A Simple Guide to Frugal Organic Eating
Posted on Balanced Nutrition, Most Popular | September 5, 2009 | 13 Comments
This post was written by Anastasiya. Follow me on Twitter or StumbleUpon and keep your life balanced!
Image by About a year ago I decided to go organic. For a while I tried to buy almost everything organic; everything that had an organic label on it was a must-have for me. After a few trips to the grocery store I realized that 100% organic eating was draining my budget like crazy. If it had continued that way then I wouldn’t have had any money to spend on anything else! That was not a fair choice to make so that is why I decided to conduct my own research and find out really how important organic eating really is.
First of all it’s important to understand why you want to eat organic food. I have heard a lot of different opinions and here are some of them:
- It’s fashionable, everybody is doing it
- It’s environmentally-friendly
- Organic food is diet-friendly
- If it’s organic then I can eat it as much as I want
- Organic food is healthier for me
- Organic food is natural, no additives, no chemicals, no artificial ingredients
- Name your reason here
I have picked organic eating for my family because it is healthier and organic food does not contain chemicals, pesticides and other artificial ingredients that might be dangerous for our health in the long run. I believe in balanced eating, not necessarily in organic eating. In fact organic is often just a label that manufacturers put on their products to lure customers into spending more money (Have you ever seen organic onions? The truth is that there is absolutely no difference between organic and non-organic onions, they are grown absolutely the same and have the same nutritional value. Its’ the same as paying for air. Ridiculous, right?)
When it comes to healthy eating it is important to look at a number of different facts: nutritional value, fat, especially saturated fat and trans fats, fiber, sugar (organic foods are sometimes loaded with sugar too and it is not good for your health), sodium, vitamins and minerals etc. I want to get the best for my family but I do not want to be fooled into paying for a fad. This is the reason why my half-organic or frugal organic approach to eating was born. I have been using this approach ever since and it saves me money without compromising my family’s health and well-being. Here are my 15 tips that will help you control your budget and still be organic:
- The golden 12 organic rule. These 12 fruits and vegetables are highly contaminated with pesticides so that is why I always go organic with them: peaches, apples, sweet bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, kale, lettuce, grapes (imported), carrots, pears. You can find the full list of fruits and vegetables and their pesticide score at Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides
- Read labels. When you buy processed goods (cookies, bread, lunch meats, cereal etc.) read the label. It’s much more important to know the nutritional value than simply buying something organic. Look for low sodium, low saturated fat, low sugars, and high fiber (if possible of course). For my babies I prefer juices that are enriched with vitamins and calcium and unfortunately I haven’t seen any organic juices that meet these criteria.
- The 5 line rule. I usually do not buy groceries that have more than 5 lines of ingredients. There are exceptions of course but most of the time these products are loaded with preservatives, artificial flavors and ingredients. I buy only the types of groceries where I can read and understand every word on the ingredients list. A lot of organic foods fall in this category and not many non-organic do.
- Farmer’s market. The quality of food at a farmer’s market is great and of course everything is organic. Most farmers do not label their food as organic because it is too expensive for them to get certified by the USDA but of course it does not affect the quality of food. This is the reason why it’s much cheaper to buy fresh groceries there than it is at a grocery store. The only drawback of a farmer’s market is that it is open only a few months a year (at least in my area it is).
- Locally grown produce. If there is no farmer’s market around then I go for the locally grown fruits and veggies at my grocery store.
- Buy seasonal produce. It might sound tempting to indulge into some fresh strawberries in the middle of winter but I prefer not to do it. First of all produce that is not in season is extremely expensive and secondly its quality is really bad (strawberries taste like grass and peaches are nothing but cotton). You do not get any benefits from these foods; you might be even harming yourself. You can still eat apples, bananas, oranges, potatoes and other produce that grows year round in some parts of the world or that can be stored for a long time. Check out the Seasonal Ingredient Map to find out more.
- Go organic with meat. I believe that grass-fed beef and free range chickens are the way to go. They taste better, they are leaner, various studies have proved that this meat has higher nutritional value and overall is better for you. I also want animals to be treated humanely even if they are going to end up on my table.
- Go half-vegetarian. Organic meat is sometimes two times more expensive than non-organic and I know that it keeps some people from buying it. My approach is to eat less meat. I do not want to be a vegetarian (I do not believe that it is part of a balanced diet) but I usually eat meat only 2 times a week or less. This is all the animal protein we need after all.
