The other day a friend of mine asked me to write an article about organic food - what foods in particular are the most important to consume as organic. And while I’ve never really thought about it because I buy everything that I possibly can organic, it did make me think about people who can’t access or afford organic foods and what specific foods they should be avoiding or trying harder to source as organic.
First I thought I’d start off with a few tips on how you can better afford organic foods.
1. Get yourself to a farmers market
You’re saving a significant amount of money when you shop at farmers markets. Really there’s not much of a price difference between organic market food in comparison to store bought produce. You’ll be surprised.
I had trouble visiting farmers markets when I was living in Toronto because I didn’t have a car and I felt like I had to travel really far to get to one. But in Brisbane it’s easy. Lucky for me there’s a huge organic farmers market each Sunday just a short drive from where I live. The great thing about this market is it’s local, everything is organic and it’s a lot cheaper than buying organic produce in a store.
And if you’re lucky, the organic market will have a stall that sells non-perishable items too. The one that I go to has a couple of amazing stalls that sell things like superfoods, grains and legumes, sea salt, raw chocolate, sauces and oils etc. No need to go anywhere else really.
2. Aim to buy seasonal foods and don’t be picky with what you get
Organic food is usually local and therefore seasonal so you can’t be too picky with what you buy. And prices fluctuate a lot so you can choose to avoid the expensive stuff.
A good example is punnets of blueberries which are ridiculously expensive in this country (I went mad with the berries in Canada, they were amazing!). Usually a tiny punnet of blueberries will cost AU$10 here, but last weekend a stall was selling two punnets for AU$10. That’s half price and a good opportunity to start making blueberry smoothies. You could even stock up and freeze them.
I’ve also started purchasing foods that I normally wouldn’t just because they’re readily available as organic and a lot cheaper. Cabbage for example is something I usually would never buy, I used to opt for the more modern and fashionable fruit and veggie. But I’ve since learned to embrace cabbage and now I add it to a lot of my meals.
3. Buy in bulk
Non perishables can be bought in bulk. This is especially good for things like tea, nuts and rice. Most health stores I visited around the world offer an option to buy organic non-perishables in bulk so I know that it’s readily available to most people.
Now that I’m making my own almond milk I’ll buy a huge bag of organic almonds at the markets. And I love rooibos tea so I bought a massive packet (organic of course) from the health store the other day which was a huge saving and is going to last me ages.
Buying in bulk is also a good opportunity to share with your friends. If you don’t think you’re really going to get through that massive bag of cacao beans, go halves with a friend. It’ll make it a lot cheaper.
Foods that you really should be buying organic
Almost two years ago now my sister sent me a link to an article about green tea and how important it is to drink only organic green tea. Tea plantations, especially green tea plantations are one of the most heavily sprayed with pesticides, so you want to only drink organic green tea. In fact you only want to drink organic tea period.
And organic teas and coffees are very easy to find now. I think it’s becoming very fashionable. I especially noticed it in Toronto, I was surprised when a cafe didn’t advertise organic coffee because it seemed like they all did.
If you think about it, any liquid that you drink travels directly through the mucus membranes in your mouth and the tissue in your esophagus and stomach. Which means it so easily and quickly becomes a part of you. This is why liquid vitamins are more easily absorbed into the body.
So any liquid that you consume is much better as organic.
A few important points about milk and water
I’m not going to go into too much detail about milk and water because these are two very big topics and each worthy of a full article by themselves.
However, I did want to mention a few points about each because I feel that it’s important to consume organic milk and good quality spring water.
Pesticides and chemical residues have been found in human breast milk so it’s no surprise at all really that cows milk can contain chemical resides as well. Organic milk is farmed from cows that have been fed only organic grains, and the cows themselves have not been given any antibiotics or growth hormones so the milk is much more natural. And if raw organic milk is available for purchase in your city, that’s always the best option.
Water is a huge topic so I’ll have to be brief here and just mention that it’s important to source the purest water possible. The absolute best water is direct from a spring, so if there’s a natural spring in driving distance from your house then wow you’re lucky. If not then a good water filter that removes fluoride or bottled water is the next best thing.
If you’re on a budget and you can’t drive to a spring then the best option is to invest in a good quality water filter. Reverse Osmosis is one of the only filters that can get rid of fluoride but it gets rid of all the beneficial minerals as well so it’s essential that you put some of those minerals back in before you drink it. Water is very mineral hungry so “nude” water can leach the minerals out of your body.
I’ve also heard the reverse osmosis can damage the structure of the water so I’m a little unsure about it. But we aren’t left with many options at all when it comes to removing fluoride from tap water so in my opinion drinking filtered water like this is better than keeping the fluoride in.
And I’d better stop talking about water before this article turns into a novel. If you want more information ask me for some links in the response box below, or do a Google search. Daniel Vitalis is one of my favorite water experts.
