Tips for making organic fit your budget

You wouldn’t knowingly gulp down a bottle of poison yet each day when you eat your five recommended servings of fruits and vegetables you could be doing that.

Pesticide residue after washing and prepping conventional produce can vary from very low to very high depending on the produce and the country it’s grown. A recent report from Consumer Reports found staggering discrepancies… for instance, eating one serving of green beans from The U.S. is 200 times riskier than eating a serving of U.S.-grown broccoli.

How you can still eat healthy and avoid the danger?

Before you put it on our table and in your mouth Consumer Reports strongly suggests Organic. It’s better for your health and the environment but usually costs a little more. Here’s some tips to make Organic work for you…

Robert Jimenez, Produce Team Leader at WHOLE FOODS PALM DESERT tells us, “When it comes to cost you want to buy Organic produce that is seasonal–when a fruit or vegetable is in season because there is more of an abundance of it the cost actually goes down.”

Buy in bulk when in season and preserve by canning, freezing or drying. Some stores like Whole Foods will even give you a ten percent discount but if you are really craving fresh… Organic produce from other countries usually is available in our off seasons and is held to the same strict USDA guidelines.

Abbigaile Urioste Marketing Team Leader WHOLE FOODS PALM DESERT adds,
“If you purchase the whole carrot and take it home and juice it yourself, julienne it yourself, slice it into a baby carrot…then you’re cutting that cost out as well and you’re getting the freshest ripest product.”

Buy foods in whole and process them at home and if you miss the season buy Organic frozen or dried. An added bonus with Organic dried fruit is the sulfite preservatives often used in conventional dried fruits are prohibited. And finally visit one of our local Farmers Markets. It’s a great way to get your food–directly from the farmer.