Suburban Guerrilla

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Jul 8th, 2008 at 9:18 am by Susie

How have rising food costs changed your eating habits?

Posted in General

6 Responses to “Question of the Day”

on 08 Jul 2008 at 9:53 am1DBK

Yes. Mrs DBK and I are eating a lentil/brown rice curry I make about once a week, and we’re eating smaller meat portions. The goodness is that the curry is delicious and we should have been eating less meat all along. We won’t stop eating a variety of healthy vegetables, which we’ve done for years and years, because we don’t want to be unwell. But when it comes to getting your protein (and fiber) at a reasonable cost, you cannot beat the combination of legumes and brown rice. That combination gives the best value for your money. And there are more than 15 grams of fiber in a single cup of cooked lentils. Medical research indicates that a heart healthy diet contains at least 21 grams of dietary fiber each day. Most Americans consume less than ten grams of fiber a day.

By the way, prices have affected my father’s diet a lot less than the pacemaker he had put in two weeks ago. Now he has to eat like Mrs DBK and I instead of indulging his fondness for meat.
on 08 Jul 2008 at 11:36 am2Izquierdo

I’m on the GOP diet, and let myself eat cake.
on 08 Jul 2008 at 2:04 pm3lbd

We only eat fish or chicken once a week now, the rest of our protein comes from eggs, dairy, tofu or vegetable sources. Like the DBK family, we’re eating lots of lentils, beans and rice.

We’ve stopped buying prepackaged food and items that we can prepare/cook ourseves. So now we make our own yogurt, bread, and hummos. Instead of buying our favorite brands–such as Cabot’s cheddar cheese or Muir’s canned tomatoes–we buy the least expensive we can afford with coupons. Juice, soda, snacks and junk food have become untenable expenses (popcorn popped on the stove makes a very satifying nosh).

Our CSA and vegetable garden provide us w/ plenty of fresh vegetables through the fall and we buy lots fruit at the farmers market.

Our 15 year old daughter tries to be understanding, but after a relatively comfortable life, it’s hard for her to adjust.
on 08 Jul 2008 at 3:05 pm4nora

I’m cooking more at home, but generally have continued my regular shopping habits, including occasional indulgences. I’m ordinarily kind of a cheapskate anyway, but I’m trying harder not to throw stuff out (a big hazard when you live alone and cook or try to buy produce in larger, thriftier quantities), and in fact have been shopping for an auxiliary freezer so that I can buy the things I like when they are cheapest, and freeze any surplus. Just now when I open the freezer I have to be careful not to get hit on the head by a big block of frozen kale.

I’m really glad not to have the expense of a car, though, and I don’t have cable TV or an internet connection at home either. Not a solution for everyone, I understand, but it works pretty well for me.

Also, I’ve been buying wine by the case, just for the 20% discount. Pathetic, I know. Pass the cake, Izquierdo.
on 08 Jul 2008 at 3:18 pm5Susie

Yeah, the living-alone part makes it hard to be efficient with food.
on 08 Jul 2008 at 5:01 pm6wobbly

I’m covering the costs by buying cheaper cigarettes and booze.