I spend a lot of money on food. Not as much as some other folks I know, who dine on fancy cheeses and spreads (ahem, mom!), but we do spend more then I'd ever like to admit, or try to budget. This is in part because I inherited the gene from my father to stock the house for WWIII. Why have only one salsa, we definitely need three, just in case! And I can not, ever, resist a sale price on food at the grocery store, especially the vegetarian convenience foods. This year, we are trying to spend less, and eat more whole foods. I would love to shop only at our local co-op, and buy all organic, all the time. But the reality of our finances and some of our eating preferences have me alternating between shopping at our local grocery store (Shaw's) and our local co-op.
So, what should I absolutely buy organic, for the family? I have often visited the Environmental Working Group's Dirty Dozen site as a guide. It has a list of the produce with the most pesticide residue from their extensive tests. Why worry about pesticide residue? Many scientists are saying that pesticides can have an adverse effect on people, especially on developing fetuses and little bodies. Much is unknown about the consequences of repeated exposures to various pesticides. So, it seems the most prudent approach is to limit (if not eliminate) exposure to pesticides by not buying the produce that is most treated, leaving the most residue for our kids to consume. Hence EWG's handy guide. They have a huge list of all the produce they tested, and the score, or pesticide load, of each (here is the link). For a shorter, more handy version you can take with you, download the Pesticides in Produce shopping guide (you will see the option to do so at the top of the above linked page).
Here is also a short article about how to buy organic more cheaply. Do you have any other tips? Post a comment to share them with other Non-Toxic Kids readers.
Also, here is compelling list of reasons to buy organic meat and dairy when you can. This one is hard for our family, because while we mostly don't eat meat, we do consume quite a bit of dairy, and this can get expensive. This is an area for us to work on!
Hopefully I've shared some good food for thought (sorry, I couldn't resist!). Do you have other tips for buying more healthy food for your family? Share them! Sent a comment our way.
3 comments:
We are eating less meat these days, which makes up for the cost difference between organic/natural meat and the conventional stuff.
I also buy in bulk at Wild Oats (recently purchased by Whole Foods), which also saves.
I buy large tubs of plain yogurt and add my own fruit or granola.
I try to stay away from processed foods-- buying dried beans rather than canned, things like that.
Here are a few ways we make buying organic less expensive:
- organic meatless sausage is cheaper than organic meat sausage. Tofurky brand is very tasty.
- Buying organic bread can be expensive, but organic bread flour from the bulk food section is cheap. I bake my own bread (in a bread maker, so it is quick and easy). This also allows me to have 100% whole wheat bread (sometimes expensive and hard to find) and use local flour.
- Some organic dairy products are cheaper than others - yogurt and sour cream are not too bad, but cheese is very expensive. I buy organic earth balance instead of butter.
- For any Central Vermonters reading this, there is still a farmers market in Montpelier: the winter market, which is held every first Saturday of the month.
- The bulk food section is your friend!
Great tips! Thank you for sharing them.
Sadly, I have never owned a functioning bread maker (yet I have had two-- go figure). I really liked the idea, but always ended up with a hockey puck and a big mess.
Buying in bulk is the way to go. I need to remember to spend time in that section and do it more often.
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