All week I’ve been talking about eating a plant-based diet on a budget. One of the questions I get asked regularly is if I buy all organic food. The answer is no. Organic is usually quite a bit more expensive than conventional and often it does not fit into our budget.
What I Learned From Dr. Popper
I’ve heard Dr. Pam Popper says it is better to eat lots of conventional produce than to avoid produce. The information she presented suggested that the positive effects from eating large quantities of whole foods far outweigh the negative effects from the chemicals. She recommended purchasing organic when possible and cleaning produce well.
Here is a video where she discusses some of the research on Conventional vs. Organic. The beginning of the video she discusses salt intake. Skip to the middle for the information on Conventional vs. Organic.
If you don’t have time to watch the video here are some of the highlights.
“Exposure to a chemical or chemical carcinogen appears to be a little bit less important than exposure to a cancer promoter.” She referenced Dr. Campbell’s study in which experiments were conducted with mice exposed to carcinogens; cancer didn’t develop until large amounts of animal protein were given to the mice. This study was illustrated in Forks Over Knives. She also mentioned that in some of the very polluted areas of the world they still have significantly low rates of cancer compared to the United States.
She ends by saying, “If you can afford to buy organic produce that’s great, if its available that’s great. If its not….the benefits of consuming produce outweigh any detrimental effects of exposure to chemicals.”
According to Dr. Fuhrman
In his book Eat to Live, Dr. Fuhrman addresses the issue of eating conventional food. He says, “By basing your diet on unrefined plant foods, you automatically reduce your exposure to the most dangerous chemicals.” He explains how cows and steers are often fed tainted feed and that the contaminants are found in higher concentrations in dairy and beef than in plant food.
How We Apply This
I buy organic when it isn’t too expensive. We usually buy organic spinach and broccoli from Costco for close to $3 each. We also buy organic quinoa there; it is 4 lbs for $9.99.
We purchase organic fruit when it’s affordable. For example, when organic apples are close to $1 a pound I’ll buy those instead of conventional. With that being said I try to stick to $1 a pound for apples all the time. Sometimes they cost more but we do the best we can.
Chips are processed so I don’t want them taking up a big portion of my diet.Tagged: Conventional Vs. Organic, Dr. Fuhrman, Dr. Popper, Frugal, Healthy, Plant Based Diet, Vegan
We don’t necessarily buy organic but we get most of our fruits and vegetables from Bountiful Baskets. We love that organization and if it is near you sign up and get going! We buy spring mix for salads at Sam’s and it is organic at very cheap. If I peel it I don’t worry about it, like bananas.
We used to get Bountiful Baskets a lot when all of our teenagers were living with us. We may try it again sometime. We often got new and interesting food but it wasn’t always things we were interested in. Also since my husband can’t eat seeds some weeks almost everything was off-limits for him. We do eat a lot more produce now so it may be worth another shot. Thanks for the reminder.
“…and very cheap” not at, sorry
This was really well written and explained!
I think you’re right: it’s far better to eat a plant-based diet than to worry about everything being organic and then not being able to afford enough fruits and vegetables.
However, I do try to buy all organic produce. I think about the farm-workers’ health as well as my own. I would guess that the people actually spraying the chemicals and handling the food have a lot greater carcinogen exposure, and I try to avoid contributing to that through my purchasing decisions. It’s about social justice and environmental impact, not just my own health.
That being said, we just do the best we can and try to eat seasonally and locally as much as possible. We’re lucky to be in an area with long growing season and lots of local farmers markets.
Hi Kylie, Thank you for reading. It is great that you live in an area with plenty of local produce. When I was a kid I grew up in a place where most families had a garden and produce was shared by several families. I remember going home from church with bags of squash that friends had given us. I hope to one day have a garden too.
Although I didn’t mention the workers healthy you have a great point. I have began giving my purchases more thought but I know I have a long way to go. Thank you for bringing it out our attention. We can only make changes once we are aware of the problem.
Considering how much I buy in bulk via Costco, Amazon and Trader Joe’s; most of what we buy is organic. BTW, I was reading up on TJ’s website and while they don’t carry Non-GMO certification on the packages, nearly all they carry is. Huh, that was nice to know.
I’d rather buy a little less and get higher quality! (And this ties into canning and drying foods in season when local is cheap!)
Personally, I try to buy as much organic produce as I can – or in season from local farms where they are not certified but I know their growing standards
Sarah I can’t wait to learn more from you about canning. I’m clueless! I know there is a farmers market pretty close but we haven’t tried it yet. I’m beginning to buy more and more in bulk. You’ll have to let me know where the best deals are and how you store things. One bad thing about being in Arizona is that during the summer it is so hot that some of our bulk supplies seem to go bad quickly because of the heat. We have to leave our pantry open to keep it cool enough.
Thank you so much for your article. I am new to this way of eating and I am trying to learn as much as I can to live healthier. We just don’t know if we’re going to have affordable healthcare so I want to live as healthy as I can so I don’t need medications as I get older. I’m angry that we have to think about GMO’s and I am ready to fight back.
Virginia my husband is off all of his medication after going plant-based. I’m convinced it is the way to live! My quality of life is so much better now!