Cutting Food Costs in These Times of
Economic Downturn
People
who embrace change are likely to thrive in the upcoming
economy; those who fight to maintain their current
comforts will suffer. With the housing market in a
crisis, the US dollar’s value falling, and gas prices
going crazy, now, more than ever before, the time has
come to make a committed decision to become healthy
through proper nutrition. Over the past 35 years I have
encouraged people to eat a starch-based diet—few have
listened. Escalating costs of food, and medical care,
as well as poor health, will force this long-overdue
shift in people’s food choices. If you have not done so
already, I encourage you to get ahead of the crowd. Not
only will you be more likely to survive financially (at
least), but you will also help accelerate trends that
will have a ripple effect benefitting everyone.
The
first step to surviving an economic crunch is to think,
“How do I cut my expenses?” Focus on those things you
can control. You have 100% control over the foods you
buy and eat. Food is one of the largest single monthly
purchases consumers make.
According to Merrill Lynch, at the
end of 2007, “36 percent of consumers’ disposable income
went to food, energy, and medical care, a bigger chunk
of income than at any time since records were first kept
in
1960.” In
this newsletter I will address the costs of food, which
are intimately related to costs of medical care—a
subject of an upcoming newsletter.
The
Escalating Cost of Food
Food
is one of our three basic needs for survival (air and
water are the other two). Most people living in
developed countries (US, Europe, Australia, New Zealand,
etc.) have enjoyed a high standard of living and an
abundance of relatively cheap food. However, the cost of
food has been rising worldwide each year, and at a
faster rate than ever before. Two major developments
account for this:
People
of underdeveloped countries, especially India and China,
are prospering and can now purchase more food and more
expensive foods, like meat and dairy products. Seems as
if everyone wants to eat like Americans eat—more
accurately described as “the diet of kings and queens.”
Producing food-animals requires large amounts of grain.
The second reason is that the production of biofuels
made from all kinds crops, from corn to nuts, is taking
away from the food supply. Worldwide demand is just
beginning to deprive people in developed countries of
their cheap foods. Plan on this trend accelerating.
Animal
Foods Are Expensive
Animal
foods, like meat, poultry, fish, milk, and cheese, are
expensive. Approximately one-third of the calories
consumed by people living in developed nations are from
animal sources. In the near future, the diet of the
average Westerner will, of necessity, include more
grains, legumes, tubers, fruits, and vegetables, and
significantly fewer animal products.
On
average, moderately active women consume about 2000
calories daily and men 2500 calories. You have a choice
of which foods will provide for your energy needs. The
cost of animal-food centered meals cooked at home for
one person could easily be $10 a day or more.
Cost of Animal-derived Foods
Consider the costs of these animal foods to
provide for your daily calorie needs*: |
Food and weight |
Unit Cost (USD) |
Cost of 2500 Calories (USD) |
1 lb. Rib Eye Beef |
9.99 |
|
24.29 |
|
1 lb. Ground beef |
2.99 |
|
6.55 |
|
1 lb. Chicken breast |
3.99 |
|
13.72 |
|
1 lb. Salmon |
9.99 |
|
30.60 |
|
1 lb. Cheddar Cheese |
6.29 |
|
8.54 |
|
1/2 gallon milk |
2.49 |
|
10.37 |
|
*Cooking costs not included; lb.
= pound = .454 Kg; USD = United States Dollar;
Prices in Northern California. |
|
Eating
Out Is Expensive
People
do not realize how much money they spend in restaurants,
and on fast food. In the United States about half of the
food dollar is spent eating out—with
about 40% of that going to full-service restaurants and
40% to fast
food. At least one-third of
American adults and children eat at a fast food
restaurant daily. The expensive habit of eating out is
already changing; the National Restaurant Association
says 54 percent of restaurants reported declining
traffic in January of 2008, and the
government says eating at home
increased last year for the first time since
2001.
Spending $14 for a full day’s worth of fast food meals
would not be unusual.
