Author Topic: Any ideas for MMM style Paleo diet  (Read 8581 times)

directionseeker

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Any ideas for MMM style Paleo diet
« on: March 26, 2013, 08:20:13 PM »
Anyone here tried Paleo diet before? I am doing some experiment with the diet and the cost to maintain this diet seems to be on a high side.

You guys have any information source to share on how to eat like Paleo without spend too much money?

For comparison, I am spending $350 - 400 a month on maintain a partial Paleo diet (I still eat some expensive junk food sometimes).

My goal will be getting myself into 100% Paleo under $300.

ch12

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Re: Any ideas for MMM style Paleo diet
« Reply #1 on: March 26, 2013, 08:29:55 PM »
I did the Paleo thing. Stuff I learned:

1) Reliance on healthy oils like coconut or olive for calories Killing your $1000 grocery bill

2) Finding a cheap way to get vegetables, such as growing them or through a CSA (EDIT: as far as I know, Singapore doesn't really have CSA arrangements). Getting fresh produce was a major hassle, with me constantly going in and out of the grocery store, and it also spoiled relatively quickly.

3) Getting your protein from cheap sources like eggs or powder and seldom from expensive sources like filet mignon
« Last Edit: March 26, 2013, 08:45:17 PM by ch12 »

directionseeker

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Re: Any ideas for MMM style Paleo diet
« Reply #2 on: March 26, 2013, 08:34:35 PM »
Thanks for the information. I will go check out that post in a while.

Ya, I find it challenging too to maintain my fresh vegetable supply, they spoiled relatively quickly. But at the same time it is worrying if they does not spoilt.^^

Currently I am getting my protein from egg, chicken and pork (Beef is expensive in Singapore).

By the way, what is filet mignon?

ch12

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Re: Any ideas for MMM style Paleo diet
« Reply #3 on: March 26, 2013, 08:42:20 PM »
Filet mignon = beef

MMM has his numbers in USD. If you are spending in SGD, it might be realistic for you to be spending 350 SGD on feeding yourself. As I posted in the How do I cut our food budget thread, our government subsidizes our food costs and therefore American food is the least expensive in the world relative to income. Income to food expenses ratio global map
« Last Edit: March 26, 2013, 08:48:00 PM by ch12 »

directionseeker

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Re: Any ideas for MMM style Paleo diet
« Reply #4 on: March 26, 2013, 09:27:59 PM »
Thanks for the information. I feel less guilty now for not being as MMM as I can. It seems I missed out the currency exchange rate and the government policy. ^^

JT

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Re: Any ideas for MMM style Paleo diet
« Reply #5 on: March 27, 2013, 01:41:20 AM »
Hi

I've been living off a Paleo diet after reading Mikki Reilly's book.  My diet is made up of non starchy vegetables, green leaf salads, and chicken or fish. Also, some fat from olives, avocados, coconut oil, or nuts and seeds.

It's good to avoid starchy vegetables (corn, potatoes) and legumes and grains.

cheers
JT

Shandi76

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Re: Any ideas for MMM style Paleo diet
« Reply #6 on: March 27, 2013, 06:11:46 AM »
ch12, that world map of food costs relative to income was really interesting. Lots of people here in the UK complain about high food prices, and they have gone up significantly (and incomes stagnated) since that was made in 2011, but we have a great deal compared to most of the rest of the world, except the South East USA.

I eat vaguely paleo and eat a lot of kale and eggs. I do tend to buy organic chicken and fish which pushes the grocery bill up, but only eat meat maybe 3 days a week. I get a lot of my protein from eggs and tahini, and also milk and cheese: I prefer primal to paleo and have no adverse reaction to dairy. Milk is a cheap way of getting protein here, but if beef is expensive in Singapore then it might not be cheap for you.

mobilisinmobili

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Re: Any ideas for MMM style Paleo diet
« Reply #7 on: March 27, 2013, 06:30:01 AM »
Thanks for the information. I will go check out that post in a while.

Ya, I find it challenging too to maintain my fresh vegetable supply, they spoiled relatively quickly. But at the same time it is worrying if they does not spoilt.^^

Currently I am getting my protein from egg, chicken and pork (Beef is expensive in Singapore).

By the way, what is filet mignon?

Keep in mind.. eating a lot of seafood is perfectly paleo. That might be cheaper where you are than chicken or pork.

implet

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Re: Any ideas for MMM style Paleo diet
« Reply #8 on: March 27, 2013, 06:01:45 PM »
I'm having a similar issue with my diet! Instead of making a new thread, I thought I'd post my troubles here.

I adopted a primal/paleo/low carb lifestyle a year ago and I lost a TON of weight (99 lbs today!). I feel so great these days and the last thing I want to do is screw that up.

