Eating Wholesome and Organic on a Budget #WorldFoodDay #Recipes and #Budgets
Maintaining a wholesome and nutritious diet can seem expensive, there’s no doubt about it. And the face of the organic and natural living movement tends to be a bit elitist, a common example of this being that most wholefood stores tend to be located in more affluent neighbourhoods, or out in the countryside.
Food costs have also risen 12.2% in 2023 in the UK. In the US, every year there’s been a steady increase in food costs, with the latest figures suggesting an 11.4% increase. From my experience, food has always been more expensive in the US than the UK, so that 11.4% is slightly deceptive, as overall, common healthy food items like coconut oil and olive oil are double to triple the cost of that in the UK.
Additionally, when costs for the general public are estimated, wholesome, organic foods are not even in the equation. It’s usually based on what people are commonly eating, and also includes takeout and restaurant food. This skews food cost estimates, as we know that upwards of 70% of the “food” ingested in the western diet consists of processed and ultra-processed foods.
World Food Day was the 16th of October, and food availability is not just an issue in developing nations, but the richest nations in the world as well. It’s estimated that 8-20% of the population of rich nations experience food insecurity. Also, with growing levels of obesity, cardiovascular disease and Type 2 Diabetes, it’s obvious it’s not just a lack of food that contributes to malnutrition, but also the lack of access to quality food that undermines health. Food is defined “as any nutritious substance that people or animals eat or drink or that plants absorb in order to maintain life and growth.” The only food types that fit this definition would be whole, organic foods, and therefore should be the primary diet around the world, not processed, high inflammatory foods.
Even in our current inflationary climate, it’s very possible to be economical and healthy. Some foods will actually become cheaper with careful planning and out of the box thinking.
So let’s get a food plan for a family of four (two adults and two children), that isn’t lacking in nutrients, on a weekly budget of £129.50 in the UK and $243.80 in the US. I also attached some example food shops!
Budget Around Meals (and Limit Snacking)
With so many nutrients lost from common vegetables and fruit due to genetic modification (GMO), people can be left hungry and feeling weak if they try to begin a healthier diet without including organic foods. Though many GMO foods purport being nutritionally enhanced, non-organic, GMO foods are proven to have less antioxidants and minerals, which are essential for energy and health.
Our bodies have become accustomed to low nutrient foods, and we’ve become reliant on snacking for energy. We crave sugars and salts for quick energy boosts and to “cheaply” run the chemical processes in our bodies. Yet, the chemicals and toxins in processed foods, or foods replete with pesticides, further diminishes our energy and nutrient reserves, which causes the cycle of snacking, and ultimately, obesity.
Therefore, the key steps to eating wholesomely on a limited budget:
Estimate your total weekly food expense (this includes snacks, takeout and restaurants), and make that your set budget
Establish the staples you have access to that fall within the key nutrient types of carbohydrates, fats and proteins
Plan a week of 3 meals per day, for 7 days
Limit snacking. If you do snack, stay away from ultra processed foods
A way to compensate for the increased expense of whole foods is to completely eliminate junk and fast food. You may need to reduce the amount of times per month you go out to eat as well.
Meal planning will help you focus this new diet. Also, choose recipes that have great leftover value. For instance, the kinds of dinners that work really well as next day lunches are veggie based meals with whole wheat or quinoa.
Organic meat and dairy products vary widely in pricing. But, even as a meat eater, meat shouldn’t be more than 30% of your weekly diet. Meat shouldn’t be eaten with carbohydrates either, and carbs tend to predominate meals on a budget. I aim to have meat for 1 out of 3 meals, 3-5 days per week. Plant-based proteins like beans, lentils and peas are cheaper than organic meat, so kinder on your budget and helpful for your health. Plant-based proteins also reduce excess inflammation, while infusing fibre into the diet. This isn’t to say you should never eat meat, but you should only eat grass-fed or organic meat. Do not eat non-organic meat as it can cause serious health issues as it is high in antibiotics, high in toxicants and devoid of essential amino acids and B12.
Typically, breakfast in the West is either high in sugar or high in unhealthy fats and proteins. There’s a lot of frying, as well as processed cereals and breakfast bars. All of these foods set you up for a day of hunger, with a very high sugar load, that will lead you to crash in 2-4 hours. The frying and dairy infuses inflammation into your joints, increasing stiffness. It also can lead to symptoms of irritable bowel, including constipation. These typical western breakfast foods also lower your immune system, making you more susceptible to contracting pathogenic diseases, like Covid-19 or the flu.
But we know why we choose bad food in the morning, because processed foods are convenient and quick. So planning is key to avoid making bad decisions your body will have to cope with for decades. Click for recipes: overnight oats (can be made the night before), mackerel morning toast (takes no more than 20 mins to prepare), and watch this video for quinoa breakfast bowl.
Best for lunch: According to the Traditional Chinese Medicine Body Clock, you should eat a light meal between 11am - 1pm. Ideally, this meal should be cooked. You should never be distracted while you eat (e.g., walking, working) as this interferes with digestion. Poor digestion can lead to IBS, weight gain and a host of other issues. Full absorption of nutrients is thought to take takes place from 1pm-3pm, so you should focus on eating before that time.
