Comments on: A Simple Guide to Frugal Organic Eating

By: Anastasiya

Anastasiya — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 01:05:54 +0000

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.

By: chompermom

chompermom — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 20:29:15 +0000

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.

By: Dr.Konarik

Dr.Konarik — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 17:55:17 +0000

I really like the 5 line rule for ingredients. That is a great rule to follow.

By: Anastasiya

Anastasiya — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 14:26:43 +0000

@Madeleine
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 always choose what is best for me and my family, health-wise and money-wise.

By: Krishna

Krishna — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 12:23:01 +0000

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?

By: Krishna

Krishna — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 12:20:19 +0000

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…

By: Madeleine

Madeleine — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 21:57:28 +0000

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.

By: Anastasiya

Anastasiya — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 14:09:50 +0000

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.

By: Jai Kai - SharingSuccess.tv

Jai Kai - SharingSuccess.tv — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 13:50:49 +0000

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

By: Anastasiya

Anastasiya — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 14:38:13 +0000

@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.