Ever since committing myself to saving, I cut out all fast take away meals and most restaurant expenses. I feel really bad at the grocery store these days though. I used to eat mostly organic veggies, organic eggs, grass fed beef, and happy chicken/pork. I feel better eating "happy meat" because I love animals and because of the research saying it has superior nutrition and health benefits. I cut this out and now try to buy meat I see on sale at my grocery store instead.

I do eat some cheese but otherwise try to stay away from huge amounts of dairy. I eat mostly vegetables and meat, and am completely grain free except for a monthly splurge meal. I don't eat beans/lentils because I hate all of them. Although I find beans revolting, I would gladly force them down at every meal if they weren't so carby, and if I could find out whether they are "bad" as some paleo adherents suggest. I haven't experimented with protein powders because I like the idea of eating real unprocessed food and because I've read that it can spike your blood sugar. I try to eat about 100 grams of protein a day (5'1, 147 pounds, female).

Even by cutting out happy meat, organic veggies (except salad leaves), and trying to buy what's on sale, I still spent $333 in March on groceries just for me. There were a few minor household items and staples in there, but it was mostly groceries. I feel helpless at the grocery store!

I'd LOVE to buy half a cow/pig/etc or some other bulk option, but I don't think that's something I can do right now. Even if I got a chest freezer from craigslist, I live in an apartment building and would worry about the power going out and losing all of my food.

Do any of you have experience deciding between organic/grassfed and conventional grocery store food? Are you saving that expense for when you reach financial independence? How did you make your decision? Also, have you found any alternate/cheap protein sources? I'm going to try to eat more eggs this week, but I feel bad that they aren't the organic ones I normally buy. If I bought a dozen fancy eggs it would cost almost $5 at my supermarket.

mobilisinmobili

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Re: Any ideas for MMM style Paleo diet
« Reply #9 on: March 27, 2013, 06:51:21 PM »
I'm having a similar issue with my diet! Instead of making a new thread, I thought I'd post my troubles here.

I adopted a primal/paleo/low carb lifestyle a year ago and I lost a TON of weight (99 lbs today!). I feel so great these days and the last thing I want to do is screw that up.

Ever since committing myself to saving, I cut out all fast take away meals and most restaurant expenses. I feel really bad at the grocery store these days though. I used to eat mostly organic veggies, organic eggs, grass fed beef, and happy chicken/pork. I feel better eating "happy meat" because I love animals and because of the research saying it has superior nutrition and health benefits. I cut this out and now try to buy meat I see on sale at my grocery store instead.

I do eat some cheese but otherwise try to stay away from huge amounts of dairy. I eat mostly vegetables and meat, and am completely grain free except for a monthly splurge meal. I don't eat beans/lentils because I hate all of them. Although I find beans revolting, I would gladly force them down at every meal if they weren't so carby, and if I could find out whether they are "bad" as some paleo adherents suggest. I haven't experimented with protein powders because I like the idea of eating real unprocessed food and because I've read that it can spike your blood sugar. I try to eat about 100 grams of protein a day (5'1, 147 pounds, female).

Even by cutting out happy meat, organic veggies (except salad leaves), and trying to buy what's on sale, I still spent $333 in March on groceries just for me. There were a few minor household items and staples in there, but it was mostly groceries. I feel helpless at the grocery store!

I'd LOVE to buy half a cow/pig/etc or some other bulk option, but I don't think that's something I can do right now. Even if I got a chest freezer from craigslist, I live in an apartment building and would worry about the power going out and losing all of my food.

Do any of you have experience deciding between organic/grassfed and conventional grocery store food? Are you saving that expense for when you reach financial independence? How did you make your decision? Also, have you found any alternate/cheap protein sources? I'm going to try to eat more eggs this week, but I feel bad that they aren't the organic ones I normally buy. If I bought a dozen fancy eggs it would cost almost $5 at my supermarket.

How often does your power go out? It doesn't seem like a super rational fear. You can always get a small amount if you're worried about spoilage.

I live next to a massive farmer's market.. I get amazing free range eggs .. 30 for 7.25.

I'm planning on getting a large chest freezer myself so that I can buy large amounts of bison / beef / porc etc. If you're really concerned about spoilage you can always get a backup generator that you can run on the porch to power your appliances in case of a power outage as well. There are always options.

The health benefits of eating paleo are pretty evident for me, and I know if I have food available (that I'd pre-cooked or otherwise) I'm much more likely to grab it on the go and eat healthy instead of eating out on my way to work and so on.

implet

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Re: Any ideas for MMM style Paleo diet
« Reply #10 on: March 27, 2013, 06:59:20 PM »
It went out twice this year due to some storms we had. It was out for about 3-4 days the one time and 1-2 the other. I would hate to lose tons of meat if I ended up buying a side of beef or something. I live on the fourth floor and have no outside access from my apartment itself, just windows. I'm not sure if there's a generator for that kind of situation, but I'll look into it.

