A big concern over eating organically is the cost, which is a valid concern. People walk into the grocery store, see the prices and comparisons and walk away empty handed and discouraged. Like anything else in life, though, you have to weigh the benefits versus risks. The antibiotics, hormones, pesticides, and herbicides in non-organic food can have a real overall impact on our health and growth over the long haul. Puberty onset is faster and younger. Healing after surgery may be affected due to the antibiotic resistance now present in your body. And frankly, it’s just common sense that a chemical dye is not a great thing to ingest. Not to mention the added vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and taste that conventional food production tends to strip away. That’s not to say that you throw the budget out the window. You need to introduce goals and creativity into the equation.
Why is organic food more expensive anyway? One reason is the labor costs involved. You don’t have pesticides or herbicides, so people have to be involved in the weeding. Organic farms are smaller in scale in general. Their overhead costs have a smaller base to be spread across, because they produce a smaller volume of food. Those costs get translated to the consumer. Certification compliance’s take a lot of time and effort. Some retailers move a higher cost onto the consumer because of the trends (there’s a lot of eat green marketing going on right now.) Another often overlooked issue is the fact that conventional agriculture is helped by government subsidies (you pay them in taxes.)
Ultimately, it comes down to preparation and education. Shop around your local grocery chains, mom and pop shops, and farmer’s market to find the lowest prices in your neighborhood. Investigate what’s in season. Plan your menu ahead of time. Take the time to think about what’s worth it in the long term for your family (I bet better health wins!) Know your budget limitations and start small. Small incremental changes in your diet and purchasing decisions over time will help! It will both change your diet less drastically, and your budget will absorb the changes more slowly to allow you to adjust and expand.
—————————————————-
Author Bio: Sarah Harris is the Marketing Manager at Adiamor Engagement Rings. Adiamor offers a large selection of engagement ring settings, loose diamonds, and other fine diamond jewelry at affordable prices.