People are always asking me how I can afford organic food as a single mom with 5 mouths to feed, 3 of which are teens. This is how I learned to view my food budget differently and began to realize the cost of organic food:
I had just picked up a bag of organic carrots in the produce section when I saw a neighbor coming toward me with her grandson in her shopping cart. She surveyed my carrots and began to tell me she couldn’t afford organic food. As she walked off I noticed the Doritos, Oreos, and 6-pack of Coke in her cart. On my way to the front of the store I passed the Oreos and took notice of the price. At that moment my journey into realizing the hidden value of organic food began.
Before that day I would buy the same “cheap,” “frankenfood” thinking I was saving money. But when I took into account the nutrition I could be giving to my family, their satisfaction after eating a healthy meal, reducing the in between-meal snacking, and the overall cost per pound, I had a big realization.
Today while I was in the local grocery store I took note of some prices. Here is what I found:
· A 3lb bag of organic potatoes is $1.99lb. A 15.5 oz bag of Doritos chips cost $4.49. While one teen can scarf down a bag of chips in a matter of minutes, a 3lb bag of potatoes will make 1 meal or 2 side dishes at my house.
· Oreos will set me back $3.99lb — 1 cent less than a dozen eggs from a real, local farm. Iwould love to eat the bag of Oreos, but the dozen eggs are nutrient dense and make a great breakfast. Add some veggies for an omelet and you’ve got breakfast for 2 days!
· A generic brand of almond “milk” comes to $2.59 for a 1/2 gallon or a whopping $5.18 a gallon!! Fresh, raw, local, organic milk can be had for $6.00 a gallon. Many people who are lactose intolerant can drink raw milk. http://chriskresser.com/raw-milk-reality-benefits-of-raw-milk/ states:
“The Weston A. Price Foundation conducted an informal survey of over 700 families, and determined that more than 80 percent of those diagnosed with lactose intolerance no longer suffer from symptoms after switching to raw milk.” He also gives some great details on what damage pasteurized, homogenized milk can do to your health.
· And saving the worst for last — a six pack of 16.9oz bottles (or 101.4 oz) of diet coke comes to $3.99. You can get the best water free by going to http://www.findaspring.com/ and type in your city to find the nearest fresh water, no fluoride, chlorine or radioactive contaminants that are in tap water, according to http://www.activistpost.com/2013/04/7-tap-water-toxins.html. Bottled water, according to http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-11193/7-reasons-to-never-drink-bottled-water-again.html is “glorified tap water at 10,000 times the cost.” When push comes to shove, opt for Reverse Osmosis water.
· You can stop at Wendy’s for a Baconator at about the same cost as a whole pound of grass-fed, grass-finished, local organic meat — around $5.00.
Oh by the way, the organic carrots were on sale for $.99lb which is pretty common where I shop!
The local farmers market is almost always a deal!
Stir-fry anyone?
And that’s what ….Cyndi said!
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