Organic Food On A Budget

Step into any supermarket these days and you’re sure to find a wide variety of organic foods on the shelves. From produce, milk and meat to breakfast cereals and snack foods, consumers have their pick of certified organic products—a far cry from the time when you could only find organic food in natural foods stores. The demand for organic food continues to grow.

People buy certified organic food because they believe organics are healthier than conventionally farmed foods. But adding organic foods into your diet can be expensive! Does your whole diet have to be organic or are some conventionally grown foods just as healthy?

Prices for have dropped in the past five years, but items are still generally more expensive than conventionally grown foods. If you would like to buy organic anyway, here are some tips to make it more affordable:

Make a gradual transition over the course of a year to familiarize yourself with prices and products.
Comparison shop to find the most economical items. Within the same city, produce prices vary greatly. Sometimes the large supermarket chains will win out, while other times natural food stores (chains or privately-owned) can be more affordable. By shopping around, you’ll get a general idea for which foods are cheaper at certain stores, or which location offers the most deals overall.
Create your meal plans around the most affordable produce, meat and grain products.
Improvise recipes if a natural ingredient isn’t available or affordable. You might find something else that works just as well, or even better than the original ingredient.
Invest in natural meat, cheese and milk (over produce and grains) if your grocery budget is tight. Conventional meat and dairy products often contain hormones and show the highest concentration of pesticides.
Find local natural growers and buy directly to save money. Farmers markets often offer organic items.
Select seasonal produce as much as possible. If you want strawberries in winter, for example, buy frozen (or else your pocketbook will suffer). Frozen natural produce is often available at big warehouse stores as well.
Prioritize your produce. Certain produce items tend to be highly contaminated with pesticides (try to buy these organic), while others tend to be relatively low in pesticide residue (save money and buy these conventional).