Whole Food Diet Possible While Cruising?

[FollowingCs]

Don't want to argue diets, just wondered if anybody eats paleo/whole foods while cruising, specifically the Caribbean.

While trying to get healthy sitting behind a desk prepping for the day I can break free, my wife and I have been eating a diet of mostly vegetables, fruits and meats. Currently have a 1/2 side of organic beef in the freezer, and spinach, kale, arugula and salads are prep'd often. My weight is down and cholesterol levels under control. Just wondering if anybody eats this way while 'out there'. I imagine fresh greens are not easy to come by? I also guess that we can find substitutes?

Just wondering,
~ Following Cs ~

[model 10]

It will depend on where you cruise. For example in Guatemala there is all the fruit, veg's and meat you could want. The places I have been in the Bahamas, you would starve.

[salticrak]

leave the gastronomic fads at on land i say.

[MarkJ]

I'm on LCHF. I have a 25 litre freezer and its fine.
Theres fresh food on each of the islands in the Caribbean.


Mark

[Arthur Garfield]

I'm big proponent of sprouting to various lengths of time for greenage.
Additionally, frozen fruits,vegies and,meats goes a long way.
We're food snobs though careful provisioning turns the trick !
We grow fresh herbs on board though these started in home garden and transplanted on board.

All the Best

[swpeterson]

How big is your boat? Or is that a future purchase? We just changed from a 34' Irwin which had an adequate frig/freezer and added a Dometic freezer to the cabin which made it possible to provision for those food stuffs to a 55' SeaRay where we converted a cabin to a pantry that has 3 frig drawers and 3 freezer drawers in it and 1 prep fridge in the galley and a wine frig in the salon so much easier to do now. Put 'spice racks' up on the aft wall of the cabin that we turned into a pantry, plugs for some prep work in the pantry and plastic bins on the counter top that sits on top of the frig/freezer drawers. It is a little tall as a work station but everything is made for 6'2" people on this boat so one adapts! : )

[jwcolby54]

Originally Posted by swpeterson

How big is your boat? Or is that a future purchase? We just changed from a 34' Irwin which had an adequate frig/freezer and added a Dometic freezer to the cabin which made it possible to provision for those food stuffs to a 55' SeaRay where we converted a cabin to a pantry that has 3 frig drawers and 3 freezer drawers in it and 1 prep fridge in the galley and a wine frig in the salon so much easier to do now. Put 'spice racks' up on the aft wall of the cabin that we turned into a pantry, plugs for some prep work in the pantry and plastic bins on the counter top that sits on top of the frig/freezer drawers. It is a little tall as a work station but everything is made for 6'2" people on this boat so one adapts! : )

OK, can I crew for you?

[Cheechako]

You will need to find out where the veggies etc are available at each place. Some places the Veggie truck may arrive on Tuesday. If you arrive on Wed's you will wait a week. Get used to eating cabbage instead of lettuce as it's more readily available and keep much better.
I doubt you will find organic meat. But many fisherman sell their catch on the local beach/pier etc.

[model 10]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

I doubt you will find organic meat. But many fisherman sell their catch on the local beach/pier etc.

The meat just might be organic. It's not like they have huge feed lots where they pump them up with stuff.

[jwing]

My experience matches Guy's in post #2.

Fresh foods are more easily available on islands that support farming. That means soil and rain. The islands that have the best soil and rain are volcanic or other highlands with high enough elevation to create rain.

Low and small islands, like The Bahamas, do not support agriculture, but it is possible to get fresh vegetables at the grocery stores, especially if you know when the mail boat comes in and can be there soon thereafter.

You'd better like fish. There will not be the wide selection of fruits and vegetables that you are accustomed to, so make up your mind to be adaptable or stay home.

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by Guy

The meat just might be organic. It's not like they have huge feed lots where they pump them up with stuff.

Yes I agree... I almost wrote that. But you will never know! It could probably be either end of the spectrum!
In the Caribe I don't think they raise that much meat (?) maybe they get it a lot from Venezuela? No idea what they do down there....

[MarkJ]

Caribbean raise meat? Lol

Its all from the USA and New Zealand.
Even fruit and veg isnt grown anymore in the Caribbean except for bananas, plaintains, mangos and Avacados. Everything gets shipped in by Tropical Shipping from Florida.
Guadaloupe must have plenty of farming, and Martinque must have a bit, but the rest of the islands would be flat out keeping starvation at bay...

As for the quality of locally grown stuff, there are local markets with great stuff most islands, it can be variable compared to the imported stuff, but fine for the OPs diet... But just treat "organic" with a pinch of salt.... Do you really think a farmer is going to lose his whole crop to insects therefore making his family destitute, kids out of school and car repossessed, just to comply with with non-existant farm inspectors??

[DMCantor]

In our several years of cruising in the Caribbean, we have NEVER found it a problem to buy any and all fruits and vegetables we could want. On the dry islands (BVI, Bequia, etc.) you have to pay prices that account for the need to import. On the wet islands (Dominica, St. Lucia), you can pick what you need for free in the forest. The local people don't typically eat much meat, but the vegetable offerings are out of this world.

If you find yourself on Dominica, make a point of visiting Moses near Victoria Falls. He is a Rasta with a world-class garden, and will make you the very best vegetable stew you have ever tasted.

[MarkJ]

Here are two photos I took earlier this year of one of the supermarkets in St Martin in reply to a post asking if the Caribbean had toilet paper.... or food... or still had rickshaws, whips and chains....

[Bulawayo]

We do eat this way and have done so for many years .........its not so difficult. We also carry extra refrigeration.