Guest guest Posted January 20, 2008 Report Share Posted January 20, 2008 I think you are so right! I work out of town and last week I spent the same on groceries as I normally would, but found at the end of the week that I still had $15 of the $20 I took with me. That money would have normally been long gone, spent on ordering out with co- workers or trips through the fast food window. I even mentioned it to a friend it was so unusual. I also have some " hangups " with food. I'm new to this journey, and do feel some grief over the loss of foods. Im sure this will pass as time goes, its just a matter of changing my lifestyle right now. I'm feeling grief over lots of things right now. But again time will heal, hopefully as my gut does. I can't tell you how many times I'm almost in tears in the grocery store because I pick up something that I think might be legal and find sugar or some other nasty in it. Or when I bought a new pair of pants last week and had grabbed a size 2 smaller than normal by accident and didnt look a the label until they fit perfect, (can't believe I cried over that, would have normally been happy.) UC 1/08 SCD 12/07 > > I seriously think we spend a lot less on the actual food than we did > pre-scd for me and I was a coupon queen with pantrys full of illegals > that I got for free or cheap........but we would go out a lot......or > swing through the drive through or to the convenience store for > goodies and these add up. We did spend a lot initially to get set up > with kitchen gear though.......maybe getting this from garage sales > and the like would help as the right gear helps soooooo much. My pre- > scd life was eating fast food and out a lot though. SCD cookies and > bread cost more than regular cookies and bread, (but this is not > really on the intro) but if you stick to the meat and veggies and > some fruit and some nuts and cheese I think it can be just as > cheap............if not cheaper. I used to have bags and boxes of > processed foods stocked up ahead that we never would get > to..........so our ongoing expenses were more I think............the > processed foods seem cheaper but they can add up. I do splurge on > almond flour and organic produce now though. > > I figured yogurt out to be cheaper than illegal store brands once you > factor out the price of the yogurt maker.......which we have now used > for three years.....and my non-scd kids prefer scd legal yogurt to > the store bought stuff. Look at those little containrs from the store > and price them and you will see what I mean. > > The foods that my body tolerates best are simple and sometimes boring > but not expensive.........oils can be more but I cook a lot of stuff > without any oil by baking it. Frozen legal veggies (be sure they are > legal) are not too much.............Kroger has them $1 a bag often > around here........and whole foods has organic ones for $2 a bag. > > (Exception............we pay alot per pound for the only turkey that > has worked for me. It can be hard to find meat that has not been > contamiated with illegals. We splurge and go directl to the meat man > because so much of the meat in the grocery store had illegals in it.) > > We also have a Costco membership now. I found it helps a lot but I > drink glass bottled water for other medical reasons which swayed it > that way. SCD does not require glass bottled water. > > Crockpot can be your friend for cheap and timesaving SCD meals. Water > a few spices......meat veggies low for 4-6 hours done. You can do > more if you have thetime/tastes to do so. > > I love my SCD recipes but often I go simple and easy.........basic > food prep. And this is when I usually do best. Take a glass bottomed > baking dish.....put in a little water and put the legal chicken, > frozen brocolli or whatever in....melt cheese on top if you > want......350 for 30 min or until done.........1 min prep and about > $2 per person around here..........and sauces with tomato juice are > wayyyyyyyyy cheaper than store bought spaghetti sauce. you pay $1 for > a can that makes the equivalent of 10-20 cans of store bought sauce > (after a few veggies) .....and it tastes much much better! Say > goodbye to all those condiments in your fridge.........the homemade > equivalent is cheaper........and just think of how much you are > spending on ketchup, mayo, jams, jellies.......all this is cheaper > and tastier to make yourself. These are hidden expenses you already > have now but don't think about.....that will actually get better > while the meat and veggies may get a bit worse. > > Now, mind you I have been SCD for three (almost four ) years now so I > have had time to adjust emotionally and mentally.....it can be a big > adjustment to not just run through the drivethrough.........but those > unseen savings add up. I think the part