It has me. I don't think this is a bad thing.

I went shopping last week with a tight budget knowing that I'd not have a lot of time for food prep a few nights this week. I hunted down food that I thought would work to feed not only myself, but my family as well. (And seriously, I had all of $30 to buy everything for the week!)

One thing I picked up was a family-sized Banquet frozen salisbury steak. Toss in the microwave, cook up a quick steam veggie and it's done. Before starting LC, my dh had these for dinner about twice a month. I knew there would be added carbs in it, plus a few for a bit of gravy, but I was willing to take the hit for cost and convenience.

Totally gross. Meat flavored sponge with bits and pieces of unidentifiable chunks. The dogs gobbled it up while I made do with a spoonful of peanut butter.

The other thing I picked up was some deli meat. I bought the best I could find in my grocery store - a 10 oz. package of Sara Lee turkey breast that normally runs $4.99 - I picked it up on sale, with a coupon, bringing the cost down to $2.49. I thought this would be a great 'quick grab' type food - a handful of turkey, some sliced cheese, a pickle slice or two and I've got a quick little snack.

Well, the turkey probably tastes alright, but I cannot bring myself to actually eat it. It's soaked in some kind of meat gelatin... that's the best way I can describe it. When I tried to pull apart a slice, a thin string of this meat good stretched out - not unlike snot. Plus, it made that "wet" meat sound.

I can't believe I considered this kind of stuff "food" just a little over a year ago.

What food(s) have you turned your back on?

For me it's really gone beyond even processed foods. I eat very little of them unless they're from a reputable source (i.e. Boars Head Pepperoni). I will not buy any meats where the animals were given hormones or antibiotics. It raises the price of my meat by nearly double. Also I only buy raw prime grade beef. Claussin Pickles, because they just taste better and seem fresher.

Lots of changes for me, I go for quality over quantity now, and it's really hit the wallet a ton, but I think overall its for the best. Our normal week grocery bill for 3x meals for 3x people runs between 200-250$. We do try and use coupons and stock up on items when they go on sale, but this only works some of the times on these higher quality items since they're generally not what's on sale.

It's hard for me to believe I used to make a meal from boxed mac 'n' cheese; when my ham/broccoli/cauliflower casserole with sauce made from HWC and real cheese is soooooooooo much better.

I know some people say low carb pushes up their food bill; I don't see it. Granted, if you were living on rice & beans previously, eating meat instead of starch is going to show up at the cash register.

I no longer buy $5 pies, $4 boxes of cookies, or $3 toaster pastries; that money is now going for REAL MEAT.

I also tried "saving money" by getting cheap processed food, but a) I can't eat it with as much pleasure, and b) it makes me hungry. I'm hardly saving money when I have to eat three of whatever it is.

I think the added costs will vary depending on your circumstances and what you ate prior.

It's a bit of an added cost for me because I have a family of 4. I am the only LC eater in the household, but during the year I've been eating this way I've changed some of my family's eating habits as well, which has increased the cost quite a bit. Prior to my diet change, I bought flour and sugar by the 25-pound bag in bulk and made most of our baked goods from scratch exceptionally cheap. I regularly got yogurts, pastas, breakfast cereals, canned vegetables and other pantry staples for 80-90% off by combining coupons with sales. My freezer(s) used to be full of breaded chicken and pre-formed burger patties by the caseload. I didn't buy a lot of chips - I opted to make things like Chex mix out of the cereals I picked up for .75/box. When we wanted chips, I would fry up corn tortillas that I'd picked up 100-$<$2, slice them into triangles and deep fry them in vegetable oil that I picked up real cheap.

I used to spend $50/week on groceries for all 4 of us. Real food costs much more! I now spend 3x that most weeks. Of course I know it's worth it and try to buy in bulk as much as possible. We just ran into a few weeks of impossible circumstances that left us broke. Ahhh, life.

Yeah, I am sure years of 'Bachelorone 'n Cheese' and packages of the Raman noodles put many pounds on my frame and still left me craving.

In a couple of ways. I basically don't eat anything that comes out of a box, at all (unless you count the cardboard container or hwc). I also don't buy dairy for the kids unless it is hormone and antibiotic-free.

