For those that are "ultra" healthy

How do you afford it?

I know eating "healthy" as in veggies, beans, roasting a whole chicken, etc is cheaper than eating out or packaged food.

But, if I wanted to buy non-GMO, organic, alternative flours like almond flour, etc. my grocery bill would be so high! I am single with 2 kids. I buy a few convenience foods, but try to keep our meals as fresh and unprocessed (plant based with lean proteins) as possible but all the stuff I read tells me I could do better but at a price!

I cannot afford groceries at Whole Foods (large corporation btw and I cannot believe the prices there), and would have to go out of my way to a smaller health food store.

Yes, I know in the long run spending a little more on healthy foods is prevention of medical costs later.

Message edited 10/24/2012 7:31:36 PM.

Re: For those that are "ultra" healthy

Isn't it sad that it is more expensive to eat healthy in this country?

Honestly, just do the best that you can. If you are avoiding processed foods, then you are avoiding most GMOs. At a minimum, buy organic milk and eggs. If you can afford it, buy the veggies and fruits on the dirty dozen list as organic.

If you can't afford grass fed or organic meat, maybe think about cutting down on your meat consumption. have a few vegetarian dinners each week, and make meat an accent and not the main focus of your meals.

Buy fruits and veggies that are in season and look into joining a CSA.

Almond flour is expensive--the cheapest I have seen it is around 7/lb. And look into recipes that call for cheaper ingredients like peanut butter and honey.

Message edited 10/24/2012 9:15:19 PM.

Re: For those that are "ultra" healthy

I'd do this:

-Stick to buying the dirty dozen organic.

- Cut back dramatically on meat. It raises your food bill, it sucks for the animals and it is terrible for the environment. Also, if it isn't organic, I really wouldn't want to eat it because of the pesticides, antibiotics, hormones and GMO feed. At the very least, you can always look for a brand that isn't usda organic, but promises no antibiotics pesticides etc.

- It sounds like you already do this, but avoid any processed food. Almost everything contains GMOS. If you need to keep something in the house for a quick meal go with Amy's Organics. It is non- gmo verified and organic ( duh !)

- Stock up foods that are less sprayed and pesticide laden ( google the clean 15)

- If you haven't already, start stopping at Trader Joe's and Bjs. They have the cheapest selection of Organic products I've found. Also, check the sales at Whole Foods and Fairway. Whole Foods is usually really pricey , but they do sometimes have good sales. When we ate meat, I remember getting an organic, cooked whole chicken for $ 4.75. They usually have that deal on Sundays.

- Buys lots of quinoa, beans, lentils and brown rice, organic tofu// tempeh. All cheap and healthy ( thought I wouldn't go overboard on the soy either) .

Finally, how crazy is it that you need to spend so much money not to be poisoned. Personally, I've decided to cut back on other things so I have extra money for organic/ healthy foods. I'd rather spend now and have health later, kwim? Good luck and let me know if you need any more help !

Message edited 10/24/2012 10:48:50 PM.

Re: For those that are "ultra" healthy

Buy non-perishables at Vitacost.com. So much cheaper than WF!!!

Re: For those that are "ultra" healthy

Re: For those that are "ultra" healthy

For those that are

Alternative flours are very expensive. You can often get them online for less. As for almond flour if you have a good food processor you can buy bulk almonds at costco or another warehouse store and make it yourself.

Re: For those that are "ultra" healthy

I wish i could eat more this way, but its so hard and I agree it can be expensive. I try to shop the outer perimiter of the store. And I buy local and/or organic when I can (availability and price are a factor). Trader Joes is good because it is affordable. But they won't have everything you need. I do the rest of my shopping at fairway. But they have regular groceries there as well as specialty items, organic, and natural. I find their prices to be better in general than most supermarkets (king kullen, stop and shop, waldbaums, etc.) And I think fairway is higher quality in general.

Message edited 11/6/2012 5:04:37 PM.