Wahls Protocol Diet (on a budget)

[tortoise]

My doctor has me starting Wahls Protocol. I'm preparing for Wahls Paleo Plus (WPP), with intended start date of Jan 1, 2019. In a nutshell it is dairy free, grain free, ketogenic, with the addition of organ meat, oily fish, sea vegetables, and 6 - 9 cups of vegetables, divided equally between leafy greens, colorful, and sulfurous categories.

It's considered to be a very expensive Way Of Eating (WOE). I'm determined to not let it get expensive. My goal is $50 per person per month, by December 2019. This thread is to document progress, focusing mostly on preps and costs.

 

[tortoise]

3 cups of leafy greens (cooked) or 6 cups (raw), PER DAY, sure gets expensive at the grocery store. I'm buying organic greens - one of the few things I think is worth paying more for organic. Greens were on sale yesterday, $3 for 5 oz or 4 cups (raw). I bought 4 packs of greens.

I start alfalfa sprouts a few days ago and they were ready to eat today. 1/4 cup of seed yielded a half gallon jar of sprouts.

I used 2 cups or sprouts with 4 cups of chopped leafy greens in my salad today. Cut the cost of leafy greens by 1/3.

I started a tray of microgreens 2 days ago. Excellent germination, they're sprouting today. I'm using the clamshells I buy greens in at the grocery store as mini greenhouses for microgreens. I'm using leftover garden seed. Lettuces, spinaches, chards, radish, broccoli. I hope they grow well indoors this winter! I already have grow lights on for African Violets, but they're not nearly as intense of light as vegetables typically need. I'm hopeful, but not confident.

 

[tortoise]

WPP includes approx. 2.5 ounces of oily fish per day (16 oz per week). Environmental Working Group calculator says I can safely eat 12 oz of chunk light tuna per week. Good! because canned fish is so much more economical than fresh or frozen!

I found 2 big cans of tuna leftover from camping vacation in July. I'm counting that as 18 oz fish, for "free" since the cost was already attributed to vacation.... and I didn't check to see how much the 9 oz cans of tuna typically cost.

I bought a can of Alaskan wild caught salmon. A safer, more nutritious fish. 14.75 ounce can was about $4.50. I plan to eat 4 cans of salmon and 2 small cans of chunk light tuna per month, for approximately $20 per month. That's a big chunk of my proposed monthly budget. I will be watching prices and sales to try to reduce the cost. However, I'm not willing to eat farmed seafood, or seafood from China or Thailand (or that area of the globe), so I will sacrifice my budget for that if necessary.

 

[sumi]

Thanks for starting this thread! I'm definitely going to follow this. Have you an Aldi or Lidl or one of those cheap German supermarkets near you? You can pick up tinned goods and vegetables fairly cheap there.

 

[tortoise]

Thanks for starting this thread! I'm definitely going to follow this. Have you an Aldi or Lidl or one of those cheap German supermarkets near you? You can pick up tinned goods and vegetables fairly cheap there.

There is an ALDI about 20 miles away. I am planning to go tomorrow after physical therapy. I like their avocado, greens, peppers. I'm also looking for canned beets and sweet potatoes (without added sugar).

 

[Mini Horses]

I see this as expensive "for now" as much of the things you mention can be grown and processed for your winter next year. And, frozen can be as good as fresh often, when it comes to greens. The do have organic frozen. Fresh seafood could be a pricy item. Well, depending on varieties.

Sounds like sprouts may be a far more economical green source to help supplement for this winter. Maybe increase the things like sprouts, cabbage, as it is also better economy than the tall greens.

You have chickens and eggs, right? Liver is not real pricy and you don't need large amounts at each meal.

