A while back, my spouse and I decided to transition towards organic food purchases. We believe this is not only beneficial for our health but also our contribution to preserving the environment. Prior to our financial growth, affording organic foods was a challenge. However, now that we’re more financially stable, we find it reasonable to invest in organic foods. From all of our experiences, we’ve wondered whether the investment in organically produced food is truly worth it.
A major advantage of buying organic is the absence of the pesticides and chemicals found in traditionally-grown foods. Apples are notorious for their pesticide content. A 1987 National Academy of Sciences report indicated that pesticides could lead to an additional 4 million cancer cases amongst Americans. Correlations have been made between pesticides and birth defects, nerve damage, and genetic mutations. Also, organic farming is more environmentally friendly as it does not contribute to water stream pollution. The primary concern related to organic food is the cost, but with certain strategies, it can be more affordable.
Here are some tactics we use to save on buying organic:
1. Utilize the “dirty dozen” and “clean fifteen” lists: Each year, the Environmental Working Group releases a list of produce with the highest and least pesticide content. We opt for organic options among highly contaminated produce and go for generic versions for the less contaminated ones. Our rule of thumb: if we eat the skin, we choose organic; if we peel it off (like bananas), we go generic.
2. Adhere to a menu plan: Menu planning has significantly reduced our expenditure on organic food. When we neglected to create a plan for one week, we nearly doubled our usual grocery bill and had to make multiple store trips. The absence of a plan often leads to last-minute, unplanned purchases. We’ve taken up TheFresh20, a cost-effective, healthy menu planner focusing on seasonal produce.
3. Frequent farmer’s markets: We’ve discovered two local farmer’s markets that we love. We obtain most of our produce from these markets, usually leaving with two large bags of produce for under $20. For our remaining grocery needs, we visit Whole Foods.
4. Bulk buying: Buying in bulk, even in places like Costco, allows us to access organic foods without frequenting specialty stores. We’ve found that items like organic bread and spinach can be purchased economically in this way.
5. Limited meat purchase: Aligning with our healthy eating goals, we have reduced our meat consumption and focused more on vegetables and fruits. Our primary choices remain chicken breast, ground turkey, and fish, while red meat is reserved for special occasions.
Despite all these efforts, we’ve witnessed a slight increase in our grocery bill. However, only by approximately $100. We hope that with time and more strategic planning, we’ll be able to reduce it to our previous budget of $350 a month for two.
Image Source: http://grassrootsgourmet.net/tag/organic/
