How to purchase organic food on a budget
Hello All!!
As soon as you enter the supermarket you will be welcomed with organic foods on the shelves. The conventionally grown foods are also there but can their cousins ‘organic foods’ be far behind!!
You have veggies, snacks, milk almost everything certified as organic products. In the recent past, the demand for organic food has increased immensely. People don’t want to be affected by the long-term consumption of pesticides and chemicals. But buying organic food is bound to burn a hole in your pocket.
How To Purchase Organic Food On Budget
Here are a few tips to make organic food more affordable:
- Make a gradual transition
You need not suddenly jump into the organic bandwagon. Take your time and shift gradually over the course of a year and familiarize yourself with the prices and products of organic food.
- Compare prices
You need to compare prices in order to find the most economical organic items. Even within the same city, organic produce prices may vary greatly. At times you will find large supermarket chains to be cheaper and sometimes you may find natural food stores to be affordable. Gather an idea about stores and supermarkets that offer the most discounts on organic food.
- Plan your meals
You need to plan your meals in a manner that the most affordable organic veggies, meat and grain products are required.
- Improvise recipes
If an organic ingredient is not available or is not affordable you should learn to improvise recipes. You might just find something else that works even better than the original ingredient!
- Buy organic meat, cheese, and milk
If your grocery budget is tight you can invest in organic milk, cheese, and meat instead of grains and veggies. This is because conventional meat and dairy products are found to contain hormones and have the highest pesticide content in them.
- Find local organic growers
It would be perfect to buy directly from the grower as you would save money.
- Select seasonal produce
Try buying seasonal fruits and vegetables as much as possible. If you have to buy something that is not seasonal better buy it frozen. It won’t be hard on your grocery budget.
- Prioritize your produce
Some vegetables are highly contaminated with chemical pesticides. Try to buy these vegetables from the organic variety. There are other vegetables that have low pesticides in them. Buy such vegetables from the conventional variety. This way you can save some money.
10 Foods to Buy Organic
Invest in the organic variety of the following fruits and vegetables as they are contaminated with pesticides:
- Apples
- Strawberries
- Grapes
- Celery
- Peaches
- Spinach
- Bell Peppers
- Cucumbers
- Cherry Tomato
- Potatoes
The Clean 12 foods: Save Your Money & Buy Conventional
The following vegetables and fruits are known to be least contaminated by pesticides, so you can purchase the conventional variety and save your money:
- Sweet Potatoes
- Cauliflower
- Cantaloupe
- Eggplant
- Kiwi
- Papaya
- Mangoes
- Onions
- Sweet Peas (Frozen)
- Cabbage
- Pineapple
- Sweet Corn
What to do before consuming conventional produce:
- Wash all the vegetables and fruits properly with a natural cleanser, you should be doing this for organic produce too.
- Peel away edible skin and the outer layers (usually of cabbage) because the concentration of pesticides is highest there.
