Pinching pennies
You know times are tough when a routine trip to the supermarket spurs a serious discussion about your family's financial situation. That's what happened in my house last week after I returned home from the grocery store with only four bags of food that had cost well over 100 dollars. When I told my husband about the inflated bill, his first question was whether the organic foods I'd purchased cost more than the "regular" versions. I admitted that they were indeed more expensive, so his gut reaction was to curtail our organic "habit." He's not alone in his thinking. In fact, The New York Times recently featured an article on the rising prices of organic food and how the drastic inflation is causing even the most devoted organic shoppers to question whether they can afford it. And if even the most devoted organic consumers are questioning their purchases, you can bet that organic items will be the first to go from the shopping carts of people who aren't as committed. But, as my husband and I discussed this past weekend, eating organic foods doesn't have to be an either/or proposition. The good news is that making a few strategic selections in the supermarket will allow you to save some money while still getting the health benefits of some organic foods. The nonprofit organization Environmental Working Group regularly examines pesticide levels of various commercially grown produce. According to their most recent list, the following fruits and vegetables are the ones most likely to be contaminated. So it's definitely in your best interest to try to switch to organic versions of these items: - peaches
- apples
- bell peppers
- celery
- nectarines
- strawberries
- cherries
- lettuce
- grapes
- spinach
Now for the good news: there are some fruits and vegetables that didn't rank as high on the pesticide scale. These items are ones that you can afford (speaking from a health perspective) to buy the "regular" versions of: onions - corn (frozen)
- avocado
- pineapple
- mango
- sweet peas (frozen)
- asparagus
- kiwi
- bananas
- cabbage
- broccoli
- eggplant
When it comes to meat and poultry, though, there aren't as many compromises you can make. Organic, grass-fed, free-range is still really the best way to go, given that commercially raised varieties are pumped full of antibiotics and hormones. So if your budget is tight, it's worth some extra menu and meal planning to find ways to stretch what you CAN afford a little further. And if you absolutely can't afford organic meats, it's a good idea to at least cut back as much as possible on "regular" sources of animal protein. Source:
"Sticker shock in the organic aisles," The New York Times (www.nytimes.com), 4/18/08 | 