I'm going to my local farmer's market this Saturday. I haven't been since last year when I wasn't even thinking about saving money so I have no clue what the prices are like there and how they compare to the grocery store. I'll see if I can score some eggs for a low price!

Also, does anyone have a good reference source for average grocery prices by location or something? I'm trying to remember prices but I have no clue what's a good price or what's average. I'm wondering if there is something I can keep on my phone to help select the best deals!

ch12

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Re: Any ideas for MMM style Paleo diet
« Reply #11 on: March 27, 2013, 10:02:10 PM »
@implet
One really key idea of Mustachianism is spending money on things that matter to you. If the fancy eggs matter to you, then buy them. But I will say that buying cage free eggs is good enough for me and it doesn't break the bank. I live in Indiana and my parents adore getting real eggs from an actual farmer, because the taste really is different. Back in Vietnam, my mother's family kept chickens and she really misses fresh eggs. Also, I hear you on the idea of not eating anything processed. I don't actually like the taste of protein powder, but it's ok when it's masked in my blender with a delicious shake.

I would also like to say, from the perspective of an Asian American, I am surprised that we weren't talking about fish from the get go and that somebody else had to point it out. Most of my childhood was spent eating fish and rice.

Singapore is an island. My older sister lived there for a while. Is fish more or less expensive than other kinds of protein sources? It's already been mentioned that cost varies by geographic location, but I am adding a link to MMM's view of it. The gist: Consume less of what is expensive, and replace it with what is cheap and plentiful locally. High Cost of Living: It's a State of Mind

RadicalPersonalFinance

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Re: Any ideas for MMM style Paleo diet
« Reply #12 on: March 28, 2013, 08:05:55 AM »
I'd LOVE to buy half a cow/pig/etc or some other bulk option, but I don't think that's something I can do right now. Even if I got a chest freezer from craigslist, I live in an apartment building and would worry about the power going out and losing all of my food.

Here's a resource to teach you how to handle a blackout so your meat doesn't spoil.  It's actually astonishingly easy to deal with: http://www.thesurvivalpodcast.com/harris-on-blackout-1 and http://www.thesurvivalpodcast.com/episode-940-steven-harris-on-dealing-with-a-large-scale-blackout-part-2

tuyop

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Re: Any ideas for MMM style Paleo diet
« Reply #13 on: March 28, 2013, 10:27:56 AM »
I've been on and off paleo and primal for a few years now, I've gone anywhere from a $500 grocery bill in a month to a $90 grocery bill, here are some things I find helpful.

Buy your meat in bulk. I find that my small apartment fridge-freezer can hold about 40 pounds of meat at a time, this lets me get it for about 3.99 per pound depending on cuts. If you only eat about 10 pounds a month, this can be very reasonable!

Buy frozen produce. Costco sells 2 kilograms of frozen broccoli for like $6. There are similar awesome deals on paleo friendly mixes and organic options.

Grow your own herbs. 3 bucks for a small packet of oregano is obscene. I got 600 seeds for four dollars. Trim and freeze it regularly and you're good to go! I even use a 40w grow light in the winters for a countertop herb garden.

Shop around for nuts and seeds and make your own trail mix. When almonds go on sale, buy like ten pounds of that shit. You will eat it for sure!

Supplements are very helpful. Whether you use whey or not is between you and your paleo god, but I find that at $7/pound of whey, you simply can't get that much protein from meat for any reasonable amount of money.

mobilisinmobili

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Re: Any ideas for MMM style Paleo diet
« Reply #14 on: March 28, 2013, 10:36:13 AM »
It went out twice this year due to some storms we had. It was out for about 3-4 days the one time and 1-2 the other. I would hate to lose tons of meat if I ended up buying a side of beef or something. I live on the fourth floor and have no outside access from my apartment itself, just windows. I'm not sure if there's a generator for that kind of situation, but I'll look into it.

I'm going to my local farmer's market this Saturday. I haven't been since last year when I wasn't even thinking about saving money so I have no clue what the prices are like there and how they compare to the grocery store. I'll see if I can score some eggs for a low price!

Also, does anyone have a good reference source for average grocery prices by location or something? I'm trying to remember prices but I have no clue what's a good price or what's average. I'm wondering if there is something I can keep on my phone to help select the best deals!

If you don't have a porch, don't do it. You could kill yourself from carbon monoxide poisoning if you don't have proper ventilation.

I haven't had power ever go off for more than a few hours here, so I'm less worried about that as a possibility.