Is eating Paleo/Primal/ Low Carb Expensive?
I went shopping today to buy some ingredients for some of the Paleo recipes I have been seeing lately. I want to make pizza, I told some readers that I would try it this week and fill them in on it.
I decided to go to the health food store to shop today. We have one called Earthfare that is not far from our house. I have been buying some meats, fruits and vegetables and a few other things from there for a while. I have written about Earthfare in the past.
Well today I decided to shop for some of the non-wheat flours and something to make pizza with. I was shopping for coconut flour and almond meal/flour. The bags of flour were only one pound and they were 12.99 a bag.
As I continued to go through the store and look for things I came across a local almond meal that wasn't as expensive. So I put back the first one and purchased the local one. It was only 8.99 a pound.
Next, I was looking for Coconut Milk. I found Coconut Milk in the dairy cooler. It was $5.00 for a bottle. The bottle size is not very big in comparison to a gallon of milk.
I also purchased a pizza sauce. I checked the sauces and the pizza sauce had the least amount of sugar. It didn't show any sugar on the ingredient list, but it had sugar listed in the grams. I assume that is natural sugar.
Luckily, the pizza sauce was on sale. The cans were 2/$5.00.
I also bought uncured ham, artichoke hearts, and mushrooms which I didn't photograph.
I don't know how much one pizza will cost, but I think it will be pretty expensive. I know it will not take all of the flours to make a pizza, so there will be some for other recipes. I'm not sure that I would have to buy organic in most of the ingredients, but I wanted to try to make this as clean as possible.
I plan to make the pizza in a day or two and then I will post the recipe that I decide to use and pictures of making the pizza. Here is a picture of a Paleo Pizza I found on Google Images. It looks good to me!
Do you use paleo/primal/low carb recipes? Do you find them to be expensive? Do you have any money saving ideas for purchasing the ingredients?
I am thinking these foods are much healthier, and they will help me to lose weight. If I can get off my medications it would save me money on the prescriptions. I am still learning and trying things to see how it all works for me.
Hi Betty - I don't use the recipes but my wife was asking me this evening if I knew what Almond meal was? I gave the usual I dunno, maybe it's Almond Flour? Looks like that is what they are referring to. She found a Paleo recipe for something in Woman's World. At least she is thinking of giving me some kind of Paleo treat. I ought to buy the meal and see what happens. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThat's sweet of her. She is really trying to help. You should buy some and give it a try. I'm not sure if eating a lot of that is good or not, but if we can have an occasional healthy treat, then that's great.
DeleteI know I'm a rarity, but I'm steering clear of even 'paleo/primal safe' flours. I'm perfectly happy without them. I consider them very potentially a slippery slope. I'm firm enough in what I do eat that I've gone nearly six months without them.
ReplyDeleteThen again, I'm admitting I'm not the norm in the paleo community re this. :)
I really need to make a total lifestyle change. If I can make foods that my family will enjoy and we can eat together, I know I will be able to stay with this forever. I don't like eating things by myself. I will see how doing this affects my weight loss. If it slows me down than I will have to make this things very less common. I have explained to my husband that it is not that difficult to just eat meats and vegetables. I think he is about ready to try it.
DeleteHi Betty! Well, I eat low carb in a really cheap way. Egg whites, chicken, tuna in a can, fruits, vegetables, and that's mostly it. But I don't eat expensive stuff like that. I have teen kids who both went to summer camps this summer, so we have no extra money for groceries. I personally never buy food that is that expensive. It is completely unnecessary. Like Gwen, I also stay away from stuff like that.
ReplyDeleteI have been told by a few people that it goes a long way. I am going to try this stuff and see if it is worth it or not. I certainly won't use these expensive ingredients for meals on an every day basis. My husband would kill me if I spent that kind of money weekly at the grocery store. This is all about trying something new.
