My husband and I are real fans of organic food (for reasons that I will explain more thoroughly in a future post) and it is our goal to eat an organic diet rich in nutrients. However, since we have made the choice to live on a single income while Jacinda is little, it is not a reality for us at the moment. But we are trying..... here is how.....
Gardening:
My husband, Dave has done a great job of planting a Vege box in our small courtyard. We have already enjoyed lettuce & herbs and are looking forward to some beetroot and celery very soon.
Buy non-processed organic food:
The price of processed organic food such as cereals, breads, pre-made sauces, confectionery and baked goods is about double that of their non-organic counterparts! and to be honest these products aren't as good for your health as they claim to be. They may contain organically grown ingredients but many of the nutrients are destroyed during the process of making the goods.
On the other hand if you look at the price differences between the wholefoods such as meat, vegetables and whole grains you may be pleasantly surprised to find what an extra dollar or two can get you. Don't get me wrong this is not always the case but does happen, for example today the difference between free-range and conventional chicken was 60cents and the difference between yogurt was $1.49
In short: Get more bang for your buck - choose the organic apples over the organic chocolate
Eliminate the bad, emphasise the good:
Before we started to look at the food we were eating our main expenses at the supermarket each week were Cereal, Bread, Meat and Dairy.
Now, since we no longer buy Cereal and Bread the money that we save can be spent on higher quality Meat, Dairy and Produce
Remember that Quality food fills you up:
Have you ever been to a really good restaurant and come home feeling like your tummy is about to burst even though you didn't eat a huge portion??
That is because the food was so high quality that you most likely needed much less than you thought you did, the same goes with organic food, you will find that you can eat a smaller portion due to the high nutrient. Eat Quality not Quantity.
Farmers Markets:
We get our fruit, vegetables and eggs at our local Farmers Market. The prices are actually CHEAPER than the non-organic produce at our supermarket.
I know it may be different in other areas but it is definitely worth a try.
An added bonus is that going to the market makes and nice morning out. Personally, we have a Sunday morning ritual of walking down to the Devonport Village, having a coffee, taking Jacinda to the playground than buying our produce for the week.
If anyone else has any ideas for increasing organic food in your diet without increasing your spending - I would love to know.
Emma
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