Best for dinner: You shouldn’t eat past 7pm, and ideally dinner should be between 5pm-7pm. This is to allow four full hours to digest all the fats and proteins in your body before sleep. Also, eating no later than 7pm has been proven to improve cardiovascular health. According to the Traditional Chinese Medicine Body Clock, from 7-9pm nutrients circulate throughout the body. So if you eat before 7pm, you’re able to ensure all your critical body cells receive the appropriate nutrients and replenish from the day. It’s not always possible to eat so early in the evening, but what you can do is make sure you eat at least 3 hours before bed, and at the same time every day.
Our bodies have the capacity to work efficiently and adjust to our rhythms, such as our own times to eat and sleep. Yet, we have to to eat and sleep with consistency in order to set the rhythm.
Good recipes for lunch are sardine sandwiches. For dinner, liver and onions is a great choice, and really affordable.
Dessert and snacks are possible when eating wholesomely. You can snack on nuts and seeds for vitamins and healthy fats. Fruit provides healthier sugars. A nice sweet indulgence is this recipe for fig and yoghurt cheesecake.
Plantains are a great source of antioxidants, and when I want that “junk food taste,” I lightly fry with coconut oil and add Himalayan sea salt for a nutrient and mineral dense snack.
Easy Fried Plantains:
Ingredients
2 ripe plantains
¼ teaspoon of Himalayan sea salt. Can substitute with Kosher salt. Can also add black pepper to taste.
1 tablespoon coconut oil
Directions
Peel the plantains by chopping off the ends, then gently scoring the skin in the middle and peeling it off.
Slice the plantains at an angle into ½-inch pieces.
Lay the plantain pieces on a plate, and sprinkle them with salt.
Add coconut oil to a frying pan, and bring the heat up to medium-low.
Carefully add the plantains once the oil is hot, and cook for 5-7 minutes on each side.
Pop the plantains on a cotton cloth towel to pat away any excess oil (there usually isn’t much).
Remember, processed foods zap nutrients and make you feel hungrier. Even though it may seem cheaper, over the long run, you eat more of them, so it ends up costing you more. By minimising your consumption of packaged snacks, sugary beverages, and convenience foods, you'll feel full while freeing up more of your budget on whole, organic foods.
Find Local and Seasonal Foods
Once you have your food list, the next stage is to buy it.
In the US, Walmart has an “American Grown” section, which allows you to quickly see what’s in stock and grown in the USA. Sprouts, a major wholefoods chain, sells from local Farmers Markets, which is usually in season. Both Walmart and Sprouts accept EBT digitally, for delivery and in store. Sprouts, though, doesn’t accept EBT cash.
In the UK, Asda allows you to search by Organic, which tends to be in-season foods. But if you want to shop from farms, there’s a plethora of organic or locally grown sellers, including Wonky Veg Boxes, Abel and Cole, Riverford and Eversfield.
Another tip is to use local farmers' markets, as you’re buying directly from the farm, which means there’s no markup. If buying organic in a commercial grocery store chain, generic or store-brand products will probably be just as good as the branded food, saving you a bit more. Make sure you have whole grains like brown rice, oats, and whole wheat pasta. They should be at the top of your list. These foods are not only nutritious, cost-effective and filling, they provide a good source of fibre.
Additionally, buy in bulk. Your oils, seeds, nuts, flour salts should last 2-4 weeks (or longer) if you buy enough of it. This will make the subsequent weeks cheaper than your allocated budget, enabling you to save money!
When you get money in big pops, such as tax returns or bonuses, invest in water distillers to save money on bottled water, and start a garden. Buy all of your non-food items in bulk, so you don’t need to buy any of those items for weeks, if not months. Buying daily or weekly for staple items makes them more expensive, so bulk buying reduces costs overall.
Here are some examples of a weekly shop for four at the big chains:
Walmart Shop at £242.51, with all seeds, oils and salts in sizes that will last a month.
Asda Shop at £129.44, without such an emphasis on buying bulk, but a few extra purchases around seeds and salts.
Grow Yourself and Join a Food Co-op
A lot of grocery store spices actually consist of heavy metals and toxins. Fresh herbs, garlic and ginger can create such variety in flavours, and if you grow them yourself, you can guarantee there aren’t any additional poisons to consider. See this video on My Kitchen Nana on some great herbs to grow at home.
In time, you can consider growing some of your own organic produce. Tomatoes and leafy greens can be cultivated relatively easily, reducing your grocery bill and offering assurance there are no added pesticides or poisons.
Food cooperatives, or co-ops, are community-based organisations that offer members the opportunity to purchase organic and whole foods at discounted prices. Sometimes they even allow you to have your own allotment on the land to grow your own food. By joining a co-op, you can take advantage of collective buying power to access affordable, high-quality foods.
Conclusion
Eating wholesomely on a limited budget is not only essential, it’s more than possible and can be really enjoyable.
