HOW TO REDUCE THE COST OF ORGANIC FOOD
Dear Friend,
Pesticides in food impact our health, and in the case of pregnant women at least, have been associated with birth defects in their children.
I explained that I am very concerned that birth defects are only the tip of the iceberg, and that we just can’t see all the damage pesticides and other hormone disruptors are causing to all of us, children, pregnant and non-pregnant adults alike.
Eating organic is the solution that reduces both pesticides in our food and pesticides that impact farm families, their neighbors and our environment. However, I well know that organic food is more expensive than non-organic food.
And personally, I have let the food part of my budget expand a fair bit, and I could use a refresher on how to save money in that department.
Doing some reading and reflecting on my experience, here’s what I learned.
Most importantly: you will have to make a careful plan, and it will involve more work in the kitchen on someone’s part. Here’s the short answer: time is money.
This plan will allow you to accomplish the following:
o Budgeting: you will know what you spend on food
o Not wasting food, one of the most painless ways to save on the food budget
o Along those lines, using all the parts of food we buy is also a way to save
o Having inexpensive sources of protein at many meals: beans and eggs are at the top of the list
o Having colorful produce at each meal: what is most cost-effective will depend on the season, on coupons, on deals you find
o Having healthy fat at each meal
o Freezing, drying and canning
o Buying in bulk while maintaining food diversity
o Strategizing what you might grow
o Figuring out what you might harvest
1. What do you spend on food?
The average American spends 10% of their income on food. On the average, that would be $5000 per year, which works out to $200/month, or $13.50 per day. Multiply this for the total number of family members, so for a family of 4, $800/month would be pretty average. The majority of Americans spend less that that (because they make less than the average income), and I am quite sure this is actually a part of our problem. Your grandparents spent 40% of their income on food. Just sayin’.
2. Not wasting food
This will require keeping track of what is wasted and why. In my household, it’s fruit that isn’t refrigerated, or that turns tasteless in the refrigerator. It’s also leftovers. Freeze everything, and leave a note somewhere to keep track. Use ingredients in novel ways, for example, leftover herbs in salads and soups.
3. Using all the parts of food
There’s actually a book about this called “Root to Stalk”. The simplest way to do this is to make broth and soup. You can use vegetable trimmings and bones for soup. You can freeze them and use them later. The soup will also require some fresh ingredients, or you can just make and drink broth as a part of the meal or as a standalone snack. You can also use free food in soup, such as carrot tops (you can get those free at the farmers’ market if you ask) and offal (I got a free bag at the grocery store today).
4. Inexpensive source of protein
You don’t have to be a vegetarian, but beans and eggs help stretch the budget. White beans have the most protein, 17g per 1 cup serving (cooked). Soak the beans before cooking (another thing you need planning for!). Use lentils and split peas too, as well as garbanzo beans. I recommend eating beans with a salad, in soup or with meat, and not with rice. I know rice is a traditional food, but in our day and age, I find too many people are intolerant of that amount of carbohydrate. In fact, it makes them hungry, even though they have consumed enough calories and nutrition. You will have to individualize that recommendation. I also recommend eating up to 10 eggs per week. Where meat is concerned, some of the stew cuts are priced affordably, vs. the “choice” cuts. As part of a slow-cooked stew, with a variety of vegetables and herbs, they would actually be more delicious than a plain piece of meat.
5. Colorful produce at each meal
Research what fruits and vegetables pack the most nutritious punch while appealing to your taste. I recommend the book “Eating on the Wild Side” for a multitude of details on how to get the most out of our produce. Here, you want smaller amounts of the freshest, most tasty produce you can find. Canned foods do not confer the same advantage. Choose cruciferous vegetables, onions, peppers, tomatoes, beets, berries, leafy greens, herbs and spices.
6. Healthy fats at every meal
Olive oil and coconut oil are the healthiest here. Buying in bulk and using sparingly will be the best way to go. Avoid oils packed in plastic. Also, you can use saved fat from animals you know are raised organically, on pasture, and 100% grassfed—they will have more toxins than plant fat, but they have other advantages and if they are leftover from making chicken soup or cooking bacon, I would not throw them out.
7. Preserve food
This is self-explanatory, but a few tips may help. I freeze everything except berries in glass containers. You can find glass containers and useful kitchen gadgets at Goodwill stores. Standalone freezers may be available on Craigslist. Operating one should not cost more than $20/year. Mine typically fills by fall and empties by late spring.
Many bulk items keep better frozen, including coffee beans, ground nuts or seeds, flour, etc. This will help with the bulk purchases. I can’t tell you how many times I have happily discovered leftovers in my freezer, or pulled out ingredients for one last meal when I didn’t feel like going shopping.
You can freeze whole tomatoes and whole plums. You can freeze whole strawberries for smoothies (no one will notice the leaves). Get info online!
