> How much money do you find
> you spend on food?  Is it
> a lot more than before you switched to this way of
> life?

I hope I can help here. I am on quite a strict budget,
but I still manage to do a low carb and (mostly) paleo
diet without breaking the bank. I actually spend no
more than $95/week for 4 people, which is the same I
spent before. I don't know much about candida-reducing
(except that you won't be eating fruit either,
right?), so if I mess up, please forgive me.

I do a lot of bulk buying and read the sale flyers
like a good novel. This is especially useful for meat.
I buy a lot & freeze it. This enables me to to spend
no more than .89/lb for bone-in meat and no more than
1.49/lb for boneless. These numbers are only a few
pennies higher per pound than I was allowing before
starting this diet. I do the same with produce, never
spending more than about .99/lb for the fresh stuff.
(The exception is asparagus, because my family dearly
loves it. I still only buy it on sale, but the sale
price is much higher.) Check your store/s for a
markdown rack - you can get some good deals. I also do
buy frozen, and yes, even canned veggies. This is a
sacrifice that I feel I must make to stay with this
way of eating (since I have to forgo all the cheap
grains). But I am feeding 4 people on a *very* limited
income, so you might not have to make that choice.
Eggs are always a good bet. The sale cycle is about
once a month, and they easily keep for that long, so
stock up. Keep them in the fridge (not the door) in
their original cartons. Stay away from processed meats
- they are the most expensive, and the affordable ones
will all have nitrites and sugar/corn syrup anyway.

I find that the most expensive stuff I buy is the soda
my husband insists on, any snacks he *must* have, and
the small amount of dairy that I still buy. Also
*nuts*. There is no getting around the fact that they
are expensive, so I try to avoid being a snacker, not
always with much success.

I know some of my advice would horrify some members on
this list. I haven't read a good paleo book yet, but
Lights Out! is pretty close - and they insist on
buying meat & produce daily, and never canned & seldom
frozen. In principle I agree, but I am not sure it's
possible to eat that way without being wealthy. Ditto
for organic. The choice is up to you, because only you
are aware of your finances.

There is one thing that I have no advice on - the
issue of seasonings. Your doctor will probably have
told you not to use bottled/jarred herbs & spices. I
don't even know what spices are paleo, but I do know
that fresh herbs in the store (except maybe parsley &
cilantro) are through the roof. Good luck - maybe grow
a window garden?

Hope this helps,
Jen in NC


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