Hard To Afford Organic? Try This Instead


by The Health Sciences Academy — Get free science updates here.


Organic food is typically more expensive than its conventional counterpart. As a matter of fact, the cost can be a shocking 50% to 200% more.

Put simply, it can be hard to afford organic. But why is organic food sold at such a premium?

Several reasons are behind it, such as limited supplies, the intensive labour involved, and smaller volumes, which can drive up the price. For some people, that just isn’t going to cut it.

We’ve got five simple solutions for you if being health conscious and choosing organic is important, but you can’t always afford it:

1. Minimise pesticides in the produce you choose

Pesticide residues tend to decline as the pesticide breaks down over time, and diminish as the produce is washed and processed prior to sale.

Mind you, this is speaking about conventional foods. Assuming that this is the true breakdown of chemicals being used, residues may be below the legal limits by the time the food reaches your hand.

To minimise the pesticides, consider a homemade concoction of vinegar and water. Vinegar appears to be helpful in getting rid of harmful bacteria on fruits and vegetables.

Mix up a solution of 10% white vinegar to 90% water. Put your produce in the vinegar solution. Allow it to soak briefly, and then swish it around in the solution.

2. Buy local produce

Buying local means that your food hasn’t travelled long distances by planes, trains, trucks, and ships – all which add to its carbon footprint. Because it is locally grown, you get the benefit of fresher, more nutritious food.

If you’ve ever had a garden or know someone who has one, think about how fresh the crops taste compared to store-bought produce. Although local food is not necessarily grown organically, it can be a better choice.

By buying local produce, there can be times that you can chat directly with the farmer about their harvest. This is not only great community interaction but gives you good, direct information in making your choices.

Oh, and be mindful of fruits and vegetables most frequently shipped by air – even if they are organic. Air freight contributes most of the CO2 per food mile.

3. Buy frozen vegetables

Vegetables can retain much of their overall value when frozen. This is under the assumption that they were fresh at the time of freezing.

Frozen can be almost as good and is often better than items sold as ‘fresh’ according to researchers at Leatherhead Food Research and the University of Chester. Fruit and vegetables tend to be richer in compounds like vitamin C, polyphenols, anthocyanins, lutein, and beta-carotene when frozen just after harvesting.

4. Steam or microwave instead of boiling

Steaming is one of the best ways to preserve the nutrients in your vegetables.

study on broccoli showed that all cooking treatments, except steaming, caused great losses of chlorophyll and vitamin C. You don’t want to over do it though. The most ideal result for your steaming would be ‘al dente’, or firm to the bite. The tender nutritional value stays inside if you get it just right and almost crispy on the outside.

Another published study concluded the antioxidant content of broccoli was retained and/or enhanced more after microwaving than after boiling. Why? Because boiling requires a longer cooking time, which can rob food of its nutritional value.

Worried about microwave radiation? Your ‘burning’ questions answered HERE.

5. Choose these ‘cleaner’ fruits and vegetables

Here’s a list of 12 fruits and veggies likely to have the fewest pesticide residues. These may not be worth the added cost of buying organic:

  • Papaya
  • Broccoli
  • Cabbage
  • Bananas
  • Kiwi
  • Peas (frozen)
  • Asparagus
  • Mango
  • Pineapple
  • Sweetcorn (frozen)
  • Avocado
  • Onions

Conclusion

It’s obvious to see that buying organic is just not affordable for everyone. However, you do have alternatives to buying conventional foods that don’t suit your healthy lifestyle decisions.

Sure, sometimes choosing this route takes a bit longer and requires more of your time and energy, but it can be well worth it.

How about you? Have you ever used any of these substitutions? If so, how did it work out for you? Tell us in the comments below or share one of your own ideas! We can all learn from each other.

Related article: Are Organic Food Choices Really Healthier Than Conventional Ones?


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© Copyright The Health Sciences Academy. The content, graphs and charts on this page have been exclusively prepared for The Health Sciences Academy and its prospect students, existing students and graduates. None of the content on this page and website may be reproduced, copied or altered without our explicit permission. Criminal and legal penalties for copyright and other infringement apply. All Terms and Conditions apply.

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