DeleteHi Betty - the pizza on my recipes (the one with the guar gum) is really good. So is the one with the cheese base but not my first choice. I don't find the ingredients expensive at all because you simply don't use much of them. Coconut flour lasts for ages because you don't use much. I don't do a lot of cooking with almond flour because, well, it's almonds! A little is OK but not a lot I think. Good luck with the pizza :)
ReplyDeleteI plan to try that one later. I didn't find the guar gum. I will have to look for that again soon. It's good to know that it lasts a while. I should have done a better job shopping. I found some of the products cheaper at my regular grocery. I just didn't know where to look for them. I did find them yesterday when I went to grab something else. I stood and talked to a women who was buying some things there too. She has been going the Paleo route for some time and she said the items really last a long time. She said just keep telling people about it and more people will start buying the products and prices will come down.
DeleteOh so, check out amazon for ordering those non-wheat flours. Not kidding, it's amazingly cheaper by comparison for the same brand (or even directly on their website!) And the pizza sauce, I actually make my own with tomato paste and spices, so that will help save you on the cost and sugars too. :) ALL healthy foods are ridiculously expensive. You can go and get a meal of frozen fried chicken with a brownie in the freezer section for $0.99, but buy anything real and OUCH!
ReplyDeleteI will have to check out Amazon. As I mentioned to Lynda. I did find some of the products in my regular grocery store. There were the sames brands and all, and several dollars cheaper. I am just going to have to become a better shopper where the ingredients are concerned. Yes, the hugely processed foods are extremely cheap. I guess that's because they don't have to use much in the way of real food.
DeleteEating paleo is only expensive if you try to recreate a 'normal' diet with paleo foods. All those specialized ingredients are expensive!! I eat meat, eggs, nuts/seeds, fruits and TONS of veggies - organic when I can, and I feed myself for less than 50 bucks a week. I don't make paleofied foods though- I just cook these items in olive oil or eat them raw. Simple is best, leaving foods whole/mostly whole is easiest, and cheaper!
ReplyDeleteMost of my foods are the natural foods you talk about. I just would like to try some of the recipes that are a little different. These will be treats, not daily food fare.
DeleteI look forward to the day when buying healthy foods does not cost so much! I think that expensive health food is a marketing strategy that many companies use to make more money. With more and more people paying attention to what goes into their bodies, paying more for these foods will probably continue to be the norm for a while. We will have to learn to shop smarter by finding bargains, buying certain things in bulk, using internet stores and learning to preserve and/or store certain foods. As Kyra commented, pasta sauce can be made at home cheaply. It can also be stored in the freezer for later use.
ReplyDeleteYou know, I think you are right, I think they spend more on advertising some of the foods than they spend making the products. I think I was in a hurry to try some of these things and didn't really plan well. You can bet I am going to get better at shopping for better foods.
DeleteI think it does cost a bit more to buy things like coconut milk and other health products but it's soooo worth it. I haven't tried paleo yet but I've been looking into it. That pizza does look delicious!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. I am ready to make the pizza. I hope it turns out good.
DeleteI don't eat this way but I do eat every healthy fruits/vegetables/grains and lean meats... It is by far expensive to eat the way I do but I choose to do so... not sure I would want to pay 8.99 a pound for a flour substitute... I hope it turns out well and you enjoy it:)
ReplyDeleteI am going to try these things. I will let you know. Fresh foods do cost more. They can't mass produce them.
DeleteIt's amazing how things that are good for your health cost nowadays:( Cooking with products that are totally organic is an expensive venture!I usually make my own own pasta and pizza sauce with homemade tomato sauce, so much cheaper. Hugs,Poppy
ReplyDeleteI will have to try homemade tomato sauce when I start getting lots of fresh tomatoes from my plants. I think it is worth is to spend a little more and be healthy.
DeleteReally good entry. I enjoy the food price comparison. May I repeat from my area of the country. Send me the recipe and ingredients and I will see what I can do after my vacation. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the offer! I have already found cheaper prices in my area. I may have to send you the list you to compare prices. Maybe buying online is a good option too!
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