How to Budget In Organic Food

I spend a large percentage of my income on food. This is partially due to the fact that I love food, and it’s one of my great pleasures, whether eating out, cooking, or just snacking. It’s also due to the fact that I shop almost exclusively at Whole Foods and Earth Fare because they have the largest selection of organic items, and because I consider it an investment in my future. In my opinion (and I think in a lot of people’s experience) it’s worth it to pay more to avoid pesticides now and diseases later.

The Institute for Integrative Nutrition calls this “the high cost of cheap food.” However, when you’re on a very limited budget, this argument is much less immediate, and sometimes completely irrelevant. When I run into the claim that it’s cheaper for to buy fast food, packaged food, and non-organic food, I’m frustrated by the question of how to make healthy, unprocessed, organic food available to lower income households and individuals.

That’s why I was intrigued when a friend sent me an article called “Eating Healthy and Organic on $7 a Day.” The gist of this article is that 73% of Americans buy organic at least some of the time, including households with an income of less than $50,000. And if you eat less animal protein, you can save a lot of money and spend more on organic veggies. The article suggests eating meat twice a week, and fish and dairy once a week each. Fruit is also a luxury, being much more expensive than “peasant” vegetables like carrots, cabbage, and broccoli, with the exception of apples and bananas.

The article suggests that your meals should be divided like so:

• 1/4 protein
• 1/3 vegetables
• 1/4–1/3 starchy carbs

(Obviously there are some fractions missing. You are supposed to fill in the rest of your plate with whatever you like best, along with healthy fat.)

How do you like my pie chart?

Now, because I’m a staunch omnivore, I’m more inclined to split my meal into thirds: 1/3 protein, 1/3 vegetables, and 1/3 carbs. You can make your own fractions if you’re less inclined toward animal products or are just getting started with vegetables.

All this talk of food fractions engendered the following thought in my brain: If my meal is going to be divided by fractions, then my budget should reflect those fractions.

So, if my food budget is $99 per week, then I have $33 to spend on protein, vegetables, and carbs, respectively. To keep it simple, bunch veggies and fruits together (so if you love fruit, you can have more of it), lump dairy in with protein, and include condiments and other packaged foods in the carb section.

If your food budget is considerably less than mine, you can choose one item to buy organic in each category each week. Rotate your meat and dairy, and even if you don’t eat a lot of them, prioritize those products in your budget as non-organic versions are full of nasty stuff. In terms of vegetables and fruits go organic for the Dirty Dozen:

1. celery
2. peaches
3. strawberries
4. apples
5. blueberries
6. nectarines
7. sweet bell peppers
8. dark leafy greens like kale, spinach, and collards
9. cherries
10. potatoes
11. grapes
12. lettuce

This produce has a much higher pesticide load than the “Clean Fifteen,” which you can buy non-organic with less worries:

1. onions
2. avocados
3. sweet corn
4. pineapples
5. mango
6. sweet peas
7. asparagus
8. kiwi fruit
9. cabbage
10. eggplant
11. cantaloupe
12. watermelon
13. grapefruit
14. sweet potatoes
15. sweet onions

Also buy organic zucchini, crookneck squash, and Hawaiian papaya, which may be genetically modified.

As for carbs, here’s a good rule of thumb: even if you don’t buy organic, avoid genetically-modified foods. You can do this by staying away from anything containing corn, soy, cottonseed, canola oil, sugar from sugar beets, and alfalf, as this product probably contains a GMO crop. GM foods have been linked to reproductive issues, sterility, and toxic load, as well as being bad for the environment. You can download a non-GMO shopping guide here.

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Hugh Laurie, Common Sense, and the Lesser of Two Evils: My Manifesto*

I have realized lately that I kind of view my body as a science experiment. By that I mean I like to test out the effect various substances have on it. In that I am much like Hugh Laurie's character Gregory House, who does things like taking unapproved drugs for muscle regrowth and then has to cut tumors out of his own leg. However, I only consider risk-free beneficial substances for my experimentation. For example, I don't test what effect antidepressants have on me because I am A) not depressed and B) aware of the numerous detrimental side effects of antidepressants, and I have no desire to experience them.

But I like to see how long I can stay out in the sun and not burn. Like I said, last year it was a lot. This year, not so much. My first two conclusions were that either the sun was hotter (which maybe means it is getting closer) or that I didn't build up enough of a base tan early in the year because A) it was cold and B) I have been planning my wedding and I'm busier than a New Yorker. However, further research led me to conclude (in a recent post) that I was deficient in vitamin B. So I started taking it. And while I have gotten a little red on occasion, I have not peeled at all.

Now, the not peeling could be due to the fact that I've also been putting on lots of aloe cream (making sure it has no unnecessary chemicals in it—I like Burt's Bees After Sun Soother and Alba Botanica's Kona Coffee After-Sun Lotion, which I tried because Whole Foods was out of Burt's Bees for an entire weekend! Not cool). So you see, my scientific experimentation on my body is not very scientific. But it is a lot of fun. And as far as I know vitamin B and aloe can't hurt you, and if they do it's the reversible kind of discomfort rather than some horrible debilitating disease that shuts down your organs. And as for the sun being harmful, read my post "An Apple a Day Keeps the…Sunburn Away?"

