HOW DO I EAT AIP ON A BUDGET?

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1 HOW DO I EAT AIP ON A BUDGET? Following a restricted diet on a budget requires the same tools as doing anything else on a budget namely knowing your prices, comparison shopping, taking advantage of sales and coupons, buying in bulk, and knowing how to get the best bang for your buck. Knowing your prices doesn t require a photographic memory for numbers or an uncanny ability to convert the per-banana price at one store to the per-pound price at another store (although that skill would be handy!). You can use a simple notebook to list your most commonly purchased items at each store you frequent, or use an app like Out-of-Milk to keep track for you. When you re getting used to eating this way, shop around, not (you d be surprised how often the specialty markets with a reputation for being more expensive are actually cheaper for the specialty items you ll be looking for) but also online (factor in the cost of shipping, of course!). types of foods: perhaps your local warehouse club for seafood, a local farm stand for some produce and grassfed meat, a regular grocery store for the rest of your produce and meat, and online sources for cooking fats Almost everything goes on sale. Even online retailers have sales and coupons. Subscribing to a comabout discounts. Having freezer space is useful when it comes to taking advantage of sales, but even if your at you as being weird? Well, when lots of people think that a food is too weird to eat, there typically isn t as much of a market for it, so prices are lower. So, yes, organ meat can be some of the cheapest meat available. Sometimes local farmers will give it to you for free (or at a heavy discount) because they can t find anyone to buy it. It also helps to know what is typically thrown away. If you ask, a butcher will put aside the grass-fed beef trimmings for you so that you can render your own tallow (and typically will give it to you for free or at a heavy discount). Fish heads might normally be thrown away, but if you ask at the fish counter, the fishmonger may give them to you for free (and you can make soup or cook them in other ways). It s also helpful to know which meats tend to be cheaper per pound and which vegetables and fruits will stretch a meal further. Depending on where you live, chicken may be cheaper than pork, which is cheaper than beef. And when buying high-quality meat, it s helpful to know that in most places, grassfed beef is cheaper than pasture-raised pork, which is cheaper than pasture-raised chicken. Tougher cuts of meat, like chuck roast, stew meat, pork shoulder, shanks, and short ribs, are usually less expensive (and for your buck. Cabbage, for example, is typically extremely inexpensive as compared with baby greens. In fact, cruciferous vegetables in general, except perhaps price per pound often decreases as you buy more. Many local farmers will give you a deal when you buy a quarter, half, or whole cow or pig. For example, you might pay $7 per pound for grass-fed ground beef, but if you buy a quarter or half a cow, you get a variety of cuts, from ground beef to prime rib, for $4 or $5 per pound (or less!). If you don t have the freezer space for share a quarter cow with. It s helpful to know what you can get at heavily discounted prices. You know those foods that jumped out Illustration by Rob Foster 1

2 38 to be very inexpensive. Using root vegetables and plantains is a fantastic way to stretch a meal. Bananas tend to be much cheaper than apples, which tend to be much cheaper than grapes or berries. And when you can buy vegetables in bulk, you ll save even more. Food that you have to put more time into also tends to be cheaper. For example, a whole chicken is typically cheaper per pound than a chicken cut into parts. A beef roast is cheaper per pound than steaks, and a pork roast is cheaper per pound than chops. Vegetables that require peeling and chopping tend to be cheaper than those that can be thrown straight into a pot or onto a plate, which are cheaper than preprepared or prewashed vegetables in plastic containers or microwave-safe bags. Canned and frozen foods are often cheaper than fresh. While you probably won t want to buy canned - ing your seafood intake. (Look for BPA-free cans!) Canned seafood is typically cheaper than frozen, which is typically cheaper than fresh. However, when sale, so knowing when your favorite types of seafood are in peak season can be a great way to save money. Frozen vegetables are a fantastic way to increase nutrient density since they are typically picked at their peak and frozen soon after. In fact, frozen vegetables tend to have more nutrients that fresh vegetables from the grocery store because the ones in the produce aisle tend to be picked before they are ripe and lose nutrients during shipping and storage before they make it into your grocery cart. you can save money by freezing your own. You can freeze the raw food right in the package you bought it in, preprepare the food so that it saves you time when you re ready to use it (like chopping or blanching veggies before freezing; some vegetables are best when blanched before being frozen, but not all), or cook and freeze meals for convenience on a busy weeknight. You can also ferment fruits and vegetables as an alternative to freezing them. For example, when cabbage is in season, you can make a large batch of sauerkraut to take advantage of both peak-season produce and the typically cheaper peak-season prices. Buying what s on sale is also a great way to buy in-season produce, since spikes in supply are one of the major reasons for drops in price. It s really helpful to know the people who grow your food. If you arrive at the farmer s market or your local farm stand at closing time, you will often be rewarded with good deals on whatever didn t sell. Bruisies (or or bird beak holes, can often be purchased heavily dislong, so plan on eating or freezing them as soon as you get home). Joining a farm share or CSA is typically a great way to save on farm-fresh produce. Doing some of the work for your vegetables and fruits is another way to save money. In addition to pick-your-own farms, some farmers will trade your labor on the farm (weeding, harvesting, etc.) for produce if you ask. Do you have something else to trade? Don t be afraid to barter! Your local farmers are also a helpful resource for knowledge on what you can most easily grow in your climate in your backyard. Probably the most helpful tool I can give you to stay within your means is to help you prioritize which foods are worth spending a little more on and which ones are okay to purchase in the conventionally produced, non-organic varieties. 2