I bascially had to give up trying to eat at the work cafeteria and I just bring my breakfast and lunch now. I didn't like that even the eggs are cooked in a fat-free spray or liquid margarine. And they use too many low fat products to trust even the cheese, etc.

The longer I stay LC (4+ years now), the pickier I get about the type of pepperoni, the quality of summer sausage, the oils used in things, etc.

Low carb has ruined me.

Now I "need" -

Irish butter
pastured eggs
coconut oil
wild caught fish
organic veggies, especially carrots, celery & peppers
superior quality meat (no more meat from the grocer, it must be the butcher)
Daisy brand sour cream

I'm finding that some of the snob food we buy isn't terribly more expensive than the SAD version, but it is much better quality. We also don't eat as much overall. Yeah, we eat 3-5 pounds of meat per meal, but we used to eat 3-4 frozen pizzas a meal. The price difference isn't that great and we stay full when we eat the meat instead of needing a snack in two hours with the pizza.

Why Irish butter? Is that the kind with the herbs in it. I had some around Saint Patrick's Day that was Irish butter with some herbs. I'd like to buy some more, but don't know the brands.

OK..... get this.... I went to do my weekly meat shopping at Market of Choice (I go there for their selection of not only natural meats but also very local ones) well.... I accidently bought a "swift" brand pork tenderloin (from Ohio and definitely not natural at all!) instead of our local pork provider (carlton meats).... I brought it home and my husband saw that it was a swift one.... well there it sits in my fridge.... and now going to the garbage. crap! Wish I could cook it for the dog... but she's allergic to pork.

I too have been turned into somewhat of a food snob. Everything that I can find an organic version of, I buy, especially food for my son, no matter the cost. I only buy organic cage-free brown eggs, antibiotic and hormone free meat and poultry, and I have a really hard time eating seafood being aware of the sad state that our oceans are in right now (And I LOVE seafood)...

Count me in as a food snob (at grocery strores ) now that we have warmer weather, I think farmers markets are the ideal.

they are in every state, just Google for one near you.

What a great thread. My gf came over for supper tonight and I made her roasted chicken with garlic tucked under the skin, roasted cauliflower with some asiago cheese sprinkled on top, a green salad with goat cheese and caesar dressing. WE ate like queens! She mentioned how when you are eating really well, you really NOTICE and ENJOY what you eat. And how great you feel, too! Getting off that nasty sugar high and low...
And how funny it is when you know all that, and yet one day you find yourself standing in your kitchen, with an empty bag of Oreo cookies, wondering where it all went terribly wrong?
Anyway, these days are good - very very good. I too am a food snob. Organic butter, good EVOO, good meats, organic veggies. I love eating this way! I guess I love being a food snob too.

mmmm real butter. Never the other stuff again!!

Not so much a snob as having developed a much more discerning palate.

I ordered a taco and a burrito from my old favorite Taco Bell over the weekend - as an experiment. It's so gross to think about now, but TB is one of the ways I ate myself up to over 300 pounds.

Anyway I couldn't finish either of the items. They were disgusting - tasted like total SLOP. Just goop, fake, processed everything. There was nothing about them that was "real".

It is so wonderful to want whole, true foods now and not crap.

We've only been LC for 6weeks and already there are major changes!

1.) We have a local deli/butcher that deals with local farms for no hormone/bs meat - that is the only place we buy our fresh meat.
2.) I am an organic, label reading nazi. For everything. If I don't know what it is, it doesn't come home with us.
3.) I make my own mayo, whipped cream, dips (with Daisy), etc. with stuff from home.
4.) Cage free eggs TASTE BETTER.
5.) I tried to eat a fast food burger sans bun, on 2 separate occasions and got sick both times. Same thing when I tried to eat a Johnsonville jalapeño sausage. I can no longer eat processed food without dire consequences.

For us though, we're saving some cash. We used to eat out a lot. I was also burning through baking goods at a high rate - that adds up!

I'm okay with being a food snob. Everyone who's been over for dinner here since we went LC is itching for an invite back.