people do not talk enough > about on here is the mental journey that goes with SCD. It can be > tough......depending upon how tightly a person holds on to their > processed foods.......I held pretty tightly and had weird emotions > all attached to my food and what eating should be like.......like > that every day should be a party with food........I am sorry I am not > expressing it right today. But this is the hard part.....the mental > part. > > > I feel sooo much better now that I would never go back. It took > awhile to feel well enough to decide that illegals were not worth it. > > Michele > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 21, 2008 Report Share Posted January 21, 2008 Hi All,Since starting SCD I have become much more aware of my food budget and where my money is being spent. I've noticed that as I progress from the intro diet and include a wider variety of foods, I've also become more aware of my food choices and am selecting higher-quality ingredients. I take tremendous pleasure now in treating myself to fresh herbs, locally farmed eggs, good cuts of meat, local produce (when it's available.) In side-by-side product comparisons, I do seem to spend more money on the basics. That said, I no longer eat prepackaged convenience foods, I no longer drink alcohol, and am much more selective in my choice of restaurants. I spend more money now on a few good supplements, particularly probiotics and fish oil. Also, since -for me- time cannot be separated from the whole investment equation, I spend significantly more time and energy planning meals, cooking, and ENJOYING my food. Eating just to make hunger go away has been replaced by eating and taking pleasure in the food: the smell, taste, and experience is richer and more healthful. I'm always trying to explain to my non-SCD friends just how amazing homemade yogurt is...and some of them just don't get it. It's just food, right? How great can it be? :-)There is an interesting (NON-SCD) book getting alot of press right now (In Defense of Food, Pollan). The author talks about the very close connection between a Standard Western Diet and chronic illness. He says that of all the things we do know definitively about nutrition (a science that he argues is in its infancy), the one clear datapoint is that the Western Diet makes people sick. Again and again, when traditional cultures adopt a Western diet, they consistently develop more heart disease, more diabetes, more obesity, etc. etc. Pollan's recommendation, therefore, is a return to eating whole foods - plants, fruits, meats, fish, fowl, etc. He says, "Anything that your great grandmother wouldn't recognize as food shouldn't go in your mouth." When I listen to his opinions, and apply them to the SCD experience I'm having, it becomes clear that eating well and healthfully is a choice that we have to make AGAINST the tendency of the culture we live in. To eat for health, it is necessary to invest more time and/or more money than one does when eating the SAD/SWD. If you're buying more fruits and vegetables, and more raw meats, that means you have to spend time cooking and preparing them. It also means that you will likely have to shop more often, as fresh food spoils more quickly than packaged foods. I recall Elaine's caution in BTVC about not beginning the diet if one is not prepared to follow it religiously. When I read that, I realized instinctively that the diet was going to be an investment. I don't have much money to spend, and so I'm frugal about my choices. At the same time, I've decided to devote a greater percentage of my energy, time, and income to my food. But doing so doesn't make me noble or somehow stronger than one who eats the SAD. My choice seemed easy: either change my diet or suffer the consequences. It's a tremendous bonus that the SCD has opened my senses to the pleasure of making and preparing and EATING food, as well as giving me the chance to restore my health. I consider this the silver lining of getting sick in the first place. Just my .02. -Nina in MA Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your homepage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 21, 2008 Report Share Posted January 21, 2008 Nina,This is just great. May I quote excerpts fromyou when I write on the celiac blog? Hi All,Since starting SCD I have become much more aware of my food budget and where my money is being spent. I've noticed that as I progress from the intro diet and include a wider variety of foods, I've also become more aware of my food choices and am selecting higher-quality ingredients. Carol F.Celiac, SCD 8 years,MCS, Latex Allergyhttp://www.celiac.com/authors/143/Carol-Frileghhttp://www.talkaboutcuringautism.org/gfcf-diet/sc-diet.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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