-supported agriculture program, or food co-op and consider shopping that way instead. Sadly for many of us, such things are not available where we are so you have to make do with what you've got.
  
• DO consider growing some of your own food. Even apartment-dwellers can grow tomatoes in pots, and can sprout all sorts of seeds and legumes.
• DO invest in some good cookbooks, and get to know web sites online that will provide you with healthy new dishes. I will be providing links and suggestions too.
  

And the Don'ts....

• DON'T think you *have* to buy everything organic (unless you want to and can afford to!). While organic is great, and preferred, it's just not a cost option for everyone. Fruits and vegetables can be washed. The benefit you're going to get from just switching to fresh healthy foods is a good enough start.
  
• DON'T think you *have* to give up cooked food. There are ways to cook food in which the nutritional value is preserved (for the most part, with minimal loss of nutrients). In fact, some foods such as tomatoes and carrots actually increase in nutritional value, when cooked. While I prefer raw, it's just not always possible. so don't guilt yourself.
  
• DON'T shop when you are hungry!
• DON'T make the mistake of over-purchasing fruits and vegetables. I know, it all looks so good, and you're so excited about eating healthier so you just go crazy in the produce department! You will be surprised how much one or two vegetables will make. And if you run out mid-week and have to go back to the store, oh well . At least those ten zucchini you were thinking about buying didn't turn to goo in your crisper drawer .
• DON'T continue to purchase non-healthy items, even as a "treat". This is really, really hard. "Oh, one bag of M&Ms. One bag of potato chips.... What harm can it do?" It may take a while to un-do your various addictions to non-healthy foods, but until you can find healthy substitutes that replace your old cravings, just keep trying not to revert to un-healthy habits. You will probably fail at this a lot. I did, and I still do. But then I just keep trying. Because that stuff is not only bad for you- but it's expensive! It's better to spend your food dollars on the healthy stuff, and snacks will literally eat up your food budget very quickly.
• DON'T believe everything you hear. Do your homework; learn about nutrition using nutrition science as your basis. There are a LOT of wacky ideas floating around out there, and they aren't necessarily going to improve your health. The best nutrition health comes from a little learning, common sense and following a few simple guidelines.
  

I think that's all I have to say about that for now.