Carbonfiberboy 

Really? As Charlie Pierce says, "it's always a good day for dinosaur news." All birds are dinosaurs. They are not descended from dinosaurs. They are dinosaurs. Alligators have a different lineage. Alligators have been alligators for over 100M years, flowering in the Cretaceous period. Non-avian dinosaurs died in the mass extinction at the end of the Cretaceous, as did most alligators. But we don't eat alligators either, not that there's much chance of that in the PNW.

Birds are pretty amazing. One wonders what the song of the large dinosaurs was like. Certainly not Jurassic Park roaring. And of course they were beautifully feathered, not that unappetizing lizard skin they are usually pictured with.

pdlamb

Obviously you need to visit Louisiana. Alligator tastes like that other dinosaur, chicken.

Guanto Hilario

Love this thread.

I work in a conventional grocery store that offers a wide variety of local, fresh and organics on top of your regular processed Standard American food. It's amazing after over a decade of watching people shop, the correlation between what people eat and drink and their overall health.

Obesity is a MAJOR problem in the US, but no one cares. Customers and coworkers get diagnosed with stage 1 diabetes and do absolutely nothing different with their diet or activity level. It's sad.

I'm the oddball, the fish out of water. Eat a vegan diet that is heavily influenced by Ayurveda. I bike to work, play soccer 2 or 3 times per week. I make my own almond butter from blanched almonds with Coconut oil and sea salt (delicious and REALLY good for you). I'll munch on a bell pepper (not green) like an apple and people look at me like I'M weird (they're usually holding a fried drumstick).

It's been over 4 years of being meat and dairy free and I can't even wrap my head around eating animal foods anymore. I don't preach unless someone asks for more info (or I find a great thread like this). The only thing I do outside of my food selections is a B12 supplement, which I recommend anyone eating a plant-based diet to also include. A b-12 deficiency is bad news and can cause lasting side effects.

I don't know if it's for everyone, but I do know eating like this, caring immensely what I put into my body and what I prepare for my kids, has truly changed my life.

As for expenses, I feed myself and three kids who I have 2 of them four days a week and one full time, on a budget of $650 per month. I often go over that budget, but it's almost always because of splurging on eating out (I include restaurants in my Grocery/Food budget).

ThermionicScott 

And now we'll be able to buy Whole Foods through Amazon.com -- it's a whole new era.

JagR

Jeff if taking over the world. Up 2.8 and 29%...is he now the wealthiest?

Heathpack 

I think some of the perception of the differences in the cost of fresh food is a factor of where you live. Here in California, lots of stuff is grown locally, so produce can be really really cheap. Way cheaper than processed foods. @noglider's experience is likely way different, living in NYC.

You also figure out where to get the cheap but good stuff. We have a Mexican grocery store and an Aldi walking distance from my house. A discount grocery store about a mile away. And a Persian grocery store on the other side of town. Costco is a little farther. And a great natural grocery store for bulk items.

I am the person who looks at the weekly ads and plans my shopping from there. When you stick to the in-season stuff that's on sale, food can be really really cheap. We eat everything but try to load up our plates with a good amount of plant matter.

Last week, I made the rounds of the three closest stores and spent a total of $55. But this would have easily cost be 2-3x more shopping in a normal grocery store in the suburban NY area. Our haul included 1.5 gallons milk, 4 brioche rolls, 6oz sliced fontina cheese, a big bag of mini bell peppers, 3 zucchini, a pound of mushrooms, 10 pounds russet potatoes (for $1), a pound of baby white potatoes, small crown of broccoli, 6 heads of romaine lettuce (I eat a lot of salad), 3 bags of frozen green beans, 3 cucumbers, chives, cilantro, dill, mint, a lemon, 4 mangos, a bag of cherries, a bag of red grapes, 4 peaches, and 2 pints of blueberries. We happened to not need any processed stuff that we sometimes eat- like ice cream or breakfast cereal. But for us in California those are the expensive things, not the fresh produce.

wolfchild

I am not a vegetarian and I also don't follow SAD diet. I just eat normal whole foods which humans have been eating for thousands of years...With 3000 calories per day and 200 grams of protein per day my monthly grocery bill comes out to around $400...Protein is where most of the cost comes from, carbs are cheap.

