Can I eat a mostly raw, somewhat organic, vegan diet on the cheap?

Queen Turnip, Lately I’ve been really driven to try a bunch of new alternative therapies. Why? Because I’m a health junkie and a writer. I want first-hand experience, not recycled articles with agendas. This past month I had a little downtime so I decided to give oxygen treatments a whirl. I had been reading about their benefits for years, saved some money from my speaking gigs, and dove head first into goodness and madness. Recently, several comments regarding the cost of a healthy lifestyle have stuck in my mind. Forget my out-of-the-box treatments; the main problem is the raw, vegan, organic diet, and all the goodie-boosters that go with it. It’s expensive! Some folks get really miffed at me for promoting this way of living - if they can’t afford it then I shouldn’t write about it. Now that’s not fair or constructive. My point is to address problems and find solutions. But clearly I have more work to do. Our system is broken and it makes me angry. I promise to do my part in a more constructive, inclusive way - or at least to try. In these times we all need to dig as deep as we possibly can to find and share cost effective ways to improve health, spiritual wealth and happiness. Will I always succeed? Will you? NO WAY. Bottom line: It’s cheap to get sick and expensive to be healthy. Integrative medicine should be covered by insurance. Insurance should be affordable. Advertisers should be more responsible. Your doctor should know more about nutrition - and so should you/me/us. I want to “eat my veggies and shake my ass” but I don’t want it to break my bank. Since my diagnoses I have spent most of my money on chow. How about a vacation? Or better yet, some home repair and my credit card debt! Listen up Mr. Obama (who I love and crush on), if you really want to bring the troops home in the war on cancer (and other dis-eases), don’t just focus on new drugs. Get uber serious about how you’re gonna’ spend the money allocated for “prevention”. Seek advise the RIGHT people. If one more nutritionist tells me to boil my skinless chicken I’m gonna’ snap! We’re wasting tons of cash chasing our tails. Bring me on board, Mr. Prez, I’d be happy to sit down over a green drink and give you some pointers. :) But I digress… A vegan, mostly raw, organic lifestyle costs more than McDonalds - or so we think. It’s pricey because it’s not subsidized! The costs of a fast-food, nutrient-deficient diet are hidden. That burger may be 99 cents today, but its cost to your health and the health of the planet down the road are huge. Kids are fat and loaded with diabetes in our country. Cancer is a shit pickle that you don’t want to find yourself in and yet it’s cheaper to follow a lifestyle that promotes it. The poorest countries in the world struggle with infection - we come a long - westernize their diets - BAM - stroke. Heart disease is virtually non-existent where indigenous diets of rice and beans are king. Good foods, on the other hand, may cost more now, but in the big picture, they’re actually a bargain… But of course that doesn’t solve the elitist problem right now for someone trying to get through a busy day. Add superfoods, supplements, potions, powders, raw snacks and forget it. So I’m gonna challenge myself to be thrifty. This morning I downloaded McDonald’s menu but there were no prices so I called the location of the nearest drive-through feeding trough. Here’s a sample of what I thought an average day would look like if I ate this way: Breakfast: * Egg McMuffin - $2.40 * Medium OJ - $1.70 * Large Coffee - $1.50 Lunch: * Big Mac - $3.80 *Medium Fries - $1.55 *Medium Ice tea - $1.40 Dinner: * Premium Salad with chicken - $4.95 *Oatmeal raisin cookies - $1 * Medium Coke - $1.40 Total: $19.70 I can certainly eat healthy for $19.70 per day but not if I don’t make it myself! How about $10? $5? Not if I jam the juice. Join me. Save your receipts, blog about your experience. Be honest and be healthy. Ramen noodles and ketchup don’t cut it. I know that I can slice my food bill by buying a combo of organic (for the 12 most sprayed) and conventional fruits/veggies, bulk grains etc. I’ve written about this stuff many times but have I ever REALLY tried to limit myself? What about the staples I’ve stocked? You know the oils, Braggs, hemp seeds, dulse, spices, nut butters, etc. Do I start from scratch or can I average that stuff in? Hmmm. As many of you know, the big $$$ gets laid out in the beginning. Once we stock the basics it’s easier to save do re mi. How do you cut costs and live this lifestyle on the cheap? PLEASE share. Let this blog be a solution and not a bitch fest. Peace & coupons, Kris