How To Save Money Grocery Shopping On A Raw Food Diet

by Ryan
(Bloomington, Indiana)

Ryan's Question: Do you have any tips to make food shopping or grocery shopping easier and cheaper on a raw food diet?

Andrew's Answer:

Plenty, Ryan. :)

Here are a four off the top of my head.

Shop Wholesale

Your supermarket is set up to supply measly quantities of produce to people who are willing to pay tons of money for very little.

When you go to your local supermarket, you're essentially paying a middle man to unpack your fruits and vegetables and put them on display.

When you start eating healthy quantities of food, it makes sense to cut out the middle man and buy wholesale.

There are many ways to do this. The best is to go to the wholesaler who supplies your supermarket (not necessarily Costco or the other wholesale clubs, which only sometimes save you significant amounts of money).

Learn how to find a good wholesaler here.

Buy In Season And Local

Many people live fairly close to a farmer growing some type of fruit which he's willing to sell to you in bulk at a discount, particularly if you're willing to take seconds (slightly misshapen or already-ripe fruit).

This is particularly true if he's a commodity farmer, because even if he gives you a good deal, he's probably getting more money per pound than he's getting selling to a distributor.

Get to know your local farmers, make friends with them, and get him to give you some great deals.

Forage And Ask!

You might be surprised where you can find free fruits.

Start Looking.

Buy Fruits With A High Calories-Per-Dollar Ratio

The cost of any given fruit usually shifts over the course of a year (and also due to shipping disruptions, natural disasters, etc).

But overall, some fruits will deliver more calories per dollar than others.

Here are three fruits which frequently have a high calorie-per-dollar ratio. Prices are from a wholesaler in the Bronx earlier this year.

Calories-Per-Dollar Ratio Of Several Fruits:
Plantains: 1,504 (note: challenging to ripen)
Bananas: 798
Medjool Dates: 363
Red Delicious Apples: 278

Following Up:

Learn how to eat a healthy raw food diet.

Find out more about fruit handling, purchasing, and storage.