My dad also recently challenged me on statistics to back up my support of the claim that America is the sickest richest nation. While I've found many statistics and trends that support this claim, at least in my mind, I've also realized that my view of health has a whole lot of belief involved in it—to an almost religious degree. Now, I don't replace spiritual practice with alternative health care. In fact, I think a relationship with God is absolutely essential to my health, physical and otherwise. But I do have an affiliation to just believe alternative health claims. This may sound naïve, and I'm sure it is to a certain extent, but hear me out. I have two very logical reasons for this:

1. Common Sense. I may be lacking common sense in some areas (like how to put together furniture from Ikea or which way is East and which is West), but it makes sense that things that have been around for thousands of years (like the sun and plants and, yes, animal meat) are good for us. Unreservedly good? No, of course not. But a whole lot better than genetically modified, preserved, or artificial substitutes. Same with drugs. Why would you take a prescription chemical when you can try herbs or acupuncture or exercise? Well, because your doctor told you it was the only option. Well, it's not.
2. Lesser of Two Evils. The instances of people being actually permanently harmed or killed by alternative medicine practices or by eating whole foods are quite rare. Yes, people do stupid things without following the directions, and yes, there are quacks out there. But the instances of people being harmed by modern medical practice are not only scientific fact, they are rampant. If there is controversy over whether some newfangled drug or procedure or diet is good for you, then I don't want to be on the wrong side of that. I am not a guinea pig for Big Pharma or the government or health insurance companies that won't pay for alternative, less invasive, preventive procedures. I am a guinea pig for myself.

Generally, if someone is making a lot of money off something new, I don't trust it. I realize that this makes me susceptible to a medical form of Ludditism. However, I also apply it to fads in the alternative health industry. I do not put much stock in superfoods. I don't try to figure out a way to eat mila. I was very suspicious of coconut oil for a long time simply because it was popular. (However, it does seem to be very, very good for you.) And I felt so justified when agave nectar turned out to be not so very good for you.

Now, when you combine Common Sense with Lesser of Two Evils, you can really get somewhere. For example, the corn industry claims that high fructose corn syrup is safe because it's been FDA approved for 40 years. Well, what has happened in the past 40 years? Heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and stroke are on the rise; we have rates of obesity we never dreamed of, and we now have a whole category of diabetes to include children. Is that a good track record? Um, no.

I'm not saying that HFCS is totally or even primarily responsible for obesity, or that any new technology or development is solely responsible for our poor health as a nation. But these are all part of a system that has been introduced into our society in the last century, and the results are not good. This system includes GM foods, mass production of meat and dairy using hormones, chemicals and preservatives added to our foods, fast food, soda, the development of food substitutes, and prescription drugs. These things, at first glance, appear to improve our quality of life—and they do, for a short time, on the surface. Then the consequences begin, and sometimes they are devastating. And rarely is the responsibility placed where it belongs. It is the result of a quick fix, instant gratification mindset that is the seedy underbelly of capitalism and affluence—neither of which are bad in and of themselves.

But when the government starts blaming the sun for skin cancer, I get really mad. And when there are walks and fundraisers to find a cure for cancer, I want to scream, "The cure is prevention!" And when I hear of someone else in their thirties or forties who is taking blood pressure medication, which is a main ingredient in rat poison and which prevents you from eating leafy greens, I want to march on Washington. None of which helps. And none of which is to judge or criticize people who get sick or want to support a cause. No one gets sick because they deserve it. We do get sick because we are being told so many lies, even by the government that is supposed to protect us, and because billions of dollars are being spent yearly psychologically convince us that we need foods and drugs and lifestyles that do nothing but harm us.

And so, once again, we must take personal responsibility. When it comes to health and nutrition, question what you are told. Do some research. Get a second opinion. Try a little common sense.

But remember—disclaimer—do nothing without consulting your doctor first.

*I'd like to dedicate the title of this blog to my bestest friend and fabulous fashion blogger Emily Crews, who inspires me with her creative blog titles. (You should check out her blog Sartoriography.)

Why Are We So Sick and Tired?

Human beings are rational creatures. We have a strong survival instinct that, along with our reasoning and communication capabilities, has established us as the dominant species. So why is America, with its vast pool of resources an opportunities, the sickest richest nation on the planet?

Are we so far removed from our evolutionary roots that we no longer have the urge to survive?

I believe that our survival rationale as human beings is stronger than ever—and that it is being attacked with more fervor than ever before, but also more secretly and silently. There is a reason we so resist following dietary rules and developing “lifestyles.” There is a reason we self-sabotage our relationships while rising to the top of the career chain. There is a reason antidepressants are the number one prescribed drug for adults ages 20 to 59.

There is a reason over one million Americans die each year of heart disease and cancer combined—so-called silent killers whose signs we continuously ignore. There is a reason we are dying of chronic preventable disease. There is a reason 8 million Americans have an eating disorder, which has the highest mortality rate of any mental illness.

