This is a guest post from Romayne Warner.
As more and more of the food industry’s nefarious practices are exposed in the harsh light of day, concerned consumers are turning to organic produce. A surging demand for organic produce accompanied by a limited supply has driven up prices, and organic eating is now often viewed as the domain of the wealthy and privileged.
What the average person doesn’t know is that it is absolutely possible to eat organically without bursting your monthly food budget. Here are some tips to help you increase the proportion of organic food in your diet without going broke.
Prepare your own meals
It might sound obvious, but preparing your own meals from scratch will not only save you money, but also give you complete control over what goes into your meals. This means you should stay away at all costs from expensive prepared and precooked meals, no matter how convincingly these meals are certified organic. Instead of buying an organic salad from that hip deli down the street, buy the ingredients separately and put together your own.
Buy frozen produce in bulk
Frozen organic vegetables are usually cheaper than their fresh counterparts, and some studies have shown that they are more nutrient-rich, since they are frozen right after harvesting instead of being left out in the open. Buy large quantities in bulk to enjoy cost savings, but stay away from exorbitantly priced pre-washed and pre-cut vegetables.
Find out which foods you should buy organic
Some organic foods are more worthwhile spending that extra amount to buy than others. For instance, potatoes and leafy greens tend to be more susceptible to absorbing harmful chemicals such as pesticides, while onions tend to be less affected. If you can’t afford to get the organic version of everything you eat, start by finding out which items in your diet are most badly affected by non-organic substances. Those will be the first foods you should start eating organically.
Eat less meat
Meat tends to be relatively expensive, so cutting down on the amount of meat you eat will lower your expenses and enable you to afford larger quantities of high quality organic produce. Supplement your diet with foods rich in protein such as eggs and lentils.
Choose foods that are high in nutritional value
If you have a limited amount of money, you’re going to want to make sure that everything you put into your mouth is high in nutritional value. Vegetables like broccoli, carrots and kale are very high in not only nutritional value but also fibre, so you will find yourself feeling a lot better than you would if you were consuming empty calories contained in many processed foods.
Trying to overhaul your diet to include significantly more organic food can be daunting, but you need to know that it is absolutely possible. With careful planning, it is not that hard to have a healthful diet rich in organic produce without breaking the bank.
Do you have any tips for buying organic? How do you eat super clean while also saving money? We’d love to hear your tips in the comments!
About the author:
Romayne Warner is a full time self-employed blogging fanatic. Obsessed with finding small ways to save money every day, she enjoys sharing her frugal lifestyle tips and tricks with the world, she regularly writes about healthy living and health insurance related topics.
Organic Eating Doesn’t Have To Be Expensive, Here’s How! is a post from: Finding My Fitness