PrisZ Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 So I'm on Day 6 and have been following it strictly until today. The thing I am struggling with is buying organic everything is so costly. I'm having a hard time finding certain things that fit into the plan (balsamic vinaigrette, deli meat, tuna, etc) that also fit within my budget. I honestly don't miss sugar or grains. I miss cheese & yogurt a tiny bit. I have an autoimmune disease so I feel like that limits what I can eat even more. I ate tuna today then realized it had soy in it. UGH I guess I have to start over which means a total of 5 weeks on this plan and I'm just not sure I can stretch my budget. I tend to get bored eating the same things over & over I feel like I will end up starting over frequently simply because I'm tired of eating eggs for breakfast. Any advice would be great. Maybe Whole30 isn't for me. Priscilla Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jent103 Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 Doing a Whole30 doesn't at all mean that everything has to be organic, free-range, grass-fed, etc. Sure, if you can afford it, that's the best option, but you can still do a perfectly compliant Whole30 without it. This article might help - it talks about how to prioritize your grocery budget. http://whole30.com/2011/01/paleo-poor-your-guide-to-the-grocery-store/ As far as the specifics that you mentioned, compliant deli meat is almost impossible to find but it's also one of the more expensive options per pound anyway. Proteins like ground beef or chicken thighs will go a lot further on a budget. For tuna, there are some places that carry compliant canned tuna (Trader Joe's does, but always check labels at your store); tuna in a pouch seems more likely to be compliant otherwise. For balsamic vinaigrette - just make your own! Combine some olive oil and some balsamic vinegar and you are done. Add dijon mustard, salt/pepper/garlic powder, etc if you want. Easy and most likely cheaper too. Just make sure your vinegar doesn't have added sulfites on the ingredient label (a note saying "contains sulfites" is okay, because some sulfites occur naturally, but you don't want the ones that are added as preservatives). And you don't have to eat eggs for breakfast - just think of it as meal 1. Eat whatever you'd eat at lunch or dinner if you want! It's a shift in mentality but freeing. Try a hash with ground meat, maybe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annabel Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 You don't need to eat organic everything. There have been loads of threads about budget whole 30s if you have a bit of a search: http://forum.whole9life.com/topic/9559-spending-way-too-much-on-groceries/ http://forum.whole9life.com/topic/11711-feeding-a-family-of-5-on-a-budgetneed-suggestions/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaseyD Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 You don't have to buy organic everything. You don't have to buy grassfed or pastured, either. Eating a conventional pork chop with conventional spinach and sweet potato is still Whole30, and much better for you (particularly with an autoimmune disease) than a ham sandwich on wheat bread. I don't eat eggs for breakfast because I'm allergic to eggs. A typical breakfast for me is a piece of salmon (which I find in individual serving packs and they are cheap), cooked in coconut oil; some spinach and onion also cooked in coconut oil; and either another vegetable (like zucchini), or sometimes sweet potato. It was weird at first, but then I remembered that when I was younger, I could eat pizza for breakfast, so I stopped telling myself it was weird. Sounds like you need to invest in some cookbooks. Well Fed and Well Fed 2 are probably the best paleo cookbooks there are. Plus, the author goes into great detail on how to cook healthy meals quickly, how to make it more interesting, and how to save yourself time by doing a weekly prep (which she also explains how to do). Another great one is The Autoimmune Paleo Cookbook by Mickey Trescott. On Facebook, Whole30 has a whole page dedicated to recipes, and many of them are simple but excellent. It may take a little work to change your cooking style if you are new to paleo, but it does get easier and it can be exciting - and also affordable. Stick to meats, healthy fats, and veggies - conventional (non-organic) is fine. You don't have to get crazy with special ingredients like almond flours or nut butters (and it will actually be even healthier for you that way). I hope you stick to it, even if that means starting over. It is tough the first couple weeks, but it does get easier and you do start to feel pretty remarkable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renee Lee Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 Hi Priscilla, First: take a deep breath! Secondly, it is absolutely NOT a requirement of the Whole30 to buy all locally sourced, organic produce, and pastured, free range protein sources. Is that the ideal scenario if money grew on trees? Totally. But it is NOT a requirement. Think about all your food choices in a "Good, Better, Best" sort of thinking. Produce: Good - conventional farming, not organic Better - organic Best - organic/local/home grown Eggs: Good - conventional Better - vegetarian fed, cage free Best - pastured, free range chickens from your local farmer. Etc. Best is NOT a prerequisite! Budget your money however it works for your family As for organic produce, do some googling for the "clean thirteen" and the "dirty dozen." The former are conventional items that don't have a lot of pesticides