Former dietitian says homegrown food helps family's health after cutting grocery trips

A Minnesota homesteader says she grows nearly all the food her family eats, improving their overall health and cutting grocery store trips to about once a month.

Katie Krejci, 38, began working toward a self-sufficient lifestyle more than a decade ago, starting with a small vegetable garden, she told Fox News Digital and news agency SWNS.

Over time, that hobby expanded into a full-scale homesteading operation.

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In June 2023, Krejci and her husband, Ryan, purchased five acres of land in northern Minnesota and moved into a 960-square-foot hunting shed. 

From there, they began growing fruits and vegetables, raising chickens for eggs and meat, and sourcing additional food through hunting and bartering with neighbors.

Krejci said the couple now produces about 65% of their total food needs on their homestead, including nearly all of their produce, eggs, poultry, venison and maple syrup.

She estimates they grow about 99% of the produce they eat.

Krejci told Fox News Digital the homesteading lifestyle has led to improved health, reduced stress and a greater sense of self-sufficiency.

"It [is] comforting to have food stored away, but I rest easy knowing that we're eating food that is nutrient-dense, picked at its peak state of ripeness and fully organic," she said. 

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Krejci said she goes to the grocery store for items they can't grow in Minnesota's climate.

Those trips typically cost about $50 every four to six weeks. They're mainly for citrus fruits like lemons, limes and bananas, along with household necessities like toilet paper.

The couple also buys certain items in bulk from an organic food supplier, spending an average of about $300 a month on staples like rice, oats, olive oil, nuts and cheese.

Krejci said the transition to homesteading happened gradually and grew out of a love of the outdoors. The shift has completely changed how often the family relies on stores, she said.

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"I haven't done a traditional weekly grocery store run in four years," she told SWNS.

Before turning to homesteading full-time, Krejci worked as a registered dietitian. She said she eventually stepped away from her hospital role after feeling disconnected from the work and wanting to focus more on long-term health and illness prevention.

Krejci quit her full-time job in August 2023. She now earns about three times her former income as a content creator, sharing videos and advice online about food preservation, gardening and harvesting crops, she said.

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The family's focus is on maintaining what they're already growing and continuing to build toward greater self-sufficiency, with the goal of eventually moving off the grid entirely.

Although she hasn't experienced major health drawbacks, burnout can be a challenge if people take on too much at once, Krejci told Fox News Digital. 

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She encouraged newcomers to start small and build gradually.

"Homesteading is a marathon, not a sprint," she said.