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:
- celery
- peaches
- strawberries
- apples
- blueberries
- nectarines
- sweet bell peppers
- dark leafy greens like kale, spinach, and collards
- cherries
- potatoes
- grapes
- lettuce
This produce has a much higher pesticide load than the “Clean Fifteen,” which you can buy non-organic with less worries:
- onions
- avocados
- sweet corn
- pineapples
- mango
- sweet peas
- asparagus
- kiwi fruit
- cabbage
- eggplant
- cantaloupe
- watermelon
- grapefruit
- sweet potatoes
- 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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