What about fruit and veggies?
Of course let’s be reminded that every food you consume is much better as organic, but if you can’t afford or access it then a good rule with fruit and veggies is anything without a “shell” is even more important as organic.
So oranges and lemons for example (unless you use the zest) have a thick skin that in some way protects the inside fruit. Coconuts are another example, and pumpkin if you don’t eat the skin. I eat non organic Thai young coconuts simply because an organic option is not available in Australia.
It’s still very, very important to keep in mind that this “shell” on fruit and veggies is not completely protecting the inside flesh - you are likely to still find some kind of chemical residue. AND in most cases the best nutrients are kept just underneath the skin of the produce. Because I buy all organic I actually don’t own a vegetable peeler! I choose to eat the skin and all because I know how nutritious it is. Yep that means the skin on carrots and even pumpkin if I bake it.
There are plenty of resources on the web that list “The Top 10 Foods” that you must buy organic, but to be honest with you - I think these lists are so varied, depend too much on the country you live in and how can we really know how correction this information is anyway - so I feel that you’re better of just buying what you can. If budget is a problem, then just buy the organic produce that’s the cheapest.
Try growing your own
If you’ve got a garden then you’ve got no excuse. The easiest thing in the world is to scatter a few lettuce seeds onto the garden and watch them grow. I once did this at a friends place. I found a little patch of dirt at the end of their yard where the grass stopped. I scattered the seeds then forgot about them. After a few days little lettuces were growing! They even survived being mown over. Very durable and very easy to grow.
And of course if you want to be a little more adventurous you could have a go at growing some veggies. Tomatoes are always a popular option and can grow in pots. I once grew a tomato plant in a pot on my balcony of a small apartment that I lived in. That plant grew two tomatoes before it died. But those two tomatoes were the tastiest and most amazing tomatoes I have ever eaten in my life. My friend and I ate them like apples with a little sea salt ..yum, I can still remember it now!
Get a Bokashi bin
I was introduced to the bokashi bin by my family who were sick of throwing their food scraps into the council bin. I know that some cities (Toronto for example) have a compost collecting service which is so amazingly good, but we don’t have that here anywhere in Australia.
So my mum and dad started putting their food scraps into this bokashi bin. And it produces this amazingly fantastic liquid fertilizer that you can put onto your garden. Now my parents are not keen gardeners so they were just pouring the fertilizer out into their back yard. And then the most unbelievable thing happened …all of a sudden my mum found two huge luscious vines growing in that exact spot where she was disposing of the fertilizer. She had, without plating anything managed to grow both a pumpkin and rock melon vine! So we got to enjoy some organic pumpkins and rockmelons without any effort at all. That was fabulous.
So you can dispose of your bokashi bin fertilizer and hope that a produce plant will grow, or you can use the fertilizer to feed and nourish seeds that you’ve planted in your garden. Either way will lead to a good outcome 
I think that just about covers it …I hope this article has provided you with a few more options when it comes to your next food shop. Just keep in mind that organic food is not only great for our bodies, but good for the environment and supporting local farmers too.
First I thought I’d start off with a few tips on how you can better afford organic foods.
1. Get yourself to a farmers market
You’re saving a significant amount of money when you shop at farmers markets. Really there’s not much of a price difference between organic market food in comparison to store bought produce. You’ll be surprised.
I had trouble visiting farmers markets when I was living in Toronto because I didn’t have a car and I felt like I had to travel really far to get to one. But in Brisbane it’s easy. Lucky for me there’s a huge organic farmers market each Sunday just a short drive from where I live. The great thing about this market is it’s local, everything is organic and it’s a lot cheaper than buying organic produce in a store.
And if you’re lucky, the organic market will have a stall that sells non-perishable items too. The one that I go to has a couple of amazing stalls that sell things like superfoods, grains and legumes, sea salt, raw chocolate, sauces and oils etc. No need to go anywhere else really.
2. Aim to buy seasonal foods and don’t be picky with what you get
Organic food is usually local and therefore seasonal so you can’t be too picky with what you buy. And prices fluctuate a lot so you can choose to avoid the expensive stuff.
I’ve also started purchasing foods that I normally wouldn’t just because they’re readily available as organic and a lot cheaper. Cabbage for example is something I usually would never buy, I used to opt for the more modern and fashionable fruit and veggie. But I’ve since learned to embrace cabbage and now I add it to a lot of my meals.
3. Buy in bulk
Non perishables can be bought in bulk. This is especially good for things like tea, nuts and rice. Most health stores I visited around the world offer an option to buy organic non-perishables in bulk so I know that it’s readily available to most people.
Now that I’m making my own almond milk I’ll buy a huge bag of organic almonds at the markets. And I love rooibos tea so I bought a massive packet (organic of course) from the health store the other day which was a huge saving and is going to last me ages.