In summer you can concentrate on growing basically what you need, rather than some "try it" things. Less garden area and effort. You have all those blueberry bushes. I'd get some "pick your own" trade me organic produce types out there. Cabbage can be kept well in the barn, alive, most of the winter. Beets can be canned, Sweet potatoes, etc., etc. It can be done. Generally sweet potatoes are really low cost just before Thanksgiving and Christmas. Load up in a couple weeks. Can them, or cook and freeze.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

You could probably dehydrate some of those sweet potatoes too... Sprouts sound like a great addition to the greens dept. I'm definitely going to be following your progress and ideas. Really hope this works wonders for you!

 

[tortoise]

I see this as expensive "for now" as much of the things you mention can be grown and processed for your winter next year. And, frozen can be as good as fresh often, when it comes to greens. The do have organic frozen. Fresh seafood could be a pricy item. Well, depending on varieties.

Sounds like sprouts may be a far more economical green source to help supplement for this winter. Maybe increase the things like sprouts, cabbage, as it is also better economy than the tall greens.

You have chickens and eggs, right? Liver is not real pricy and you don't need large amounts at each meal.

In summer you can concentrate on growing basically what you need, rather than some "try it" things. Less garden area and effort. You have all those blueberry bushes. I'd get some "pick your own" trade me organic produce types out there. Cabbage can be kept well in the barn, alive, most of the winter. Beets can be canned, Sweet potatoes, etc., etc. It can be done. Generally sweet potatoes are really low cost just before Thanksgiving and Christmas. Load up in a couple weeks. Can them, or cook and freeze.

The diet is egg-free because the author is allergic to eggs. I intend to continue eating eggs. Actually to eat more eggs.

I will be changing my garden up to suit this WOE! I'm planning on growing more chard and canning it. Freezing spinach/leafy greens mix. Kale chips maybe. I'm not a big fan of dehydrated or "chip" kale.

Frozen spinach is economical, but I haven't found a way to prepare it that I find appetizing. I should cook some up with bacon fat. I loved eating chard cooked that way. Chard isn't as slimy as spinach though. I like spinach in a cream sauce, but this is supposed to be dairy free. I may fudge that a little bit and include dairy fats - cream and butter.

I have my Baker Creek catalog so I'm going to look through and pick some new leafy green varieties.

You beat me to liver. I was planning to post earlier, but, distractions.

 

[tortoise]

WPP requires 1.75 ounces of organ meat per day. I'm squeamish about organ meat, so the real challenge is finding a tolerable way to prepare it. I've talked to my sister and come up with a plan. I have venison heart and chicken gizzard saved from butchering. I found 2 container of chicken liver at the grocery store. $3.19/pound, I bought 2 pounds. My plan is to grind the gizzard and liver together, with onion too, then cook for meat pie filling. Then make little meat pies with 2 ounces filling (0.25 oz onion, 1.75 oz organ meat). Probably will end up making them in muffin tins. WPP is supposed to be grain free, so this may be a temporary solution. Or I might call it good-enough. I don't mind venison heart, so I won't grind it up.

Next year we will save hearts and livers when butchering. I don't know if that will be enough to get me through a year. 1.75 oz times 365 days divided by 16 ounces [in a pound] gives me 40 pounds of organ meat per year. I don't want to eat brain or tripe! I don't want to buy organ meat from the grocery store! I hope we get enough.

 

[tortoise]

My other project for today is deciding a way to consume 2 - 3 cups of colorful vegetables per day. My plan is to make pureed soups. I made a soup tonight with squash, tomato puree, and carrot puree. All from my garden! Added some beef bouillon and spices. I ate 2 cups of soup for supper, meeting my colorful vegetable requirement for the first time. I can vary the ingredients with each batch and hide all sorts of things in it. beets and sweet potatoes are on my list to try.

If I'm really struggling with organ meat, my plan B is to make meat "slurry" and hide it in my soup. Otherwise, my supper plan is soup and a little meat pie.

I still have one more veggie category to conquer: sulfurous. That's brassicas, alliums, and mushrooms. I'll be putting onion and garlic in everything until I come up with a plan for these. I'm not fond of brassicas and can't imagine eating 2 - 3 cups of them every day!