Is it worth it to shop at organic food places?
The food at organic and naturally grown/fed markets and stores is often very costly. Sometimes up to 4-5x the FDA approved ‘food’ and I’m wondering whether or not it’s worth going to organic markets for groceries. I did shop at large retailers like Safeway but after reading so many ingredient labels and finding that it’s almost not worth the time to bother finding a few good products (out of the entire store), I need some other options and e.g not 100 cheap quality, flimsy and bad tasting organic lolipops for $15 (5x their price).
I’m NOT vegan or vegetarian so any ideas on recommended, affordable, high-quality places to shop for organic/natural produce?
Organic produce is always going to cost a bit more than non organic because it’s cheap to spray chemicals all over the food to keep away pests and to use chemical fertilizer than to not use them. Try price shopping around your local shops. Also consider that there are some veggies/fruits that are better to purchase organic than others. For example, fruits/veggies with hard/tough skins are typically not as big of a deal to get non organic, like bananas, avocados, pumpkins, etc. However certain fruits and veggies have a lot of pesticides in them like apples, celery, etc. and should be purchased organic.
These websites can help:
http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/eat-safe/Dirty-Dozen-Foods
http://www.webmd.com/health-ehome-9/slideshow-organic-foods
I’d also recommend shopping at farmer’s markets. Most of those veggies/fruits are organic, very fresh, and have better prices then what you can get at the grocery. Another option is joining a local CSA, but that can be somewhat expensive up front (you have to pay for all your veggies up front) and you don’t always get what you want. However, it can be a great way to get organic produce and will get you to try veggies you might not ever eaten before.
Hope that helps!
Filed under: organic shop
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Organic produce is always going to cost a bit more than non organic because it’s cheap to spray chemicals all over the food to keep away pests and to use chemical fertilizer than to not use them. Try price shopping around your local shops. Also consider that there are some veggies/fruits that are better to purchase organic than others. For example, fruits/veggies with hard/tough skins are typically not as big of a deal to get non organic, like bananas, avocados, pumpkins, etc. However certain fruits and veggies have a lot of pesticides in them like apples, celery, etc. and should be purchased organic.
These websites can help:
http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/eat-safe/Dirty-Dozen-Foods
http://www.webmd.com/health-ehome-9/slideshow-organic-foods
I’d also recommend shopping at farmer’s markets. Most of those veggies/fruits are organic, very fresh, and have better prices then what you can get at the grocery. Another option is joining a local CSA, but that can be somewhat expensive up front (you have to pay for all your veggies up front) and you don’t always get what you want. However, it can be a great way to get organic produce and will get you to try veggies you might not ever eaten before.
Hope that helps!
References :
The USDA says organic fruits and vegetables are no safer or nutritious than their non-organic counterparts. So it would be up to you to decide if you want to spend the extra money buying organics.
References :
http://usda-fda.com/Articles/Organic.htm
I personally always take the USDA with a grain of salt. Their main interest is their pocketbook, not our food quality. Look into their board members, you’d be surprised who they are in bed with.
References :