“On a Budget: Organic vs Conventionally Grown Food”

On a recent trip to the grocery store, Aaron couldn't leggo his eggos for organic waffles

Like Rachel, I’ve recently had to put some restraints on my grocery spending.  Two weeks ago, after devising a budget, my brother and I realized we only had $80 to spend on food for the week.  My brother’s first reaction was to head to the grocery store and stock up on a lot of the cheapest stuff, and still have enough left over for McDonald’s 50 nuggets for $11.  I took charge and said no.  We were going to buy the essential, organic items and be innovative and create meals with what we had.  No holding back, we spent it all at the grocery store.

My brother made me realize how we have come to severely undervalue our food.  You want to spend $.99 on a burger so you can go out with your friends, buy cool clothes, and eat out everyday.  Unfortunately, when it comes to budgets, a lot of people tend to compromise their food.

He wanted Doritos, but I had him try to find real chips instead

I know what it’s like, I’ve been there.  I was such an exceptional consumer once upon a time.  I grew up on fast food, junk food, coca-cola and tv dinners.  My family was a lot like most American families: we had the cars, the nice house, the playstations, N64, the big TV, the best clothes, and just about everything commercials told us to buy.  We filled up our house with so much stuff, we had to move into a bigger one so we could fit MORE stuff in.  So we looked so cool and fab, but what we were doing to ourselves?  Was it worth sacrificing our health for a new pair of shoes every week?

The result?  Each member of my family is in and out of the doctor’s office for a long list of reasons: diabetes, asthma, high cholesterol, allergies, heart conditions yada yada yada. Don’t tell me it has nothing to do with diet, when I have been asthma attack and migraine free since I started eating organically. I think we’re slowly starting to realize what our choices have done to our bodies and the planet.

Here are some easy tips I learned from Michael Pollan, author of “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” and “In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto” for shopping for real food:

1. Value your food.  Realize that a lot of work goes into growing food the right way, and it is worth the extra dollar to buy organically.  The organic brand is your farmer’s way of saying “I care, so I didn’t use harsh pesticides that will give your family cancer.  Your welcome.  That’ll be $1.50″

2. If the product has more than five ingredients, it’s probably not real food.

3. If you can’t pronounce the ingredient, it’s probably not real food.

4. If your great grandmother wouldn’t know what it is, it’s not real food.  How would you explain to great grandma what an instant smoothie is?

5.  Cut back on the meat and dairy.  For Earth’s sake.  If you can do this, your carbon emissions will go way down.

6.  If your local store doesn’t offer a wide organic selection, talk to your manager.  They’re job is to meet the demands of their customers.  Speak up.

It’s all interconnected folks.  If you’re on a budget, great!  Stop eating out and buying silly things and focus on what’s important.  Cook your dinner, it will bring you and the family/friends together.  Food is supposed to be slow, not fast.  Have a slow food pot luck on the weekends with your friends.  That way you can hang out and still have fun with your friends.  Not on a budget?  Join the poorgeois and start living sustainably.  It’s good for you, your bank account, the farmers, and the planet.

COMMENT: What do you think? Conventional or organic? Any tips on organic shopping? Share them below!