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Shopping at Whole Foods


Nicole M

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I have looked around but haven't really been able to find the answer to a few questions about WF:

1. Are *all* of their meats from the butcher grass-fed, or just some? I want to start purchasing my meat there, but want to make sure, before I start spending my hard earned dollars :P

2. How have people's budgets been while shopping at WF? I have heard that as long as you stay away from the aisles, you can do pretty well in there. My problem is that my husband eats like a horse, so feeding the 2 of us is already expensive, just buying "conventional" foods at places like Costco.... so just wondering if I can afford to do it.

Thanks :-)

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Hey there - I'm not sure about the budget question. I set a side a large portion of my budget for food as a priority and it get's expensive. I know folks here have great savings tips though. As for the meat, whole foods has a ranking system indicating the differences in how meat is raised. The butcher will have a little pamphlet that explains how it works but no...not all their meat is grass fed but the meat that is should be clearly labeled.

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Nm, first, don't financially stress yourself with the whole 30. It can be done on a modest budget. You don't have to eat grass fed.

Costco has some good meats. They even have organic chicken and organic ground beef. I buy their organic eggs when I can't afford eggs from pastured chickens. I do buy the organic pastured eggs from WF when I make mayo. There is a thread all about costco and trader joes whole 30 goodies. Really, just buy the highest quality food your budget can handle.

When I buy conventional meats, I buy lean and don't eat the fat because that is where most of the toxins reside.

Last but not least, when there is a sale, stock up. If you "like" WF on Facebook or go to your local store's website, you can request their weekly flyer and you will be aware of their sales ahead of time.

I actually shop at a store called New Seasons which is smaller, locally owned here in Portland and has great sales so be sure to look into WF alternatives.

Welcome to W30 and I'm sure a lot of members will chime in with ideas. :)

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Whole Foods is also known as "Whole Paycheck" -- their prices are high for what they carry. Not all of their meats are local, grass-fed, or either. You have to shop carefully. That's my biggest complaint about Trader Joes too. These big, national chains source high-ticket items like meat and much of their produce from everywhere and you have to be diligent about what you're getting.

As Susan mentioned, Costco isn't a big, evil box store. A lot of their items are W30 compliant and they *really* listen to customers and are bringing in more organic, sustainably sourced, and local items all the time!

Also see if you can find a co-op, locally farmed items ( http://www.eatwild.com ), or even the internet for harder to find items. Amazon is my best friend. ;) I can buy local, grass fed steak at my neighborhood Super Target!

Buy the best you can afford, and shop carefully for the rest. I love EWG's Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen lists; I put their app on my phone and when I can't remember, I call it up to see what I should really pony up for or what I can slide a little. I have two growing girls, and my eldest must be in a growth spurt -- she's eating me out of house and home and she's not even 9 yet!

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Thanks ladies! I actually do a lot of shopping at Costco. I've been finding some really good buys there lately! I really just want to research where to buy the best stuff, for the best price. If Costco is it, then so be it. I have a little less than a month before I start my first W30, so I want to be prepared for success! B)

I actually looked into buying bulk beef from a local farm, and it is a great deal ( like, 5.50 lb-ish)... but I live in a condo, and do not have anywhere to put a freezer to hold that much meat :( Makes me sad.

I'll just keep my eyes open and make sure I sign up for sale notifications, stock up when I can, etc.!

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I actually looked into buying bulk beef from a local farm, and it is a great deal ( like, 5.50 lb-ish)... but I live in a condo, and do not have anywhere to put a freezer to hold that much meat :( Makes me sad.

I had this same problem, until I found a 3.5 cu ft chest freezer at Target. It's about the size of a large mini-fridge, and I had to rearrange my tiny apartment kitchen to fit it in, but it is SO worth it!!! Now I store all my bulk items in there and keep the fridge freezer for the grab and go stuff. Awesome!

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I have tried every configuration in our kitchen... even thought about putting it in our bedroom, lol! Just isn't going to happen until we get a bigger place. It's ok. I think we are going to buy a bigger fridge soon, so hopefully that will have some space in it :0

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I contemplated making it a nightstand! ;)

I've heard great things about those fridge/freezers with the freezer on the bottom. I'd love a different fridge, but since I'm in an apartment, it's not going to happen. *sigh*

In the winter, my ex-In-Laws put their food in an ice chest outside, since the temps are below freezing usually until March. :lol:

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I have tried every configuration in our kitchen... even thought about putting it in our bedroom, lol!