- Do not go organic with the basics. Bread, canned beans, canned tomatoes, pasta, and rice – all of these groceries do not have to be organic to be good for you. (Milk is probably the only exception in my opinion.)
- Go with store brands. A lot of people are afraid of store brands and they are willing to pay extra to get the brand name on their can. I think that a lot of times store brands are even better than popular brands and at the same time they are cheaper. Some grocery stores have organic store brands that are quite affordable in my opinion. Do not be afraid to try something new.
- Do not buy organic foods from the third world countries. I do not have anything against third world countries (I grew up in one of them after all) but I do not completely trust their farming practices. Non-organic groceries have higher concentration of pesticides if they come from the third world countries than if they come from the US. It makes me wonder how organic their organic food is. Another issue is that a lot of times foods from other countries (and this is especially true about produce) have to spend days just to get to your grocery store. Can you call this produce “fresh”?
- Use coupons. Most companies that produce organic food offer coupons on their websites. Here are just a few of my favorites and you can google the rest: Organic Valley, Stonyfield Farm, Nature’s path, many more.
- Become a member of the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). For a very reasonable price (in my area it is about $20 a week) local farmers will deliver fresh produce and in some cases dairy and meet to you weekly. I haven’t joined this program yet just because my husband and I are planning to move to another state in the next couple of months. Find your local farmers at Local Harvest.
- Grow your own produce. I know that it’s not easy but it’s totally worth it. This year my in-laws grew some tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, pumpkins and a few other things in their yard. They also have a big apple tree near the house. These fruits and veggies taste so delicious! Even if you do not have a big yard you can still grow at least a few herbs or onions on your porch.
- Eat less. This might not be true for everybody but a lot of people nowadays eat much more than they need to (obesity rates have gone out the roof). It is expensive to buy organic groceries but if you try to eat less, then your organic bill won’t be that scary any more.
Organic eating can be frugal and sustainable. You do not have to make a choice between value for your health and value for your wallet. I hope that these 15 tips of frugal organic eating will help you eat healthy without going overboard.
Keep it balanced!
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Hello,
Hi Anastasiya. Your advice on this post will be helpful. I’ve been wanting to ask, what is the effect of sodium in our bodies? I’m curious because I’ve been warned to beware of high sodium product.
Some great tips – and I particular like the last one – we should all eat less!
Here in the UK obesity is now a serious problem and we all seem to eat far more than our bodies need.
Over the last few months I have been even more careful and conscious about what I eat – I feel and look much healthier. The only person who doesn’t approve of my new regime is my mother who thinks I look too thin!
So everytime I visit her, I get stuffed and leave with a large doggy bag:-)
Another option for really cutting down on your food bill and eating healthy is to follow a vegetarian diet, but this may not appeal to everyone.
I have been a vegetarian most of my life and have never felt I was missing out by not having meat.
Another point to consider is that it is very expensive to go through the testing necessary to claim to be organic, and since its actually a legal thing there is a lot of room for loopholes. A lot of farms may make something with great benefits and even organic but just can’t afford to advertise it that way.
@Walter
Sodium is especially dangerous to people with high blood pressure. Sodium increases high blood pressure (if you have any family history or any other risk factors then you must be really careful with your sodium intake), it has also been linked to cardiovascular disease and stroke. Too much sodium also retains liquid in your body that can be a risk factor if you have any type of kidney disease. Here is a good resource that will give you the most important information about sodium in your diet
@Arvind
I understand your mom quite well. My grandmas are the same way (I am very lucky to still have both of my grandmas alive). This is the old school, there is nothing you can change about them and I am happy about it
@JS Dixon
Organic certification is expensive, this is true. And as I’ve mentioned in the article this is the reason why Farmers Markets are so great in my opinion. I am sure that a lot of locally grown fruits and vegetables are organic too but they just do not have that organic label on them.
This is a great post.
I often use the 100 mile rule when possible – which means buying and consuming food within a 100 mile radius – so trips, like you mentioned to the farmers market but also organic specialty stores that keep and sell local products. I also eat seasonal fruits and veggies and freeze a lot of fruits for out of season… I just froze 5 lbs of blueberries for the winter.
Thanks for sharing
Thanks for your tip Jai kai. I should have added it in my post
Freezing fruits for winter is a good idea. It does not take a lot of time or effort – just wash them, pack them and put them in the freezer.
Canning would be another good option but I personally do not have time for it right now. My mom and grandma though can a lot every year so we have organic and tasty dishes all year round and do not have to run to the grocery store too often.
