Of course the added layer that complicates this is... the budget. How do we eat even more healthily while still trying to save money?
That is the question.
We're only in our 40's but we've both already been through cancer diagnosis and treatment (3 times between the two of us). Last year my doctor informed me that I was pre-diabetic and I've been struggling with weight gain for the past 5 years (since having breast cancer and going on hormone blockers).
We've eaten what we've considered healthy for years, even before I was diagnosed with cancer. We ate primarily vegetarian, but when we did eat dairy, poultry, fish, and meat we tried to eat foods that are hormone free and organic. When organic wasn't enough, we started moving to "cage free/free range, vegetarian fed." When that wasn't enough, we moved to organic, "pastured," and wild-caught. Each step is slightly more expensive than the last.
When eating vegetables, we concentrated on items that were affordable, eating organic when we bought items on the dirty dozen list. Now, however, we've decided that all of our food has to be organic, even items on the clean 15 list.
The state of America's agricultural complex is getting less and less clear about what is in our food, and what our food was fed in order to make it grow. As we get older, our bodies aren't able to metabolize the junk we used to eat, so we're having to make some adjustments.
Our new rules for food:
1. Don't eat fast food, opt to make it at home
—A. because it's cheaper and saves money and B. because we know (as much as we can) what is in the ingredients.
2. Don't eat out (very often)
—for the same reasons listed above. When we do eat out, it's generally at a local farm to table style restaurant.
3. Cut the sugar
—as much as possible. No more soda. No more cookies or candy bars. No more sugar (or simple syrup) in coffee. Read labels and look for items with either no or less sugar. Stay away from sugar substitutes as much as possible. If it HAS to be sweetened, go for raw honey or stevia. (We don't even do Agave anymore.)
4. No Diet Anything
—we both hate the way diet stuff tastes, but beyond that, things labeled "diet" or "light" or "fat free" usually have other ingredients that we just don't want to put into our bodies. It's a personal preference, but one that is slowly being backed up by research.
5. Only organic ingredients
—it's more expensive, so we have to be mindful about what we're buying and when. I am finding that we're actually wasting less food. This is partly because we're buying less at one time in order to make the budget work, and partly because what we are buying is more expensive than the non-organic option and we don't want to throw our money away on wasted food.
6. Only full-fat, pastured dairy from Jersey cows, goats, or sheep
—to take it a step further, the pasture shouldn't be treated with any chemicals or be within a 5 mile perimeter of any land that is treated with chemicals (so you really have to know where your food is coming from).
I know this gets really specific, but there is research that indicates milk from Holstein cows contains a protein (A1) that is potentially harmful to humans over the long run. Our bodies aren't made to digest this protein, so when they do, they often have allergic or inflammatory reactions. These reactions manifest in a number of ways (including IBS, diabetes, heart disease, and food sensitivities). Unfortunately, most milk is a mix of Holstein & Jersey cows. I had to call local dairies and ask them very specific questions before figuring out what milk was okay to drink. That said, full-fat cream seems to be the exception, since it's mostly fat and not proteins.
It may sound like woo-woo science, but read the National Institute of Health's study: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3475924/ —it's worth it to know where your food comes from and what your food ate or was exposed to before it became your food.
7. Only wild-caught fish from highly trusted / regulated regions
—preferably labeled with its country of origin. I know there was a mercury scare that lead a lot of people to switch from wild to farm-raised, but there are now questions regarding the health of the environments in which farm-raised fish are kept. The big issue here (for me at least) is what did the fish eat before they were caught. Wild-caught fish are more likely to feed on smaller fish that fed on naturally formed algae (the source of Omega-3 fatty acids).
Farm-raised fish are dependent on the farmer to maintain the environment, including monitoring cross-contamination of neighboring farms / animals. In China, they were putting fish farms next to pig farms. The pig manure was washing into the fish ponds and the fish were being exposed to all sorts of unhealthy bacteria. As a result, the fish farmers began feeding the fish antibiotics, which isn't a good thing to have in your food supply. Again, just know where your food is coming from.
8. Only pastured meat, poultry, and eggs
—this goes beyond "cage free" or "free range." You really want animals that eat grass & bugs and haven't been fed grains. It gets a little deep, but the grains they eat can have health effects on you when you consume their meat. Even if the feed is "vegetarian" it doesn't mean that it was non-gmo, or organic. Those grains could've been treated with pesticides which are stored in animal fat and whose half life, we're finding, makes it all the way through the food chain and into our bodies. Most of these pesticides have been proven to be endocrine disrupters (not a good thing).