Many “value-added” foods, like almond milk, cheese, granola, muffins, jam, butter, bread, etc. can be made more cheaply than they can be bought, and they keep well frozen. In fact organic cheese is outrageously expensive, but organic milk (even grassfed, like Organic Valley Grassmilk) can be made into mozzarella cheese with no skill. You will then be left with whey, which you can freeze and use for smoothies.
You don’t have to do this all alone: canning, making cheese, tomato sauce, applesauce, etc. can be done in community with friends and family.
8. Buy in bulk and use coupons
To maintain diversity, you may want to share with a friend. There is a lot of organic food at Costco, but you still need to buy only what you use and enjoy. Also your impact on the local economy and the well-being of farmers will not be the same at Costco as it would be in the farmers’ market. You pay in essence for a lifestyle, and for the world you help co-create, as much as for your food itself.
Coupons can be a time consuming chore, or it can be fun. Bulk meat is the cheapest way to go as you can buy a side of beef (or less) and freeze or share with friends. CSA (community-supported agriculture) can be a good deal too, but you have to be organized and flexible.
9. Grow something
This is another place where a plan might help. For example I figured out that I was spending quite a bit on onions, which are quite easy to grow. I also grew a lot of kale, which is essentially a perennial plant in California. This caused me to eat kale, onions and eggs for 2-3 meals per week (always available!!) and resulted in a significant drop in my grocery bill. Growing herbs is the easiest and will really improve the quality of your diet as they are packet with antioxidants. Consider growing sprouts, beans, peas, tomatoes, and zucchini you can use instead of noodles (I use a julienne peeler) and in smoothies.
10. Harvest!
There is a lot of food in our backyards. Start with dandelions and chicory, lamb’s quarters and purslane. What do your neighbors grow that they can't use up? Apples, lemons, pears, plums? Where are the wild plums or blackberries? Pick in season and freeze. Make pectin from crabapples.
Conclusion
There are many advantages to eating this way—apart from fewer pesticides. There are many problems with our industrial food: social justice, environmental degradation, loss of habitat, entrenched economic inequality, animal cruelty, impact on Third World countries, etc. So I hope these tips are enlightening and that you will make use of them.
Of course you don’t necessarily change everything all at once. But step-by-step, you could be there within a year. Get started now: make a food plan for the coming week. Shop for it at your usual market, write down prices, pick up their publication with the coupons and deals, and then go for a stroll at your local farmers’ market or organic store and compare prices. Make a start.
The other side of lowering the impact of toxins on your health is to become an efficient detoxifier. I love responses and comments, please keep them coming!! I learn a lot, and I I hope it makes future newsletters more relevant and useful.
Let’s journey together to reduce toxins in the most enjoyable way we can devise!
Pesticides in food impact our health, and in the case of pregnant women at least, have been associated with birth defects in their children.
I explained that I am very concerned that birth defects are only the tip of the iceberg, and that we just can’t see all the damage pesticides and other hormone disruptors are causing to all of us, children, pregnant and non-pregnant adults alike.
Eating organic is the solution that reduces both pesticides in our food and pesticides that impact farm families, their neighbors and our environment. However, I well know that organic food is more expensive than non-organic food.
And personally, I have let the food part of my budget expand a fair bit, and I could use a refresher on how to save money in that department.
Doing some reading and reflecting on my experience, here’s what I learned.
Most importantly: you will have to make a careful plan, and it will involve more work in the kitchen on someone’s part. Here’s the short answer: time is money.
This plan will allow you to accomplish the following:
o Budgeting: you will know what you spend on food
o Not wasting food, one of the most painless ways to save on the food budget
o Along those lines, using all the parts of food we buy is also a way to save
o Having inexpensive sources of protein at many meals: beans and eggs are at the top of the list
o Having colorful produce at each meal: what is most cost-effective will depend on the season, on coupons, on deals you find
o Having healthy fat at each meal
o Freezing, drying and canning
o Buying in bulk while maintaining food diversity
o Strategizing what you might grow
o Figuring out what you might harvest
1. What do you spend on food?
The average American spends 10% of their income on food. On the average, that would be $5000 per year, which works out to $200/month, or $13.50 per day. Multiply this for the total number of family members, so for a family of 4, $800/month would be pretty average. The majority of Americans spend less that that (because they make less than the average income), and I am quite sure this is actually a part of our problem. Your grandparents spent 40% of their income on food. Just sayin’.
2. Not wasting food
This will require keeping track of what is wasted and why. In my household, it’s fruit that isn’t refrigerated, or that turns tasteless in the refrigerator. It’s also leftovers. Freeze everything, and leave a note somewhere to keep track. Use ingredients in novel ways, for example, leftover herbs in salads and soups.
3. Using all the parts of food
There’s actually a book about this called “Root to Stalk”. The simplest way to do this is to make broth and soup. You can use vegetable trimmings and bones for soup. You can freeze them and use them later. The soup will also require some fresh ingredients, or you can just make and drink broth as a part of the meal or as a standalone snack. You can also use free food in soup, such as carrot tops (you can get those free at the farmers’ market if you ask) and offal (I got a free bag at the grocery store today).
