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Eating Organic: What do you buy when you can’t afford to buy it all?
Liz Gumbinner of CoolMomPicks | January 26th, 2009 - 12:19 PM
My girls have a half-gallon a day milk habit. If I’m buying organic, that’s $5 a day. If I’m going for the regular old stuff, that’s about $1.75.
Big difference.
Of course we all want to do the best for our kids, but in this economy we sometimes have to make decisions between “the best” and “won’t really kill them, right?” So I started researching which foods make sense to buy organic and which don’t really offer enough improvement to make it worth it. What I found was fascinating.
I checked sites like Consumer Reports, the EPA pages on pesticides in children and the Environmental Working Group and the info was actually really helpful for me.
First off, if you buy anything organic it should be milk, eggs and other dairy products, along with chicken and meat. If animals are eating (excuse me) crap feed, then what you’re going to be eating are crap animals, eggs and milk. Your kids are more vulnerable to the toxins in animals (hello, mad cow?) than we are, so for me, this is the priority.
Next stop? Produce.
EWG created a list of the “dirty dozen” – the produce most likely to be contaminated with pesticides (yikes!). And just my luck, it’s not stuff that my kids don’t eat anyway, but the stuff they do eat. (You can see the testing methods here)
-peaches
-apples
-sweet bell peppers
-celery
-nectarines
-strawberries
-cherries
-lettuce
-imported grapes
-pears
-spinach
-potatoes
In fact, apples, our number one favorite snack around here is the most likely to have the most pesticides on it. Buh-bye apples from the corner deli – we’re all about the farmer’s market from here on in.
The good news is, there are plenty of foods that are pretty much okey dokey the way they are. There seem to be no additional benefits to buying organic seafood. Cereals, breads pastas and chips tend to be so processed, it’s unlikely that organic ingredients will do much for you. Good thing considering the price of cereal these days is in the holy cow range. If it says 100% organic on the label, then go for it if you can afford it. Otherwise, whatever benefit the organic flour offers might be wiped out if the spaghetti is made with non-organic eggs.
You’re also in good shape buying regular old asparagus, broccoli, corn, peas, onions, cabbage and eggplant. Avocado and bananas are also safe (probably because of their thick skins) along with pineapples, mango and kiwi.
But if there’s one more thing you should absolutely spend the extra money on, it’s organic baby food. Your body might be capable of processing DDT, endosulfan and vinclozolin, but your 6 month-old probably isn’t. Or if you make your own baby food, just make sure you’re starting with the best ingredients.
So how do you do this on a budget?
Well, you can save plenty of money if you buy what’s in season. The have an excellent site to help you figure out what’s fresh in your state by month. So for example, in NY where I live, you’re going to save money this time of year eating apples, potatoes and winter squash, and getting celery and lettuce that comes from nearby Pennsylvania or mushrooms from Connecticut. If you find you’re having a hankering for blueberries, expect to pay through the nose for it.
You can also join a local food coop or support a community farm. You can find a local farmer’s market or community supported agriculture program near you through Local Harvest. If there’s something special you want, check out their online store which ships from local farmers. But don’t expect to find figs or persimmons right now – if it’s out of season, it’s not available.
So how do you determine what to feed your family when budgets are tight? Do you look for organic wherever possible or have your own set of standards? Or are you convinced this is all just some big marketing ploy in the first place?
For me, part of why I eat organic is because of how the food is produced. Organic means less pesticides on the land, less run-off, etc. So I make my decisions on buying organic partially for health reasons, and partially for environmental ones.
This is a great list. Buying local can be really tough but it is cheaper and even if it isn’t organic you can tell that this isn’t the mass produced crud you get from the grocery when it is out of season.
I’ve found that organic milk is cheaper in the big stores – I really like Stop and Shop’s organic brand. I also live near a big gourmet store that is typically really expensive but has a line of milk and eggs that is cheaper than other stores.
I hadn’t thought about produce in this way. Thanks for helping me prioritize!
Thanks Becky – it was helpful for me too to do all the resource. It feels like even with budgets tighter, there are still ways to eat well if you make a little bit of effort.
And glad to hear about Stop and Shop’s store brand. There isn’t one near us right now but I always hear good things about their private label.
I rarely eat this organic food you speak of. I eat normal food from a normal supermarket. Although, we have less experimental produce in the UK. I feel so bad for you, having to spend more… for less!
I have been doing alot of reading on the matter of organic verses the so called normal food we consume. It is shocking and no wonder we stay sick. Organic is the best way to live and it can be done if not but for a small amount at a time. Look out for your children, and teach them to eat safe while they are young.