9. No BHT, BPA, Parabens, or tBHQ (preservatives)—also endocrine disrupters.
10. Only organic flour
—limiting our bread & flour intake is the first step, but even so we're staying away from wheat or other grains that may have been treated with pesticides. As, I'm sure, you are aware, organic flour is WAY more expensive than the generic or store-brand flour. And while we love the idea of "whole grain" products, we're staying away from those right now too because of the preservatives added to ensure that the oils in the whole grains don't go bad.
I'm still making our own bread, but we're sticking to sourdough and we're eating less of it, opting for things like Romaine lettuce wraps (or no bread at all). For gluten sensitivities, I've heard coconut and almond flours are good substitutes (but also more expensive). Limiting intake seems to be the best way to reduce cost.
But That Sounds Expensive
- One gallon of pasture raised milk is $5.69 (on the cheap side)
- A dozen pasture raised eggs (from the Farmers market) is $4.00 (up to $7.99 / dozen at the health food store)
- 5 lbs. of organic flour is $9.99
- Wild-caught salmon is $15-$20 / lb. (not on sale)
- Organic chicken is about $5.99 / lb. (not on sale)
Amazingly we're still managing to eat well on about $300 / month budget. We do this by tackling the groceries from multiple angles:
- Read the weekly grocery circulars & make a meal plan.
- Go for quality over quantity.
- That said, always look for sales. When coffee, organic flour, wild-caught salmon, or pastured organic chicken is on sale—I buy as much as I can comfortably afford and freeze it. (I also keep a price book to track prices at various stores.)
- Make it from scratch—salad dressing, mayonnaise, bread, pizza dough, seasonings, etc.
- Buy a few, choice items in bulk—rice, olive oil, vinegar, raw honey, dried beans, pastured butter (like Kerrygold). Costco and other stores are getting better about carrying organic and pastured products—as is Amazon.
- Use rebate apps like ibotta and MobiSave—I don't buy a lot of brand name items, but they often offer rebates on "any brand" items and I take advantage of this as often as I can.
- Use manufacturer coupons—I make sure to look for coupons that I can stack for more savings.
- Look for manufacturer rebates—this is kind of old-school, but if something is a little more expensive, I check the manufacturer's website or Facebook page to see if there are any enticements / rebates to try their product.
- Use store loyalty / rewards cards—I also take my own grocery bags to get 5¢-10¢ off / bag (depending on the store)
- Buy produce weekly, and look for sales. And, only buy what you'll use that week. (We actually waste less food this way.) & instead of tossing (or composting) the veggie ends / peels, I keep my vegetable scraps stored in a ziploc bag in the freezer. This way, when it's time to make soup stock, I can just dump in the scraps.
- Grow your own food—We have a longer growing season here in North Carolina, so I can grow food 9 months out of the year, but even if you have a shorter season, you can still harvest some of your own vegetables. Grow your own herbs too.
- Eat food that is in season.
- Stretch meals with beans, rice, and in-season veggies.
- I make vegetable stock with the vegetable scraps & make soup that uses up left-overs once a week.
- Look for substitutions. Instead of organic, pastured chicken breasts @ $5.99/lb. I may opt for organic, pastured chicken thighs @ $3.99/lb. If wild salmon isn't on sale, I'll look for whatever wild-caught fish is and get that instead.
The Menu Plan
Keep in mind, this is for 2 adults. In general our meal plan looks like this:
Breakfasts:
- Coffee + yogurt with in-season fruit
- A green or berry smoothie
- Coffee + eggs + sourdough toast
- Coffee + Swedish pancakes with in-season fruit
Snacks:
- Raw veggies + guacamole or hummus or full fat cottage cheese (from pastured cows)
- Almond butter + apples
- In-season fruit
Lunches: Salad or soup + chicken or fish (or some other protein); or leftovers
Dinners: Mostly vegetables + protein
- Sunday: Soup + sourdough bread (or whatever was on sale)
- Monday: Meatless meal (beans & rice, lentils, sautéd/grilled vegetables, etc.)
- Tuesday: Chicken + vegetables (& sometimes a rice dish)
- Wednesday: Usually something with leftover chicken
- Thursday: Whatever was on sale this week (usually a slow-cooker meal) or a big salad with whatever we have that needs to be used up.
- Friday: Fish + raw or roasted vegetables
- Saturday: Our splurge day—if we don't eat out or with friends, then we'll make hamburgers or pizza or pasta at home
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