3 THE DIRTY DOZEN AND THE CLEAN FIFTEEN The Environmental Working Group (EWG; org) is an environmental health research and advocacy group that analyzes the USDA and FDA pesticide test results of four dozen common vegetable and fruit crops every year. From this analysis, the EWG puts together two lists: the Dirty Dozen is a list of the top twelve fresh produce items most contaminated with the least pesticide residues. While the Dirty Dozen list is updated yearly, it s important to note that leafy greens, berries, stone fruits, this list. It s also important to remember that the benthe risks of pesticide exposure from eating the conventionally grown versions Dirty Dozen* Apples Celery Cucumbers Grapes Kale/collard greens Nectarines Peaches Spinach Strawberries 2014 Clean Fifteen* Asparagus Avocados Cabbage Cantaloupe Cauliflower Grapefruit Kiwi Mangoes Onions Papayas Pineapples Sweet potatoes * These lists include only those Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen foods that are also Paleo Approach friendly. For the complete and most current Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen lists, visit the Environmental Working Group website, When your budget is tight, the single best place to spend a few extra pennies is on your cooking and are grass-fed tallow, pasture-raised lard, extra-virgin coconut oil, red palm oil, extra-virgin olive oil, and extra-virgin avocado oil. Tallow and lard can be rendered very inexpensively at home (you can get quality fats from local meat farmers and butchers and online), whereas coconut, red palm, olive, and avocado oils tend to be cheapest when bought in bulk and online. Even if the only food you can afford or source is the conventionally produced meat, seafood, and produce on sale at your local grocery store, that s okay. The point is to make you aware of the differences so that you can make the best choices within your means not to bankrupt you! Many people find that as they progress on their health journey, they are able to dedicate more funds to quality foods. This might reflect money saved by avoiding restaurants, fast food, and prepackaged foods. Or it might reflect reduced medical expenses once you start feeling better. Sometimes it just reflects a shift in priorities and a choice to reduce expenses or go without in some other area of life in order to free up funds for local, grass-fed meat. palm oil, palm shortening, and virgin olive oil) contain fewer vitamins and antioxidants but are still good options in a pinch. 3

4 Meat Priorities Best Organ meat from grass-fed and pasture-raised animals: Organ meat is densely packed with just about every vitamin and mineral, and the fat content is also extremely healthy. for sales in the late summer and early fall. Wild-caught fatty Grass-fed beef, bison, lamb, venison, and goat: Ground meat is always the cheapest. Some local farmers sell bulk meat at a steep discount. Wild game: You can buy wild game if you do not hunt. Better Organ meat from organic and conventionally raised animals: but the organs still contain denser nutrition than muscle meat. amino acids, vitamins, and minerals that aren t as easy to get from meat and poultry. Pasture-raised pork and free-range poultry: Look for meat from animals that are not fed soy. Good Organic meat and conventionally raised lamb and veal: pasture and eat at least some grass. Lean cuts of beef: Marbled steaks typically omega-3 fatty acids. Lean pork: Usually, the lighter colored the meat, the lower the fat content. Moderate or avoid Fatty cuts of conventional beef and pork: Ideally, this meat would be only an occasional treat. Conventional chicken and turkey: Conventionally raised chicken can have some of the highest omega-6 levels of any meat. 4

5 Vegetables and Fruit Priorities Best Wild edibles: Wild varieties of mushrooms, alliums, leafy greens, and berries are some of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet. Learn which edible plants grow near you so that you can forage (or get to know a local farmer who forages and sells the bounty at a nearby farm stand or farmer s market). Be careful of wild mushrooms, since misidentifying them can be very dangerous. Local, organic, in-season fresh produce: Next to wild plants, this is the most nutrient-dense produce you can get. Look for a farmer who is passionate about the quality of her soil. Home-grown vegetables, fruits, and herbs: Even if your space is limited, many edible plants grow from growing fresh herbs. Organic frozen produce: Picked at the peak of ripeness and frozen soon after harvest, organic frozen produce can be more nutrient dense than fresh. Organic fresh herbs and spices: Herbs and spices tend to pack quite a nutrient punch. Including more herbs in your cooking, in salads, and even in green smoothies is a great way to increase nutrient density. Better Local, non-organic, in-season fresh produce: Local, in-season produce is still nutrient dense even Avoid non-organic produce from the Dirty Dozen list (see page 39) unless you can talk to the farmer about pesticide policies. Some farms use pesticides very sparingly, but enough that they are unable to usually a good option. Dozen list: Dozen list, buy organic whenever possible, preferably in season (see page 39). Clean Fifteen list: Fifteen list, conventional produce, preferably in season, is a great option (see page 39). Organic dried or frozen herbs and spices: While fresh herbs are more nutrient dense (and typically still great options. Using frozen herbs is a great while preserving nutrients. You can freeze your own when herbs are in season (see page 54). Good All other conventional produce: It s important to eat lots of vegetables, even if your budget or location limits you to conventional store-bought options. Peeling fruits and vegetables is a very good way to limit your exposure to pesticides and produce waxes (some of which contain soy or gluten). If you are limited to conventional produce, choose those on the Dirty Dozen list less often, wash thoroughly, and peel if possible. Additive-free vegetables and fruits in BPA-free cans: Canning does preserve nutrients, though not as well as freezing. As long as these products don t contain preservatives or other additives, they are good options. Non-organic herbs and spices: As already mentioned, fresh herbs are very nutrient-dense foods. Using frozen herbs is a great way to get preserving nutrients. You can freeze your own when herbs are in season. Dried spices are also source organic versions. Moderate or avoid list: Dirty Dozen list, wash it thoroughly and peel it whenever possible. Canned vegetables or fruits with preservatives, additives, added sugars, or salts or in BPA-lined cans: Many of the preservatives and additives in canned vegetables and fruits are antinutrients or gut irritants. 5