Eating Organically on Less Than $50 a Week

I always chafe at statements such as "Eating Organically is cheaper in the long term because of the health care costs you'll avoid later on." While that is indeed true, they tend to only take actual currency at Whole Foods and Trader Joe's, not Longevity Logic bucks. So what should you do if you want to eat organic food, but are on a tight budget?

MSN (http://health.msn.com/dietfitness/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100153740) had a great article on how to eat organically on $7 a day. That's $98 for two weeks of organic food - not a bad food budget.

A real key to this budget is finding a base for several meals that appeals to you. Brown rice is a great base to may meals and is healthy. If you are on a macrobiotic diet (or have added elements of a macrobiotic diet to your life), brown rice is already an integral of your day to day meals, so that is a good place to start.

Here are some highlights:

Breakfast

Time to power up for the day. If you are shopping at Whole Foods, try this breakfast:

Plain yogurt ($0.60)
Piece of fruit ($0.25)
Piece of whole grain toast ($0.20)

A decent breakfast for $1.05. Not too bad!

Lunch

Hummus ($0.90)
On Whole Wheat Bread ($0.20)
Lettuce ($0.30)

Healthy, filling, and $1.04

Dinner

Whole Wheat Pasta ($0.49)
With roasted vegetables on the pasta ($1.00)
Salad ($0.62)
Olive Oil on both pasta and Salad ($1.00)

A TGI Friday - like dinner for $3.11.

Total cost for the day: $5.20 - we came in under budget on this day!

Of course you'll want a snack here and there - a banana ($0.50) or a handful of the nut of your choice (~$0.50) will keep you full through the day.

Variations on the above - let your imagination (or cookbook) run wild:

Per serving, the following cost:

Tofu ($0.47) - goes with everything, add to pasta for more protein
Brown Rice ($0.20)
Oatmeal ($0.20)
Milk ($0.50)
Egg ($0.40 each)
Peanut Butter ($0.14)
Beans ($0.30)
Roasted Yam ($0.89)
Chicken Stock ($1.00)
Fryer Chicken ($1.00)
Tomato Sauce ($0.16)

And if you save some cash and want to splurge a bit, try these items from Trader Joe's:

Thai Peanut Satay Sauce - $2.69 for nine ounces. Great with pasta! Add some peanuts too.
Chocolate Celebration Cake - $9.99 (36 ounce cake)
Garlic Chili Tilapia - $7.99/lb
Gluten Free Ginger Snaps - $1.99 for 8 ounces
Fat Free Pumpkin Butter - $2.29 for 10 ounces - pure decadence

If plain water isn't your thing, find a bagged tea that you enjoy, buy a box, and make iced tea with it to keep in the fridge (pour boiling water over 3-5 bags per gallon of water, steep twice as long as you would for hot tea, add some ice cubes, and put in fridge). That will come to between 5 to 10 cents a serving, and you can have a lot of variety.

If you develop an attitude of nourishing your body, you won't feel deprived. To break up the monotony, add a food you love as a snack or dessert. It is indeed possible to eat organically and on a budget - stick to normal portion sizes and be conscious of how much items cost per portion - and you will have a healthy and varied diet. Try it yourself - who knows, you might save more than the folks at MSN!