Family Nutrition: Eating Organic on a Budget
11th May, 2011 - Posted by - 4 Comments
Editor’s Note: It’s no secret that all of us want what’s best for our families — right down to the food we eat. But for many, it may seem that organic foods are out of reach. Writer and mother, Wendy Gabriel offers some great tips below to eat healthier, even on a budget!
And here’s a tip from me: These days, even the largest urban areas have Farmers Markets. To find one near you, visit the great folks at Local Harvest.
Eating organic produce, meat and dairy is healthier for your family and the environment (and it tastes better). Here are some money saving tips to help you eat healthier and stay within your budget:
Comparison Shop: You may be able to find less-expensive alternatives at different stores. Many major chains are coming out with their own organic brands but make sure it’s certified organic. According to Mark Kastel, the senior farm policy analyst at The Cornucopia Institute, ”Major food processors have recognized the meteoric rise of the organic industry, and profit potential, and want to create what is in essence ‘organic light,’ taking advantage of the market cachet but not being willing to do the heavy lifting required to earn the valuable USDA organic seal”.
Grow One Thing: Unless you have a lot of land, you’re probably not going to feed your family only from your home-grown harvest, but you will find that growing a tomato plant can be incredibly inspiring. And it’s not as intimidating as it seems. So pick one thing to grow – you can do it.
Cook More: The more convenient the food is, the more expensive it is. For example, buying an organic frozen dinner may save you time in the same way a conventional frozen dinner would, but it costs quite a bit more than its non-organic counterpart and much more than a homemade meal. Buy organic items that are lower in price (such as produce), and make your own dishes from scratch.
Stock Up: Stock up on your favorite items when they go on sale. Or try something new that is on sale or is priced well, and you may find a new favorite. Buy in Bulk. Buying in bulk will keep costs down. Look for many pantry staples often available in bulk, such as beans, legumes, rice, flour, nuts, chocolate chips, and much more.
Organic Coupons: Keep an eye out in the Sunday paper and grocery circulars for coupons and, again, stock up to take best advantage of the savings. Organic bargains are everywhere so click on About.com’s Frugal Living page where you will find All Organic Links.
Shop in Season and Buy Local: Shop farm stands and farmers’ markets for the freshest, most-delicious produce while supporting local farmers. Purchasing in season produce from your grocer may also keep costs down. And you can also save money by becoming a member of a local farm by joining a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program.
Be Selective: Decide to only purchase organic milk and produce. See the Environmental Working Group’s “dirty dozen” for the most-contaminated produce and tailor your decisions based on these.
Environmental Working Group’s Shopping Guide
Bring Your Own Bag: Many stores offer a discount when you bring your own bag. It’s usually around 5 cents per bag,
Eat With Friends: Last but not least, make it fun! Choose some like-minded friends and get together to each prepare an organic dish—a great way to add variety to your organic diet while keeping your own purchases down. Get together for a weekend potluck—or, during the week, arrange a food swap to minimize cooking and maximize eating organically.
Source: Organic.org and Healthy Child Healthy World
My Green Side’s web pick of the week:
Eat the Seasons aims to promote an understanding of food seasons. Each week they list the seasonal foods that are at their peak, and share enlightening facts, useful tips and enticing recipe ideas picked from the web and their favorite books.
Blogger Bio: Wendy Gabriel is a writer and mother of two that is passionate about sustainable living and raising happy, healthy children. Hear more from Wendy at her blog, My Green Side and on Twitter @MyGreenSide.
photo credit: Valley_Photographs
Tags: ECE, family, Health, nutrition, organic food, outdoors, Parent
Posted on: May 11, 2011
4 Comments
MY GREEN SIDE · Guest Post at The Body Smart Blog
May 11th, 2011 at 5:48 pm
[...] I am thrilled to be a guest poster today at The Body Smart Blog. [...]
hsbs
May 11th, 2011 at 7:20 pm
And we are thrilled to have you, Wendy! Thanks for sharing your knowledge and passion with our readers.
Here’s an article a reader sent us that might be of interest to all.
http://homegrown.org/blog/2011/01/its-twinsanity-how-a-locavore-feeds-a-family-of-eight-on-one-income/
Jo From Calories In Fruit
August 5th, 2011 at 11:34 am
I can definitively recommend the grow it yourself route. My neighbors and I collectively bough some fruit trees (apple, peach etc) a couple of years ago and this year we have started to see some rewards from our efforts. By buying collectively we spread the cost and it also allowed to diversify the types of fruit that we could grow.
Louis
November 18th, 2011 at 3:37 pm
I recently volunteered at an organic farm so I could learn more about organic gardens.
The lady in charge took us on a tour of the farm and had us pick “edible weeds”. That was quite the eye opener. Dandelions, lambs quarters and a few other things made quite the tasty lunch.
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