From Health magazine
Times are tough, money is tight, but that doesn’t mean you need to give up your healthy lifestyle. Sure, eating organic food can be more costly, and working out with a personal trainer ain’t cheap—but there are easy steps you can take that will shave hundreds or even thousands of dollars off your monthly expenses.
From free home-gym equipment to discount prescription drugs, cheaper medical procedures, and health insurance that pays you back, the opportunities to save money on healthy living are plentiful. Here’s how to take advantage of them today.
Eat organic (cheaply)
Buy organically grown: You don’t need certified organic, just organically grown. Some farmers use organic farming practices but have chosen not to become certified organic because of the added red tape and expenses. This means you can often buy organic fruits and veggies from these farmers for around 50 percent less than what the certified farmers charge.
Plan around your protein: Look for sales on free-range or naturally-raised meats and buy them first, says nutrition educator Amanda Louden of Gold River, California, who writes EatYourRoots.org. You’ll save twice: You will get your protein on sale and be able to better plan (and buy less) to fill out your meals.
Be super-choosy: You don’t need to buy organic when fruits and veggies have a protective layer that you don’t eat (like bananas and watermelon) or when they’re unlikely to have been sprayed heavily with pesticides (like blueberries and kiwi). Check out this chart for guidance:
| Do Buy Organic | Don’t Buy Organic |
|---|---|
| Apples | Asparagus |
| Celery | Bananas |
| Grapes | Blueberries |
| Lettuce | Broccoli |
| Peaches | Cauliflower |
| Strawberries | Kiwi |
| Potatoes | Onions |
| Tomatoes | Watermelon |
Comments (13)
You can taste the difference in bananas. Organic ones are sweeter, have none of the metallic or bitter taste that conventionally grown bananas have. The idea that the pesticides is sprayed on grown fruit so you can safely eat those with skins that are discarded is ridiculous. This may be true with the last dose of poisons, but what about the poisons sprayed when that fruit was tiny and growing? Try it yourself, you can taste the difference in bananas.
Bananas taste better normal than organic, I don’t know where you get yours..
I get my bananas at Wegmans, and the organic ones are definitely richer according to my taste …
@Amy and Bruce…you are absolutely correct.
Conventional bananas put farm workers at risk- many have suffered from pesticide exposure leading to cancer etc…
Any fruits that’s been sprayed with herbicides CANNOT be considered organic. It’s misleading. Health and organic stores need to check this with their suppliers. :)
Actually, to be certified organic there is a certain percentage of herbicide or pesticide that can be used per each crop’s lifespan. Also, to say that herbicide or pesticide is toxic is misleading…basil oil makes a great pesticide, and it’s not only non-toxic, it’s tasty! :)
I have been doing a workout consisting of only pull ups, push ups, and body weight squats. The only equipment I need is a $12 pull up bar that fits in a door way. A good workout can be had at home for cheap as long as you are motivated.
Many people buy organic food not just because it isn’t sprayed with non-organic pesticides, insecticides or herbicides, but because:
1) “Organic” is the only designation (in the US market) that allows customers to choose not to buy genetically modified food.
2) Organic farming is a method of farming that can be much more ecologically balanced (sustainable?) than methods that use chemicals. This method of farming does not consume or release synthetic chemicals into the environment, which can harm the soil, water and wildlife.
3) Organic farming can help sustain more diverse ecosystems because they prevent the unbalanced growth of one type of food over all others.
4) Organic farms use less energy and produce less waste (including indirect savings because they don’t have to throw away packaging from chemicals).
Organic farming has critics, many with valid points, but it is more than just a choice between bananas that have been sprayed with chemicals and those that haven’t.
My experience also validates the ‘tastes better’ comment. I belonged to an organic (and locally sources) food cooperative and NEVER needed to use salad dressing on my greens, didn’t need to use salt on my tomatoes and never needed topping or ice cream with my fruit because they were all consistently richer in flavor.
Amy I totally agree! I read the article and had the same reaction, that you can taste the difference.
Kevin, is the free body weight workout you are talking about simplefit.org ?
I enjoyed your suggestions on living healthier, thanks for writing.
One comment: Read more about bananas & pesticides. They are highly toxic & the conditions of the growers/pickers does not support a healthy life for them. Bananas are the top fruit that I will only buy organic as I’ve heard too many negative stories over the past 9 years.
Here is one article I found (there are plenty more available) http://www.rawfoodinfo.com/articles/art_bananaspestic.html
@kevin m
Yes, it is the one from simplefit.org. I am on level six right now. I use it to add some strength training to my normal running routine.