We are not unaware of the reasons. We fight against them every day in a battle for survival. Given a lack of viable options, we will choose the lesser of two or three or a hundred evils to get us through the day, the week, the illness, the divorce. And we don’t even realize it. We say, “What’s wrong with me? Why can’t I…? I have no self-discipline. I have no willpower. I must be crazy.”

We have forgotten how to listen to ourselves. And yet our bodies and minds keep making decisions for us, day after day, keeping us alive.

Food therapy, my interpretation of the health coaching training I received at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, addresses this disconnect. It addresses the reasons in our lives that we are not in communication with our bodies, even though they are shouting at us. It addresses the reasons we do things we know are bad for us, or don’t do things we know are good for us. It’s not because we’re ignorant, weak, or pathetic. It’s because we’re constantly given conflicting information. It because we’re told we not only can do it alone, but we’re supposed to do it alone. It’s because we do not know how to listen, and we’ve forgotten what it’s like to be listened to.

Sound vague. It’s not. It’s concrete, simple, and very, very individual. But not independent. Want to know more?

Not All Vitamins Are Created Equal

Why Some Doctors Tell You Not to Take Your Vitamins

Back in my not-so-healthy days, I remember pausing in the grocery store vitamin aisle to grab a bottle of Centrum multivitamins. My thought process at the time was, I’m not doing anything else good for myself, so I probably ought to be taking a multivitamin. Surely this is better than nothing. And I swallowed every one of those hard, Day-Glo orange pills.

Years later, I heard about doctors finding whole, entire vitamin pills that were months old inside of a person’s intestines during surgery. I don’t know if this is just urban legend (I wasn’t able to find corroborating evidence on the internet), but one thing is fact: most of the “synthetic isolates,” which are the common drug store variety of vitamin, are a waste of money.

I was put in mind of the vitamin issue today in an e-mail from Dr. Mercola. If you haven’t heard of him, he’s a licensed physician and surgeon I consider to be an authority on alternative health and medicine. While his blog titles often sound sensational, they are always backed up by hard facts and science. His is one of my favorite blogs.

I’d like to share a few of his reasons for shunning cheap isolates and instead making sure you’re getting an absorbable, whole food vitamin. Dr. Mercola defines isolated vitamins as “partial vitamins combined with other chemicals. They’re a low-end alternative to whole, real complete food.”

He says there are four problems with synthetic vitamins…

1. Nature intended for you to consume food in WHOLE form because all the vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and enzymes are together in one package. They work synergistically to give your body the nutrition it requires for optimal health.
2. Your body only absorbs a small percentage of an isolate form of vitamins and minerals—and it utilizes even less. You get the best bioavailability in whole food form.
3. Synthetic vitamins often give you massive quantities of some nutrients (usually the most inexpensive ones) and insufficient quantities of others, not balance.
4. You can experience side effects of synthetic isolates from the additives and the unnatural state of the synthetic supplement.

But should we avoid all vitamins all the time? It’s difficult to get enough nutrients from the food we eat, mainly because we don’t eat enough fruits and vegetables and when we do they have often traveled long distances and lost a good portion of their nutrition—not to mention soil depletion of minerals from over farming and pesticide use. So here are some viable Day-Glo vitamin alternatives:

• Juice Plus. A 100% whole food vitamin made only from organic fruits and veggies and with all sugar and salt removed. I have tried this vitamin myself and love it! If you can afford the $40/month subscription, it is truly worth it.
• MegaFood One Daily. I currently take these vitamins, which I get at Whole Foods, and they are excellent. They have a multivitamin + probiotic that works well and cuts back on having to buy and take two pills.
• Natural News recommends Garden of Life multi. I haven’t tried these but I’ve heard about them and they seem to be high quality.
• Dr. Mercola also has his own Whole Food Multivitamin. Prices vary on his website.

Essentially, most “whole food” vitamins are your best bet for maximum nutrition. You don’t have to pay through the roof, but you also don’t want to get the bottom shelf brand; most of the time you are getting what you pay for.

And don’t forget to eat your dark leafy greens, which are the most nutrient-dense vegetable! Here’s another of my favorite greens recipes:

Multicolored Vegetable Saute

• 1 small shallot, diced
• 2-3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup chicken broth (optional)
• 2-3 organic carrots, diced diagonally
• 1 cup summer squash, sliced
• 2 cups lacinto kale (approx half a bunch)
• 2 cups red kale (approx half a bunch)
• 1 Tbsp Herbes de Provence
• 2 tsp ground coriander seed
• 1 tsp salt

Saute shallot in olive oil on medium heat for two minutes. Add carrots and saute for three minutes, covered, then add summer squash and saute another three minutes. Add more olive oil, chicken broth, or water to help the veggies cook and keep them from sticking to the pan. Finally, add kale and stir frequently for another 2-3 minutes until lightly cooked. Sprinkle with Herbes de Provence, coriander, and salt. Serves 4.