Shopping

Calm down ladies. I know what you're thinking. Buy a new LV bag, the latest Jimmy Choo's or Christian Louboutin shoes, or a shiny new pair of Tom Ford Sunglasses. And you too, fellas. Uh, whatever you guys shop for these days.

I'm talking about grocery shopping. It's really been an eye-opening experience when I went "Raw for 30 Days" and now I'm on a similar mission, eliminating all dairy and animal products. It's interesting to see how my shopping habits have changed, and how much money I've saving. It also effects how we go out to eat as well.

First off, milk. Man, we went through milk like water in our family. When I ask the kids what they want to drink, first answer is "Milk!". When we go out to eat and the waiter ask my youngest daughter what she wants, she screams, "Milk, please!". When they are in school, they drink ... you guessed it ... milk. For about the last three years, we've been on organic milk. Why we did that is the topic of another post, but let's just say that I was scared enough by conventional milk, how it was produced, and the dangers associated with it, that we went organic. Now, you can buy conventional milk at Costco for $3.00 for 2 gallons. Or you can buy organic milk at Costco for $11.00 for 2 gallons. So, for the past three years, I've bought organic milk for my kids to drink at home. Never a question, despite the about 4x difference in cost. But, because of T. Colin Campbell's book "The China Study" and issues with milk proteins (casein) and animal proteins in meat causing disease and cancer, my wife and I decided for our family just to not buy it any more. Heck, it saves us some serious money, saves me time, and is probably better for our health in the long run. And to think of it, the times when I had digestion issues, when I started to feel sickest, is when I had cereal and ... yes milk for breakfast. When I went off of it (and also my whey protein shakes), I did feel a lot cleaner. So, this is a win-win for me. We did spend some time talking with our kids, and they were very cool about it. So, now we're trying alternatives ... soy, almond, rice milk. It's an ongoing process, but it seems like the kids aren't having much difficulty.

Next, meat. Well, we didn't really buy meat anyway, unless we're throwing a party for my family (another post). And when we did, it was free-range organic chicken, wild salmon, or grass fed organic beef. Again, why we bought those is a subject of another post, but let's just say it was similar to the conventional milk argument. And man, talk about cost difference. For any of those, you're talking about 2-3x cost difference versus conventional. We're lucky we were quasi-vegetarians, else we'd have to take a 2nd on our house just to have dinner. Again, it's much easier to shop without having to worry about buying any of this. We're gonna try some of the veggie proteins, like TVP (textured veggie protein), but to be honest, I don't like to buy lots of packaged and processed stuff that has "Vegan" on it. I'd rather buy whole fruits and vegetables, etc.

Okay, so now that the grocery store is literally cut in half, it's much easier to shop. Here's a rundown of what I buy and where.

Costco - Organic spring mix and spinach. I eats tons of both, and it's super expensive at other places, so I just get it here. If they have organic frozen blueberries by the bundle, I nab those as well, because I use them in my green smoothies.

Trader Joes - Fruits (bananas, apples, oranges, etc.) -- always organic. Olive oil, spices, salad dressings, soups, nuts, seeds, soy/almond/rice milk, etc.

Farmers Markets - We're lucky we have several to choose from and they're close by. I go twice a week to get fresh greens (kale, romaine, bok choy, swiss chard, basil, etc.), other veggies (zuccini, broccoli, long beans, squash, bell peppers, mushrooms, etc.) and other fruits (nectarines, berries, etc.). I always buy organic.

Whole Foods - My last stop, because it's so darn expensive. Here, I focus on the "Bulk Items". Organic nuts, seeds, rice, and legumes. I'll get whatever I couldn't get at Trader Joes (flaxseed, other seeds, brown rice, nuts, black beans, red beans, other beans). I'll also get my Acai smoothie packs here (darn expensive things), as well any produce I didn't find fresh at the farmers market. Nearly everything at whole foods is organic (unless it says "conventional") and by now you know, I always buy organic.

I don't know exactly how much time and money I'm saving by eating this way, but it really does simplify my life. In our hectic schedules, when we make every excuse in the world just to go to McDonalds and grab a Happy Meal for the kids, and a Super Sized #1 for ourselves, isn't it ironic that eating healthy may actually be easier and cheaper to do? I wonder... Someone tally up the cost (time and money, and include the cost of gas going to the drive-through every meal!) of eating fast food for a week, and let's compare it with eating healthy for a week. I think the healthy eaters will probably feel better after that week (Supersize Me!), but I'm wondering if it really does save time and money... Hmmm!