on them, so it's not as important to buy organic for these. The Dirty Dozen are the twelve that get sprayed the worst, and if you have some extra money, put it towards those items. (Or leave them out of your W30 if you still can't make it work. You'll be fine without berries for 30 days) Lastly, check out this post to whole30 on a budget: http://whole9life.com/2011/01/paleo-poor-your-guide-to-the-grocery-store/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeadowLily Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 I don't have an organic grocery store. We're lucky if everything's not wilted by the time it gets here. It's a long old haul. You can do it on a budget. I bet you have the best looking avocados and tomatoes in your climate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrisZ Posted July 30, 2014 Author Share Posted July 30, 2014 Thank you all for your encouragement. I greatly appreciate it. @jent I mean to say balsamic vinegar I have yet to find some without sulfites. @annabel I will check out those links! @caseyd I have always eaten veggies for breakfast, I guess its not that weird. @renee thanks for reminding me to breathe! I do try to stick to clean & buy organic for the "dirty dozen". @meadowlily yes we can get some great avocados & tomatoes in New Mexico. My dad lives in California and has an avocado tree but they aren't ready yet. I can hardly wait for him to send me some! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators ShannonM816 Posted July 30, 2014 Moderators Share Posted July 30, 2014 @jent I mean to say balsamic vinegar I have yet to find some without sulfites. Naturally occurring sulfites in the vinegar are okay, it's added ones that are out for W30. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jent103 Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 @jent I mean to say balsamic vinegar I have yet to find some without sulfites. Ditto Shannon - I think mine says "contains sulfites" after the ingredients list. That's fine. What you don't want is an ingredients list that says "balsamic vinegar, sulfites." My regular grocery store has several of both kinds - the one I usually get is Pompeii brand. Edited later - it's Pompeian, not Pompeii. Just in case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Tom Denham Posted July 31, 2014 Moderators Share Posted July 31, 2014 I spent an hour at my local WalMart SuperCenter this past Saturday and am convinced I could do a great Whole30 buying everything I eat from there. And more importantly, I found things at WalMart I have never found at Whole Foods or my other local stores... canned octopus packed in olive oil and salt! I am going to try making a canned octopus salad soon. Because I can afford it, I prefer to buy grass-fed meat from a local farmer and get most of my veggies from my friend and local organic farmer, but it is nice to know that WalMart is stocking great selections at good prices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RCWINKY Posted July 31, 2014 Share Posted July 31, 2014 You can't get too caught up in everything being perfect or it may drive you batty! Today is my day 30 of my first whole30 and I've had great results and feel amazing, but I also work in the agriculture industry and don't buy into the whole everything has to be grass fed or organic. I haven't bought any grass fed anything or organic produce period, and probably will not. To me it's about alleviating processed foods and those foods that may cause issues. For me my allergies are no more, now it's to determine what was causing it, my guess is wheat/gluten. I'm pretty sure I can now live a happy healthy real food existence with normal meats, fresh veggies and fruit. I am far more concerned with the unpronounceable ingredients in processed foods than if my apple is organic. I know that's not how the mindset is supposed to be, but it also has to work for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrisZ Posted July 31, 2014 Author Share Posted July 31, 2014 Thanks for the tips @Shannon. @Tom you go ahead and have that octopus salad! haha @RCWINKY you're right about that I was driving myself batty. I found out a while back that the gluten was a problem for me so I definitely don't miss that! I was never a fan of those long lists of ingredients either. Amazing what junk is on those lists! I will do what works for me, thanks for your support. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickimc Posted August 8, 2014 Share Posted August 8, 2014 Hi Priscilla, I just started and was surprised at what this will cost me as well, but I keep thinking about what I will gain. And future medical bills are costly, too. For me it's the meat - eating crap is a lot cheaper! I'm pretty shocked at meat prices even before you get to the pastured, perfect type. I am using weekends to make big meats (roast, chicken, fish), and then dividing up and putting in freezer for the week. Clothes make the girl had a great list of recipes... I highly recommend the slow cooker Italian pork roast. Best I ever made. I'm allergic to soy so have been on the lookout for that for years... it's in nearly every processed food anymore. It's nice knowing that I'm in control now. Hoping you've been able to hang in there. The book is very compelling to get things in balance. Good luck! Micki Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the-ames Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 You've got great advice upstream, so I'm just going to give you a big internet hug and tell you that you can do it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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