LOL I'm ahead of you. i have a small fridge freezer that the landlord supplies in the kitchen and not a square inch of spare space. A couple of years ago, when I was a raw foodist, I bought a second hand fridge and rearranged my bedroom to put it there. It's still very handy for all the veg I eat but, since I started W30, I bought a table top freezer to put on top of it to keep all the extra meat. You just have to get used to them switching on and off during the night. :)

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I live in a tiny apartment and bought a small freezer and put it the spare bedroom, also for awhile I had it in the foyer. Of course, people saw it when they walked in but I didn't care. My freezer is 5 cubic feet and I live in an 800 sq ft apartment.

I buy all of my meat from Costco and on occasion if they have a great sale, I will hit up WF and TJ's. Costco has grass fed ground beef in 4lbs packs that is much cheaper than most stores. I am on a tight budget, I pick and choose my battles. I buy lean as I can and simply drain or cut away the undesirable fat and add in coconut oil for the added fat I need.

Hell, about a month ago Target had 90/10 ground beef for $2.50lb in pound packages so I bought 25lbs! I try to buy organic produce when I can, but usually only buy organic spinach and other greens. I buy organic eggs for mass consumption and only buy pastured eggs for mayo. I also purchase frozen veggies along with the fresh. :)

Whole30 doesn't have to be expensive! Hell, just getting all the processed crap out of your diet is a great start!

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Sharon-

Our Costco has "organic" ground beef that I buy, but I am not sure if it is the same thing as what you're buying. That is the thing that sucks is that not all Costco's carry the same thing! Oh well, I will just do what I can and not worry about it too much! :)

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A lot of good responses to this topic. I just want to say don't be shy about asking questions when you buy meat - or anything, for that matter. It took me a while to to get up the courage to ask questions but it felt really good once I did. Like you say, it's your hard earned dollars. You have the right to question everyone about what they're selling!

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Sharon-

Our Costco has "organic" ground beef that I buy, but I am not sure if it is the same thing as what you're buying. That is the thing that sucks is that not all Costco's carry the same thing! Oh well, I will just do what I can and not worry about it too much! :)

When I go to Costco this weekend I will take a pic and post it of the grass fed package. :) Yeah.. I get so angry when someone posts they found something at Costco then ours doesn't have it. :( LIKE KALE! Our Costco doesn't carry it.. makes me a sad sad girl.

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If one store carries something and you want it, be sure to fill out comment cards and request, request, request! My coworker got the baby kale in her store before I did, but now we have it. She's got this awesome salad mix (toss the dressing though, eww) that I'm hoping will come to my store soon. They will probably bring it in, just to stop my weekly requests! :lol:

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Nicole (fellow DC'er) I have had some great luck finding my grass fed meats at Trader Joes and at Union Market. Have you tried either of those? This weekend, I got a 2 lb pork shoulder, 1 lb ground beef, turkey sausages, and some lamb chops for around $20 at Union Market. It's a fun place too. I am hoping to find my ghee there too next time I go - have you found any in DC?

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I found some ghee at WF, but haven't bought it yet.... I am not W30 right now, so I am still using KerryGold butter :P

Have you had any luck at Eastern Market? There are lots of local butchers in there, but I am not sure at this point where they get their meat from. Is Union Market at Union Station? When is it open?

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unionmarketdc.com

Its a new, but marketplace over by Gallaudet University. I haven't tried shopping at Easten Market since this summer when I wasn't on Whole30/Paleo but I am sure its okay?! Local farmers etc.

I NEED some ghee in my life!! I will have to check it out :)

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I think there was some at the Yes! Market on 8th street in SE... but I am not sure how much it is. Probably a lot, that store is really expensive. Like, even more than WF.

There are tons of recipes on here too that tell you how to clarify your own butter, which is essentially the same thing as ghee. I am sure you can find it if you search for it. Probably cheaper, too :D

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