Can't afford organic -- now what?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Organic food is hooey. No scientific basis for purported benefits. You've wasted a lot of money. Better late than never to stop.

NP here, I used to think like you until my naturopath discovered I am estrogen dominant and organic food helps me a lot.

Wtf does this even mean?

It means they ignore scientific studies and follow the advice of a quack with a fake degree. Can you say "placebo effect?"

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Organic food is hooey. No scientific basis for purported benefits. You've wasted a lot of money. Better late than never to stop.

NP here, I used to think like you until my naturopath discovered I am estrogen dominant and organic food helps me a lot.

Wtf does this even mean?

Gotta be a troll.

Why am I a troll? Google estrogen dominance.

Can't find any reputable sources on the first five pages of Google results.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For those of you who suggest less meat, I'm not so sure how that saves any money. We eat primarily vegetarian. Unless we are filling our bellies with cheap carbs, eating vegetarian is much more expensive. My grocery cart is full to the brim with vegetables amd fruits and I'm spending $200wk+ at the store. Sure, if our primary calories came from rice, potatoes, pasta, and bread...we'd save money, but we'd also be morbidly obese.

I'm no sure how eating vegetarian is cheaper.

When we do eat meat, it's a flavor enhancer/filler...not the main meal.

The key is buying what is in season, that's when there's a large supply and prices are lower. You should also buy produce local to your area (hint, banana's and oranges are not).

We have pasta, rice and potatoes once a week, beans once or twice a week, salads, lentils, etc. A favorite of ours is butternut squash, so I pickup a bunch at the farmers market when in season, roast, and freeze.

[Anonymous]

And if you ate those same fruits and veg plus lots of meat it would be even more expensive. Check prices per pound.

Yup carbs are the cheap stuff.

[Anonymous]

I have a similar problem with estrogen dominance but also have a dairy allergy (confirmed by testing.) If I could just get my husband to give up all dairy we could save a ton of $$$; it's really helped our bottom line since I now eat none of it.

We still eat meat but have reduced the portion sizes substantially--especially when we don't get organic meats. We also buy the cheaper cuts of organic meats or whatever is on sale. Beans and lentils are good to, to have a vegetarian meal a couple of nights a week. Splurge on some organic eggs, but use them as the main protein for your meal.

And, don't overlook canned fish. Cheaper source of protein, especially if you are a Costco member or someone will let you piggy back on their membership.

Agree with the PP who said that buying in season is key.

[Anonymous]

Indeed canned link salmon is sustainable, healthy, and cheap.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Join the vast majority of the population who doesn't eat organic and yet lives healthy, happy lives.

This.

You're going to have to change your mindset for now. Can you afford all of the organic stuff? No, not at the moment. That may change at some point though -- this doesn't have to be a permanent change in how you do things.

Grow what you can, though. That will help.

[Anonymous]

Organic has no scientific proof of being better or healthier for you. It does provide a feeling that you are doing something good for your kids and paying more. We do it but know that it's all BS. In fact it's a status thing where you can afford to throw out food early and pay more.

[Anonymous]

I posted earlier. My gut reaction was "SO? Complain when you can barely afford a box of KD."

Really OP, this isn't a huge deal. You have bigger issues right now. You still have a roof over your head and can actually feed your family, and very likely still a healthy diet. Bite the bullet for now and go non-organic.

[Anonymous]

I am not the OP, but eating well can be a very big deal if you have health and autoimmune problems. Every time I go for a family visit and eat the cheap crap food they eat, I get sick as a dog and remember why I had to drastically change my diet. Sure, they all make fun of me for eating as organic as I can afford to. But, at least I don't feel ill all the time now.

Lots of good suggestions on this thread for eating healthy on the cheaper side.

[Anonymous]

PP, healthy does not have to be organic. OP didn't mention anything about health reasons being behind the choice to eat organic.

[Anonymous]

Yes, she mentioned estrogen dominance; you can avoid a lot of hormones by being careful about the meats/dairy you eat. Has made a lot of difference in my health and yes, actually an MD gave me this advice.

On a different subject, there was an article about a cookbook that is free, healthy, and useful for food stamp recipients: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/08/01/337141837/cheap-eats-cookbook-shows-how-to-eat-well-on-a-food-stamp-budget

[Anonymous]

I believe it was a different poster who brought up estrogen dominance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Organic has no scientific proof of being better or healthier for you. It does provide a feeling that you are doing something good for your kids and paying more. We do it but know that it's all BS. In fact it's a status thing where you can afford to throw out food early and pay more.

This makes no sense whatsoever. You think it's BS and a status thing yet you buy organic? WTH?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Organic has no scientific proof of being better or healthier for you. It does provide a feeling that you are doing something good for your kids and paying more. We do it but know that it's all BS. In fact it's a status thing where you can afford to throw out food early and pay more.

This makes no sense whatsoever. You think it's BS and a status thing yet you buy organic? WTH?

NP here: Studies haven't found significant health benefits to eating organic. There may still be reasons to prefer organic. Status could be one. I buy organic milk and eggs (am vegetarian) because I think - and might be wrong - that the animals are likely to be treated better, and animal welfare matters to me. I buy some organic vegetables because I think there might be some environmental benefits - and it makes me feel good to buy those veggies.

http://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2012/09/little-evidence-of-health-benefits-from-organic-foods-study-finds.html