“It’s Just Too Hard!”: The Cost

The cost of groceries on an AIP is, with out a doubt, more than we’d typically spend. And let me say, it isn’t lost on me that simply being able to afford this diet is a great privilege. Too many people, including those in our own community, go hungry or are just making enough to put any food on their family’s table, let alone be in a position to select the highest quality meats and produce. So, when ever I’m tempted to complain about the amount on our grocery bill, I try to remember the great blessing it is to do this at all.

In order for us to afford to do the AIP, we did have to adjust our family budget to allow for more spending on groceries. This meant a sacrifice in other things we would have spent money on. We’d love a new car, but we still drive our 2006 Corolla! Some things just take longer to save for. However, to us, our health is worth it and re-pays us far beyond what ever increase in spending we’ve had on the AIP. In addition, here are some of the reasons why, in the end, you may actually be saving money in the long term by doing this for your health or the health of your child.

Being sick is expensive

I’m certainly not the first person to make this point: being unwell is expensive. Even if you live in Canada where health care is publicly funded, it still costs you in many ways; prescriptions, days off work for yourself or to care for your child, loss of a job or promotion, days away from school and learning, parking at hospitals, etc. Taking on the additional cost of groceries may at first seem like a money pit. However, keep the long-term in mind here. If you or your child suffer from an autoimmune disease, this protocol can really turn the tide on your illness. Please don’t just take it from me. Read the experts and the thousands of testimonies of people who have put their disease in remission or alleviated most symptoms using the AIP or one of the many similar protocols. Reducing or eliminating the need for medications, reducing time off work or school, restoring a balanced family life… the list goes on…all that adds up to less money spent, in addition to you or your child feeling so much better. And if you are doing this as a preventative measure, well, your gains in avoiding all the costs that go with an illness is huge. We can’t avoid all illness, of course, but it’s worth trying to avoid the ones we can. Not a bad return on your investment.

No more Uber Eats…or what have you

Before writing off the AIP as way too expensive for you or your family, first sit down and try to calculate all the money you spent over the last month on eating out, including take-out and delivery. Then look at your grocery bill and calculate all the money you spend on things like ready made meals and packaged snacks from the grocery store. It adds up to a lot. We haven’t eaten in a fast-food restaurant since KT was diagnosed with celiac but we do stop in to use the restrooms on family trips. Seeing the prices on the display screens kind of shocks me. It’s not cheap. So again, yes, your grocery bill on the AIP is higher but you save big time on those bills for eating out and pre-made/packaged foods. If you are used to eating out often, you may even find yourself saving money. And you’re healing your body. It’s a win-win.

Shop smart and save