Anastasiya, I love your common-sense idea of using a frugal organic approach. In terms of your 15 tips:
#2 It’s so important to read the nutrional content of the foods you’re buying. labels.
#3 When it comes to the number of ingredients, the fewer the better. Triscuit reduced fat crackers, for example, have 3 ingredients: whole wheat, soybean and/or palm oil, and salt. That’s it.
#4 I’m not so sure that everything at a farmer’s market is organic. In fact, sometimes it’s hard to know what it means when products are labeled “orgaanic.”
#6 Definitely, buy seasonal produce. One factor is that produce which is shipped long distances, generally, has to be picked well before it’s ripe. The result is often nice-looking but tasteless–such as the tomatoes in the supermarket during the winter.
#7 and 8 I agree and recently gave up eating beef because forcing cows to eat corn is terrible for the environment, the cows, and the people who eat the overly-fatty beef.
Great discussion.
Hi Anastasiya, great advice. I will say +1 to Arvind, I really like the last point. Just by eliminating binge eating and eating mindlessly, we can cut down on our dietary requirments and also do our body a favour. Also, love your idea to subscribe to the local farmers market and subscribe to CSA, just cutting down on the number of miles food has to travel means fresh, healthy produce that is good for our body and soul
.
Love the post…
A slightly provocative question, what is better, going organic or going vegetarian? When you are vegetarian, the only further advantage to going organic is probably going on a pesticide free diet, but from a health/nutrition point of view, organic and non-organic veggies have a very similar nutritional content. your thoughts?
@Madeleine
I always choose what is best for me and my family, health-wise and money-wise.
When I go to the farmer’s market I usually know a few farmers and I know that they sell organic produce, dairy and meat (no pesticides, grass-fed beef, free-range chickens). It’s easy to get to know people at the farmer’s market and to find out about their farming practices.
@Krishna
I am personally not a vegetarian-type person. I do not think that vegetarianism is part of a balanced diet because our bodies need animal protein to function properly. I do agree though that today people eat way too much meat. Having meat about 2 times a week works good for me.
The term “organic” mostly applies to the farming practice not the nutritional value. I know that organic and non-organic produce has the same nutritional content and a lot of people argue whether it is actually better for you or not. I choose organic fruits and veggies because they are grown without pesticides and other chemicals. I do not think that you need to go completely organic with your produce (this is the idea behind my frugal organic approach). There are only 12 fruits and veggies that are extremely contaminated with pesticides and that I always buy organic for this reason. I am not an organic freak who is always chasing organic labels
I really like the 5 line rule for ingredients. That is a great rule to follow.
Wow, I’m really enjoying your website. Fantastic articles on here.
I love this one. I’ve been WWOOFing for the last couple years, but I’m in a situation now where I’m buying our own food and I can’t afford organic often, which makes me feel guilty and…contaminated. I think organic food is important, and WWOOFing is a great way to eat organic food for free, learn how to grow your own food, and support the growers. I’ve learned so much about gardening, vegetarianism, and all kinds of other earth-friendly things in the last couple years through WWOOFing, because the people involved are tuned into that lifestyle. It’s so refreshing to know that there is a community out there that is creating beautiful things.
Organic food is so expensive partly because it takes more people to take care of crops when the use of pesticides is ruled out. Many small scale organic farmers also try to cut down or eliminate farm machinery (tractors, etc) and make their plots smaller, which needs more hands doing tough work. We forget how long it takes to grow a crop of wheat or corn. I’m amazed how cheap a bag of flour is now that I’ve seen wheat fields in Germany and learned how long it takes to grow them. When we appreciate how our food is grown, we tend not to go so overboard. Cheap fast food is so bad, because it trains us to think that food is easy and cheap, when in reality it is precious.
Hi chompermom. I am excited to have you on my website and I am so happy that you enjoy my articles.
When you started talking about WWOOFing I didn’t know what it was. I went to your website and found out that WWOOFing is Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms. I didn’t know that websites and opportunities like this existed and I am so happy that they do. Thank you very much for letting me and my readers know about WWOOFing.
I understand why organic food is so expensive and I do know what it takes to grow your own harvest (even a little one). When I lived in Ukraine my grandparents had a small summer cottage with a lot. They used to grow all kinds of things there. We never bought any fruits or vegetables because we had everything: from potatoes to grapes. I really miss the taste of freshly picked tomatoes and apples.