4. Inexpensive source of protein
You don’t have to be a vegetarian, but beans and eggs help stretch the budget. White beans have the most protein, 17g per 1 cup serving (cooked). Soak the beans before cooking (another thing you need planning for!). Use lentils and split peas too, as well as garbanzo beans. I recommend eating beans with a salad, in soup or with meat, and not with rice. I know rice is a traditional food, but in our day and age, I find too many people are intolerant of that amount of carbohydrate. In fact, it makes them hungry, even though they have consumed enough calories and nutrition. You will have to individualize that recommendation. I also recommend eating up to 10 eggs per week. Where meat is concerned, some of the stew cuts are priced affordably, vs. the “choice” cuts. As part of a slow-cooked stew, with a variety of vegetables and herbs, they would actually be more delicious than a plain piece of meat.
5. Colorful produce at each meal
Research what fruits and vegetables pack the most nutritious punch while appealing to your taste. I recommend the book “Eating on the Wild Side” for a multitude of details on how to get the most out of our produce. Here, you want smaller amounts of the freshest, most tasty produce you can find. Canned foods do not confer the same advantage. Choose cruciferous vegetables, onions, peppers, tomatoes, beets, berries, leafy greens, herbs and spices.
6. Healthy fats at every meal
Olive oil and coconut oil are the healthiest here. Buying in bulk and using sparingly will be the best way to go. Avoid oils packed in plastic. Also, you can use saved fat from animals you know are raised organically, on pasture, and 100% grassfed—they will have more toxins than plant fat, but they have other advantages and if they are leftover from making chicken soup or cooking bacon, I would not throw them out.
7. Preserve food
This is self-explanatory, but a few tips may help. I freeze everything except berries in glass containers. You can find glass containers and useful kitchen gadgets at Goodwill stores. Standalone freezers may be available on Craigslist. Operating one should not cost more than $20/year. Mine typically fills by fall and empties by late spring.
Many bulk items keep better frozen, including coffee beans, ground nuts or seeds, flour, etc. This will help with the bulk purchases. I can’t tell you how many times I have happily discovered leftovers in my freezer, or pulled out ingredients for one last meal when I didn’t feel like going shopping.
You can freeze whole tomatoes and whole plums. You can freeze whole strawberries for smoothies (no one will notice the leaves). Get info online!
Many “value-added” foods, like almond milk, cheese, granola, muffins, jam, butter, bread, etc. can be made more cheaply than they can be bought, and they keep well frozen. In fact organic cheese is outrageously expensive, but organic milk (even grassfed, like Organic Valley Grassmilk) can be made into mozzarella cheese with no skill. You will then be left with whey, which you can freeze and use for smoothies.
You don’t have to do this all alone: canning, making cheese, tomato sauce, applesauce, etc. can be done in community with friends and family.
8. Buy in bulk and use coupons
To maintain diversity, you may want to share with a friend. There is a lot of organic food at Costco, but you still need to buy only what you use and enjoy. Also your impact on the local economy and the well-being of farmers will not be the same at Costco as it would be in the farmers’ market. You pay in essence for a lifestyle, and for the world you help co-create, as much as for your food itself.
Coupons can be a time consuming chore, or it can be fun. Bulk meat is the cheapest way to go as you can buy a side of beef (or less) and freeze or share with friends. CSA (community-supported agriculture) can be a good deal too, but you have to be organized and flexible.
9. Grow something
This is another place where a plan might help. For example I figured out that I was spending quite a bit on onions, which are quite easy to grow. I also grew a lot of kale, which is essentially a perennial plant in California. This caused me to eat kale, onions and eggs for 2-3 meals per week (always available!!) and resulted in a significant drop in my grocery bill. Growing herbs is the easiest and will really improve the quality of your diet as they are packet with antioxidants. Consider growing sprouts, beans, peas, tomatoes, and zucchini you can use instead of noodles (I use a julienne peeler) and in smoothies.
10. Harvest!
There is a lot of food in our backyards. Start with dandelions and chicory, lamb’s quarters and purslane. What do your neighbors grow that they can't use up? Apples, lemons, pears, plums? Where are the wild plums or blackberries? Pick in season and freeze. Make pectin from crabapples.
Conclusion
There are many advantages to eating this way—apart from fewer pesticides. There are many problems with our industrial food: social justice, environmental degradation, loss of habitat, entrenched economic inequality, animal cruelty, impact on Third World countries, etc. So I hope these tips are enlightening and that you will make use of them.
Of course you don’t necessarily change everything all at once. But step-by-step, you could be there within a year. Get started now: make a food plan for the coming week. Shop for it at your usual market, write down prices, pick up their publication with the coupons and deals, and then go for a stroll at your local farmers’ market or organic store and compare prices. Make a start.
The other side of lowering the impact of toxins on your health is to become an efficient detoxifier. I love responses and comments, please keep them coming!! I learn a lot, and I I hope it makes future newsletters more relevant and useful.
Let’s journey together to reduce toxins in the most enjoyable way we can devise!
