Rare Steak
At first I thought it would be too expensive to eat primal the right way with grass-fed beef and pastured chicken, etc., but when I realized what I wouldn’t be buying (no bread, pasta, processed foods; almost no canned or packaged foods) and how satisfying eating high fat was, I began to think this way of life was quite affordable. So I decided to do a bit of math…
Today I spent $54.07 CAD at “Meiridian Meats and Seafood” in Port Coquitlam, a couple of minutes drive from my home. Here’s what I got:
Grass-fed, grass finished Beef:
- 2 lbs. ground beef $9.15. That’s about eight meals.
- 3 New York Strip Steaks $14.97. Three meals.
- 5 Rib-Eye Steaks $29.95. Five meals. Oh man, is this ever delicious steak!
Then I went to Walmart. Here’s what I got:
- About 2 lbs. grass-fed pork tenderloin $12.23.
- That’s about 8 meals. $1.53/meal.
I’m not taking into account shrinkage here, so you might want to decrease the number of meals per item for the ground beef and pork tenderloin a bit, but not for the steaks of course (1 steak per meal).
Steaks are quick and easy meals (I fry them in ghee for about three minutes per side). Then I add a few veggies (a simple salad, usually) and a little fruit (usually berries) for dessert and Bob’s your uncle… dinner! Today I had a fresh fig for dessert. That was a really nice treat! Sometimes I mix the berries into full-fat yogurt sweetened with Stevia. I also make homemade ice cream with whipping cream, full-fat coconut milk, vanilla, and Stevia for the sweetener. Yummy! You can flavour it with melted chocolate (85%-100% cocoa) or fruit of any kind or just leave it plain and eat it with fruit or drizzle melted chocolate over it.
I’ve also been buying regular pork shoulder and grinding it myself in my 30-year-old food processor. It’s really quick and easy and saves you money! I’m looking for a good local source of pastured pork now, although here in Canada at least none of our beef or pork has growth hormones… or antibiotics in many cases (e.g., President’s Choice brand). I can get pastured pork across town, but I would like something closer. Driving across town only makes sense if I’m going to buy half a pig. Since I don’t have a freezer (just the one in the fridge), I can’t do that… yet! I’m seriously thinking about getting a small chest freezer, though!
I can get frozen bison burgers at the local Save-On-Foods or Safeway (can’t remember which, maybe both). Really delicious! But, just to let you know, bison is often grain-finished, just like beef, so beware!
I can also get pastured meats at Planet Organic, but their prices seem super high to me, so I haven’t bought any. I guess I should do a price test like I did with the meat from Meridian and Walmart.
Don’t forget that bones from grass-fed or pastured animals/poultry make great bone broths, stocks and soups.
If it IS more expensive to eat Paleo, is your health worth it?
If so, where can you cut down/out other expenses? Eating out? Cablevison? (Use Netflix instead; that’s what I do: $7.99/month.) Electronic games and gadgets? Expensive cellphone plans? (My no-frills plan costs me $17/month.) Beer/Wine? Protein shakes? Gym membership? (There’s really no need for a gym to get your exercise.)
2 lbs of ground beef for me… 3 to 4 meals. Ah ha. I don’t eat 4 ounce portions, more like 12 to 14 ounce portions!
Yes, we’re all different in the amount of protein we can eat (or need to eat), so the cost of paleo eating certainly depends on the individual!
I’ve found eating paleo is more expensive, because without the grains and starches you get hungrier faster and eat more often. I’ve switched my rice/bread/noodles for vegetables and that’s more expensive. A bowl of rice costs pennies. Eating paleo can seem cheaper since eating out would happen less often. Definitely though, if I ate at home and ate starches and meat it would be way cheaper and it would keep me full for longer.
That’s interesting because I have found that with increased fat and protein (no grains) I can go far longer between meals. When I was a vegetarian I wanted to eat constantly. I see that with my two grandsons who are vegetarians, as well; they never seem satisfied. I think we are all different, though. And I’m not saying a Paleo diet is cheap! I just wondered if it was as expensive as it would first seem. Also, you can replace cheap grains with cheap starchy vegetables with high nutrient content, e.g, sweet potatoes. Note: White potatoes don’t offer as much nutrient value.
I have found going paleo to be almost cost prohibitive, especially here in the FL panhandle. Also, it’s almost impossible to find grass-fed/finished meats and good organic vegetables. Farmer’s markets are hours away, and the quality in the grocery store is, well, sub-par is putting it nicely. We do the best we can with the concepts, but I think that could be why we’re not seeing the results we thought we would.
I’m open to suggestions.
Hi, Jaime, I feel your pain, although Vancouver is a very health-conscious city so I do have lots of resources here. We just had a by-law passed so people can have backyard chickens! Have you tried eating more of what is available to you inexpensively, rather than worrying about a lot of variety? Have you studied Dr. Kurt Harris’ paleo diet outline? (http://www.archevore.com/get-started/) He is more into starches than some other paleo aficionados. I found sweet potatoes at the local Asian supermarket for $.58/Kg (1 kg=2.2 lbs). Bananas often go on sale. White rice is dirt cheap (this is the only grain I’ve seen paleo’s embrace), but low nutritional value. What about fresh local fish? And canned tuna, salmon and sardines often go on sale. What about offal (liver, heart, etc.)? What about bone broths? I’m experimenting with using bones multiple times. What about planting a garden? I’ve heard many people say they get their bones free from local butchers or fish markets (fish heads make great stock)! Check around! Ordering meat online can be expensive, but what about sharing a side or quarter of grass-finished beef with friends or family? For general thrift, how about brown-bagging it, eating out less, fewer lattes (if you’re still into that or observing the 80/20 rule)? We pay over $5 here for a cup of fancy coffee at Starbucks… insane! [Any other ideas for Jaime, folks?]
What results were you expecting, but not seeing, Jaime?