Cost of
Fast Foods
Consider the costs of these fast foods to
provide for your daily calorie needs*: |
Food |
Unit Cost (USD) |
Cost of 2500 Calories (USD) |
Taco Bell Taco |
0.99 |
|
14.56 |
|
Taco Bell Steak Burrito |
3.19 |
|
12.65 |
|
Taco Bell Chicken Salad |
5.39 |
|
17.06 |
|
KFC Snacker |
1.19 |
|
9.30 |
|
KFC Oven Roasted Twister |
3.59 |
|
19.10 |
|
Burger King Whopper |
2.99 |
|
11.12 |
|
Burger King Triple Whopper |
4.99 |
|
11.03 |
|
BK Chicken Sandwich |
3.99 |
|
12.62 |
|
BK Big Fish Sandwich |
3.39 |
|
13.24 |
|
McDonalds Big Mac |
3.19 |
|
14.77 |
|
McDonalds Large Fries |
2.00 |
|
8.77 |
|
McDonalds Chicken Sandwich |
3.49 |
|
20.77 |
|
McDonalds Fish Sandwich |
3.19 |
|
20.98 |
|
Round Table Veggie Pizza |
21.35 |
|
19.34 |
|
Round Table Ulti-meat Pizza |
21.35 |
|
14.83 |
|
USD = United States Dollar;
Prices in Northern California. |
|
Eat
for Less than $3 a Day on The McDougall Diet
The
McDougall Diet is based on starches—potatoes, grains,
and legumes. These plant foods, which provide for the
bulk of your calories, cut expenses in several important
ways. Starches are inherently inexpensive—a full days
supply of calories from starches will cost less than
$1.50. You can stockpile grains, potatoes and legumes,
cutting costs of transportation to the market. These
foods are easily stored for long periods of time without
the energy costs associated with refrigeration. Since
they do not easily spoil there is little wastage. Clean
up after plant-based, low-fat meals is easy and cheap
because there is no grease requiring expensive,
environmentally toxic, cleansers. A simple rinse will
often do.
The
McDougall diet also includes some perishable fruits and
green and yellow vegetables. These items are more
expensive than starches; but they are consumed in small
amounts; thus, adding relatively little to the food
bill. Focusing on fruits and vegetables that are in
season will also help keep your food budget affordable.
With the starch component costing less than $1.50 daily,
this leaves an additional $1.50 to spend on fruits and
green and yellow vegetables; keeping the total food
costs at $3 a day per person on the McDougall Diet.
Mary
provides several of our favorite inexpensive meals in
her recipe section this month. For example, the
ingredients for her Stove Top Stew cost $1.40 (fills up
four adults) and the Pea Soup ingredients cost $1.80
(fills up 6 adults).
Cost of Common Starches
Consider the costs of these tubers, legumes, and
grains to provide for your daily calorie needs*: |
Food |
Unit Cost (USD) |
Cost of 2500 Calories (USD) |
20 lb. White potatoes |
6.99 |
|
1.75 |
|
10 lb. Sweet potatoes |
5.99 |
|
3.00 |
|
25 lb. Pinto Beans |
13.79 |
|
1.05 |
|
25 lb. Rice (brown) |
24.75 |
|
1.52 |
|
50 lb. Rice (white) |
14.99 |
|
0.44 |
|
120 Corn Tortillas |
2.79 |
|
1.00 |
|
50 lb. Corn Grits |
41.99 |
|
1.28 |
|
9 lb. Oatmeal |
6.99 |
|
1.09 |
|
*Cooking costs not included; lb.
= pound = .454 Kg; USD = United States Dollar;
Prices in Northern California. |
|
Cost Saving Tips |
Buy large quantities of
long-lasting products
Buy unprocessed foods
Buy in bulk from health-food
stores, coops, and grocery stores
Shop warehouse stores (wholesale
clubs)
Buy on-line by mail order
Make food at home from basic
ingredients; don’t eat out
Rely on starches for calories
Buy fruits and vegetables that
are in season
Shop at farmers’ markets
Plant a garden
Use a well-planned grocery list
Shop after meals, not when you’re
hungry
Shop efficiently to cut down on
gasoline-consuming trips to the stores
If going to a place nearby, walk
or cycle instead of using the car. |
|
Should
You Store Food for an Emergency?
Buying
large amounts of food could be a sound financial
investment considering the escalating costs of foods.
Worries about worldwide catastrophe from epidemics of
avian flu, nuclear war, financial depression, and
devastations predicted from global warming, may cause
some people to consider stocking up on food. The Latter
Day Saints (Mormon) Church recommends storing a full
year’s supply of food. Their recommendations focus on a
starch-based meal plan, because this is the only
practical way such storage can be done. A family of four
would store 1200 pounds of grains (corn, wheat, rice)
and 250 pounds of legumes, plus additional canned and
packaged fruits and vegetables in order to provide for
one year.
Recommendations for quantities and
items to
purchase and
effective means of
storage
can be found through the Internet. You will also be able
to locate companies dedicated to
providing survival
foods.
Winning in the New Economy
Winning during an economic crunch involves behaviors not
much different than those you should already be doing
during good times. Plus, if you do these sensible things
now you are less likely to find yourself enduring a
financial crisis later. A person spending $14 a day
eating at fast food restaurants could be spending $3 by
eating a starch-based diet at home. This translates
into $11 per day savings. (This means $330 a month and
$4015 per year saved, which happens to be enough to
attend the McDougall 10-day live-in Program in Santa
Rosa, CA—so you might consider the McDougall Program as
a free program.) And think about the health benefits
gained by avoiding all that fat and cholesterol. Money
saved on food can be put away and/or spent on everything
else. But one thing you do not want to spend your money
on is more medical care. |