So last year I embarked on a weight loss journey, like most of us do at some point in our lives. I lost 16 lbs over a years time (I yo-yoed a bit), and maintained since then.
It's no secret that you can lose weight by eating less and moving more. But does that mean healthy?! No, eating less junk doesn't make it healthy.
So about two or three months ago I started to research organics, chemicals, vegetarian living, "green" living, etc. I've found that the studies, never ending books, and internet articles are rather interesting...and alarming. The amount of chemicals and junk in the food we eat is awful, and the stuff in our house hold items? Ew.
But anyways, my concern is...HOW do you make this work on a budget? While it sounds strangly backwords, it seems to be cheaper to buy junk than "healthy" food. Not in all cases of course, such as in season produce and what not. For instance, let say that I have cereal & bread on my list. I need to feed my hubby and myself for a week. The supermarket has Special K on sale buy one get one free, and I have a coupon (lets sayit comes out to 3.00 for 2 boxes). But now I'm looking for organic and natural chemical free foods...so I look for my new found product and low and behold...its over 5 dollars for A 12 oz box. Next I go for bread, regular whole wheat is buy one get one free (2.79 for both) OR the organic loaf is 3.79-5.00 per loaf. While this doesn't seem like much, over a period of time...adds up.
Next on to house hold products. I have toothpaste and laundry soap on my list. I have a coupon for Colgate toothpaste (1$ off) and its on sale for 1$...FREE! But then I turn to find the "all natural" stuff...and its 3-4.00 per tube. On to laundry soap, a months worth of Era is about 11 dollars or so at Sam's...the natural stuff is 15.00.
All in all I'd probably be looking at a 20% increase on my grocery/household bill. This is not good...conidering in 7 working days I'll lose my job and we'll be on one income again.
But if everything I've read is true (I know you can't believe every single thing) than would it be a worth while investment for my hubby and I?
Can you afford to buy "healthy"?
September 22nd, 2008 at 01:00 pm
September 22nd, 2008 at 01:26 pm 1222089998
Seriously, eat the healthy mainstream food, low fat, low salt, high fiber, low refined carbs and you'll be healthier than 85% of the population. And you'll lose weight, too.
Spending extra for organic or "all-natural" or "chemical-free" probably isn't worth the money and I'm not convinced that it is significantly healthier (if at all).
September 22nd, 2008 at 01:38 pm 1222090727
If you're really concerened with going organic, do a little at a time. Start with the big offenders (like apples) and go from there. Start your own garden next spring ... find a way to save money like that.
I have to admit, I like the taste of organic chicken better. Personally, I think I can taste a difference. However, most of the time it isn't in our budget to buy it ... and I won't go without something to get it.
September 22nd, 2008 at 01:46 pm 1222091187
I am always at a loss with the statement that "healthy food is more expensive." But I realize that the main reason is we are not hype/fad followers. The organic thing, to me, is mostly fad.
I think it is noble to buy free range chicken and such. But, organic? I've heard some pretty mixed things about it. If nothing else it is pretty easy to slap an "organic" label on something that isn't truly organic, so it leaves me weary.
We also eat a lot of white bread and white rice. I bet you a million dollars that somewhere down the road the white stuff will be preferred and the brown stuff will be out.
If I believed every study out there my head would spin.
September 22nd, 2008 at 02:21 pm 1222093264
disneysteve, you're a doctor, right? Have you ever looked into that theory that bovine growth hormones are making kids bigger and making them hit puberty a lot younger? I don't eat dairy myself, but I probably will raise my kids to eat dairy and let them decide later if they want to be vegan. Not sure if that one's an urban legend or backed by science.
September 22nd, 2008 at 03:58 pm 1222099129
Below is a quote I use when shopping. Some foods just don't retain the chemicals like others. I buy cheap versions of those, and the organic versions of the foods that have higher amounts of chemical residues.
"The 12 fruits and vegetables with the highest amount of pesticide residues are peaches, apples, sweet bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, lettuce, imported grapes, pears, spinach, and potatoes. These are the ones to spend your money on. The 12 with the lowest residues are onions, avocado, frozen sweet corn, pineapples, mangoes, frozen sweet peas, asparagus, kiwi, bananas, cabbage, broccoli, and eggplant. When short of cash, go ahead on conventionally grown versions of these."
September 22nd, 2008 at 04:55 pm 1222102504
Then, we grow some of our own organic veggies and freeze them for winter use. And, we selectively shop for healthier alternatives throughout the year. Organic milk is a must, because we have a baby and bovine hormones can disrupt kids' hormones.
If you do a search, you will see that some organic veggies are better for you than others. Something about impact and how much is absorbed into the fruit? That way you can say, OK, organic broccoli has much more health impact on me than organic apples, etc.
And there is a book called Clean House Clean Planet, which has recipes for extremely healthy and inexpensive cleaners.
September 22nd, 2008 at 07:22 pm 1222111376
September 22nd, 2008 at 09:20 pm 1222118446
i don't know if it is the same in america, but in australia you have to have CERTIFIED organic produce, you can't just SAY it's organic, your farm ahs to be inspected by the organisation that overlooks it (can't remember the name right now) and be regulated
my cleaning products are (like cindy): vinegar ($1 a bottle), bi carb soda (90c per 500g), eucalyptus oil ($6 for a bottle) and bleach ($1.21 for 2 litres) for the hard stuff. our laundry liquid is an eco-friendly, grey water safe brand that incidently is one of the cheapest priced, at $4.99 for 2 litres - we go through a bottle a month maybe, or less, for three adults who probably have two or three changes of clothes a day.
personally i don't believe that eating healthier is more expensive. people who suddenly go 'right! i'm changing my lifestyle NOW!' and go out and buy all those things straight away might think it's more expensive. if you just slowly introduce them to your life you probably won't notice a difference in your spending.
there are people who shop at small, boutique, expensive organic stores and then go 'look how much i spent!' as a way of saying it's more expensive, but i just find personally that little bits at a time are better, and i always recommend growers markets and the like as cheaper than organic stores or even commercial supermakerts.