Eating Organically in Lafayette LA

Q: I find Organic produce and Organic products to be really expensive - how can a family on a budget afford to eat this way?

A: One comment we consistently hear from patients at our chiropractic clinic Modern Chiropractic in Lafayette LA is that, "It's just too darn expensive to eat organic all the time!" The one tried and true worry I get about living an organic lifestyle is the cost. True, that non-organic foods are far less expensive, HOWEVER, these foods often contain cancer-causing hormones, immunity destroying anti-biotics and dangerous pesticides. Pesticides by nature are designed to kill, so they are poison. So when given the choice, I don't know why anyone could logically buy food with poison sprayed on it? Pesticides can cause neurological problems, cancer, infertility, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, allergies and asthma, wheezing, rashes and other skin problems, ADHD, birth defects and more. That's why buying quality organic food and eating the most nutritious foods on the planet will save you BIG BUCKS down the road in medical costs, prescription drugs and doctor visits… I recently heard a fantastic quote that I absolutely LOVE, "We can either pay the farmer NOW or we can pay the hospital LATER" - (this is so true!)

Eating Organic On a Budget…

Here are a few organic money saving ideas that I've gathered from multiple websites, friends and family members. Let the savings begin!

1. FIND AND USE ORGANIC COUPONS

• Check out various organic coupon websites. Here are just a few: Mambo Sprouts, Saving Naturally, Organic Deals, Organicfoodcoupons, Healthsavers, Organic Deals and Steals for organic food/natural living coupons, and money savings ideas.
• Simply Organic who makes spices, seasoning mixes and baking mixes always have coupons on their website here - sometimes more than a dollar off.

2. PLAN AHEAD

• Stay organized. Plan out your meals for the week according to organic foods that are on sale and/or that you have coupons for.
• Budget. Write out a weekly and monthly budget to help you keep track of both erratic spending and responsible spending. This will allow you to see your spending habits and help you prioritize purchasing organic food within your budget.
• Do it yourself, rather than buy it. Make your own organic granola bars, kale chips, smoothies, juices to replaced store-bought with more overhead.
• Learn how to portion and prioritize - it is a necessity to always buy organic meats and dairy products, and, therefore, learn to portion your consumption of these products each week. For example, keep meat to 4 ounces or less per serving.
• Invest in a good water distiller to avoid having to buy bottled water.
• Check out the book "Wildly Affordable Organic" for organic menu planning on $5 a day or less.

3. USE YOUR FREEZER

• 9 times out of 10 the organic frozen produce at the store is cheaper than fresh, especially if the fruit or vegetable is out of season.
• Freeze all left overs using inexpensive mason glass jars or silicone ice molds for smaller portions.
• Freeze homemade cookie dough and other treats like almond freezer fudge, so you can have a treat ready to go in the appropriate portion size.
• Buy local produce when in season and freeze to save for out of season, for example in the spring and summer spread berries on a sheet pan and freeze overnight and then store in jars for the fall and winter.
• Double recipes and freeze leftovers, this works great with soups and stews.
• Freeze core kitchen staples like butter, cheese and bread scraps for bread crumbs or homemade croutons.

4. MAKE CHOICES

• Meat & dairy (animals products like chicken, eggs, cheese, butter, yogurt, milk, etc.) are the most important to buy organic because of the combined risk of pesticide, anti-biotic and cancer causing growth hormone exposure. Whatever you do, do not skimp here.
• Reduce meat and dairy consumption if you cannot afford organic -For example, have a green smoothie for breakfast with Ezekiel (frozen sprouted grain bread) toast, and then a large salad with lentils at lunch or a wrap made with hummus and then at night choose high quality meat in small portions.
• Reduce amount of organic meat used by substituting half the portion with organic beans.
• Buy a whole organic chicken for less per pound, vs. just the breast, legs or wings which are more expensive per pound. You can use the carcass to make your own chicken broth.
• Do not buy pre-washed and ready to eat fruits and veggies, as they can cost twice as much.
• Eat out only twice a week - eating organic at home is significantly less expensive than eating at organic restaurants.
• Buy in BULK! Azure Standard is an organic co-op that has a local pick-up here in Lafayette once/month. You simply order your products from their website and pick up on the date provided. You would be surprised how much money you can save by loading up on all of you organic favorites for the month! All organic and cost efficient! www.azurestandard.com or their Facebook page.

5. BUY LOCAL

• Local food can be significantly cheaper than food shipped from miles away.
• Be the last person to leave the farmer's market. Farmers will likely cut their prices at the end of the day, so they do not have to take their produce back to the farm.