Buying in bulk is also a good opportunity to share with your friends. If you don’t think you’re really going to get through that massive bag of cacao beans, go halves with a friend. It’ll make it a lot cheaper.
Foods that you really should be buying organic
And organic teas and coffees are very easy to find now. I think it’s becoming very fashionable. I especially noticed it in Toronto, I was surprised when a cafe didn’t advertise organic coffee because it seemed like they all did.
If you think about it, any liquid that you drink travels directly through the mucus membranes in your mouth and the tissue in your esophagus and stomach. Which means it so easily and quickly becomes a part of you. This is why liquid vitamins are more easily absorbed into the body.
So any liquid that you consume is much better as organic.
A few important points about milk and water
I’m not going to go into too much detail about milk and water because these are two very big topics and each worthy of a full article by themselves.
However, I did want to mention a few points about each because I feel that it’s important to consume organic milk and good quality spring water.
Pesticides and chemical residues have been found in human breast milk so it’s no surprise at all really that cows milk can contain chemical resides as well. Organic milk is farmed from cows that have been fed only organic grains, and the cows themselves have not been given any antibiotics or growth hormones so the milk is much more natural. And if raw organic milk is available for purchase in your city, that’s always the best option.
Water is a huge topic so I’ll have to be brief here and just mention that it’s important to source the purest water possible. The absolute best water is direct from a spring, so if there’s a natural spring in driving distance from your house then wow you’re lucky. If not then a good water filter that removes fluoride or bottled water is the next best thing.
If you’re on a budget and you can’t drive to a spring then the best option is to invest in a good quality water filter. Reverse Osmosis is one of the only filters that can get rid of fluoride but it gets rid of all the beneficial minerals as well so it’s essential that you put some of those minerals back in before you drink it. Water is very mineral hungry so “nude” water can leach the minerals out of your body.
I’ve also heard the reverse osmosis can damage the structure of the water so I’m a little unsure about it. But we aren’t left with many options at all when it comes to removing fluoride from tap water so in my opinion drinking filtered water like this is better than keeping the fluoride in.
And I’d better stop talking about water before this article turns into a novel. If you want more information ask me for some links in the response box below, or do a Google search. Daniel Vitalis is one of my favorite water experts.
What about fruit and veggies?
Of course let’s be reminded that every food you consume is much better as organic, but if you can’t afford or access it then a good rule with fruit and veggies is anything without a “shell” is even more important as organic.
It’s still very, very important to keep in mind that this “shell” on fruit and veggies is not completely protecting the inside flesh - you are likely to still find some kind of chemical residue. AND in most cases the best nutrients are kept just underneath the skin of the produce. Because I buy all organic I actually don’t own a vegetable peeler! I choose to eat the skin and all because I know how nutritious it is. Yep that means the skin on carrots and even pumpkin if I bake it.
There are plenty of resources on the web that list “The Top 10 Foods” that you must buy organic, but to be honest with you - I think these lists are so varied, depend too much on the country you live in and how can we really know how correction this information is anyway - so I feel that you’re better of just buying what you can. If budget is a problem, then just buy the organic produce that’s the cheapest.
Try growing your own
If you’ve got a garden then you’ve got no excuse. The easiest thing in the world is to scatter a few lettuce seeds onto the garden and watch them grow. I once did this at a friends place. I found a little patch of dirt at the end of their yard where the grass stopped. I scattered the seeds then forgot about them. After a few days little lettuces were growing! They even survived being mown over. Very durable and very easy to grow.
And of course if you want to be a little more adventurous you could have a go at growing some veggies. Tomatoes are always a popular option and can grow in pots. I once grew a tomato plant in a pot on my balcony of a small apartment that I lived in. That plant grew two tomatoes before it died. But those two tomatoes were the tastiest and most amazing tomatoes I have ever eaten in my life. My friend and I ate them like apples with a little sea salt ..yum, I can still remember it now!
Get a Bokashi bin
So my mum and dad started putting their food scraps into this bokashi bin. And it produces this amazingly fantastic liquid fertilizer that you can put onto your garden. Now my parents are not keen gardeners so they were just pouring the fertilizer out into their back yard. And then the most unbelievable thing happened …all of a sudden my mum found two huge luscious vines growing in that exact spot where she was disposing of the fertilizer. She had, without plating anything managed to grow both a pumpkin and rock melon vine! So we got to enjoy some organic pumpkins and rockmelons without any effort at all. That was fabulous.
So you can dispose of your bokashi bin fertilizer and hope that a produce plant will grow, or you can use the fertilizer to feed and nourish seeds that you’ve planted in your garden. Either way will lead to a good outcome
I think that just about covers it …I hope this article has provided you with a few more options when it comes to your next food shop. Just keep in mind that organic food is not only great for our bodies, but good for the environment and supporting local farmers too.