FXjohn

people have been dying prematurely due to bad diet for thousands of years.

JagR

Not sure I follow...what are you trying to point out?

FXjohn

i say the diet our ancestors ate wasn't an optimal one for health, nutrition or longevity

Rollfast

There are only 450 of them on two continents and the UK...how so?


And why would a place with three or four large grocery stores order stuff from nearly a hundred miles away?


There are maybe 40 places in my town to get food, from grocers to every place with a hot dog roller and restaurants. And I doubt Amazon takes SNAP (Food Stamps), so they are out of luck in my favorite favela.

JagR

Sure they will work out something. Regardless of how you feel, they have already lowered the monthly "PRIME" cost for those receiving assistance

awesomeame

Good post. I agree, it's not what you're eating that'll dictate food cost, where you live and where/how you shop will dictate how much you spend. For example here there is an expensive grocery store, but if you go to costco down the road the meat is literally 1/2 the cost. We are talking 2km down the same road, lol. Also, the cheapest source of protein is protein powder...just make sure there's no added bad stuff in it!

There's a great app/website flipp.com Everyone should check it out...put in your postal code/zip and all the nearby flyers come up. If stores in your area price match, the app is great for that too...no more fumbling with paper flyers.

Matt

JagR

I agree w/some but not all. While some stuff may be cheaper from certain stores, there is a HUGE difference in quality...fresh foods and meats not processed. I tend to eat a lot of grass fed red meat which in my area can only be found at "nicer" stores (Wegmans, Whole Foods...)

Heathpack 

Aldi has a great cheddar cheese made from milk from grass-fed cows. They also carry a fair bit of organic stuff, and if that's local I tend to splurge for it. Big boxes of organic mixed field greens for $3 and organic bananas this week for $0.49/lb. Cage free organic eggs for $3/dozen.

Lamb sold at the Persian market is imported from New Zealand which means it's almost certainly grass fed. And cheap.

You can sometimes figure out ways to separate the wheat from the chaff even while bargain hunting.

But we do buy grass fed beef directly from the farmer. Here in SoCal (where there is no grass), it's wicked expensive.

wolfchild

Yeah sure, things like beef, chicken, eggs, kefir, yogurt, oats, potatoes, rice, whole grain bread, olive oil, various types of vegetables is really bad stuff.

JagR

Very cool! Sounds like there is more available at more places in CA. I too by meat but have to buy 1 cow at a time...hard to find people to split the cost sometimes.

Heathpack 

We're lucky in that the farmer comes to our local farmer's market and we can buy individual cuts of grass-fed beef. But its a little cheaper if you get it in bulk. We can a order whole, half or quarter cow. Its only two of us, so a quarter of a cow lasts a really really long time.


There are a lot of loopy negatives to living in California. But I was home in NY for 2 weeks last December and I was struck by how expensive it was to buy food. There is an advantage to living in a state with a pretty wide array of year-round agricultural production. And tons of ethnic subcultures for whom food is a way to remember that identity, meaning people cook and want cheap ingredients.

JagR

What part of NY? Yes, CA is a great place but definitely has its down side (cost, taxes, state schools, etc.). I lived in LA for a few years and am in SF for work 1x every couple of months. I love visiting but would never move there again.

Heathpack 

Long Island. I grew up there and have lived in Boston, Maine, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and California.


California is hands-down our favorite, but we're sailors and I'm a cyclist, so its mostly the climate (and food!) that makes us love it. Maine has a way shorter sailing season, lol.


We recruit people to California every year in my business. When I interview people, I usually tell them that every cliché they've heard about LA is true- its crowded, people are loopy, the traffic is untenable and its expensive, but the weather can't be beat.


But I get it, California is not everyone's cup of tea. It really depends on what you prioritize in life. To each his own.

Rollfast

Who are THEY? Don't THEY live in P&R?

JagR

"They" = AMAZON. Not sure how AMAZON has anything to do w/P&R. Maybe you should stop trying to spin stuff...better luck next time!

FXjohn

yes. you don't catch on too quick, do you. good list.

FXjohn

Beef isn't healthy.

gregf83 

Tasty though! Also not unhealthy if eaten in moderation.