The goal of this Blog is to raise money (of course) and awareness.
I'm looking for two things: (1) Great ideas on how to make a grocery budget stretch; and (2) donations of money or, alternatively, food - good food - to your local food bank.
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
(1) Post your recipes, tips, or ideas on this blog.
(2) The money will go to Idaho Attorneys Against Hunger. If you want to pledge money donations, please email me with your donation at mebaillie@yahoo.com - put DONATION in the subject line.
As the First District Bar vice president, I am taking this challenge on and I am hoping you will take it on with me. So, please post your ideas on recipes and other money saving tips. I will be doing the same. check back often. There is no excuse for hunger. None.
As a Naturopath, I am always trying to teach my patients about nutrition. The one concern I always hear is this: I can't afford to eat organic healthy food. . it's too expensive! My reply is this: Whole, real food is the least expensive food in the grocery store! As a general rule, it used to be true that you could shop the perimeter of the grocery store and get good, whole food and stay within budget. Marketers have caught on to this and often place "impulse" items next to the fresh fruit and veges now, but for the most part it's still true. Packaged, processed food has more of a price than just dollars. The nutritional value is quite low, and many of these foods contributes to the decline of our general health. If you want to stretch your grocery budget make a pact with yourself to eliminate three things:
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2. If it doesn't look like it came out of the ground, or off the hoof, don't eat it. Yes folks, that means fruits and veges, not canned, processed, food-like substances. You'll be amazed how much money you save when you're not purchasing processed chips, cookies, snacks, boxed mixes etc.
3. Drink WATER! Spend your money on a water filter and forgo the sodas, vitamin drinks, monster drinks, sugary juice-like drinks and even real juice. We are not meant to consume condensed forms of fruit in juice. Buy a few lemons and squeeze them into a pitcher of water. Lemon water helps balance your system and cleanse your liver!
The benefits to these choices are tremendous. You'll have a healthier budget, healthier body and healthier mind!
Andrea Premazzi, ND
Interesting point that the good doctor makes here. Eliminating "food like substances" is not an easy thing to do - I know. But I believe that its true that the processed, packaged "read to eat" items at the really are more expensive. I also understand that trying to stretch a grocery budget can be damned near impossible when buying organic vs. regular store foods (i.e., organic tomatoes vs. tomatoes from some supplier who may have used pesticide or herbicide). We will try and discuss that topic more later, but for now - if you cannot find or cannot afford organic veggies and fruits then buy regular and wash hell out of them.
ReplyDeleteI'm super poor and still manage to buy organic vegetables and fruit. . I mean, if you're not spending all your money on the cheap processed food you end up with a food budget that can accommodate organic produce. Also,buying things in bulk is great too..(things like spices, or flour etc.)Just buying what you need for a particular meal can end up being cheaper in the long run.
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