I do like the eat organic food if I can because:
a) It’s better for the environment if natural methods are used so no unintentional wildlife gets killed which could have a dramatic impact on agriculture
b) When multiple pesticides/herbicides are used on a product they can have a synergistic effect (this means they can make the effects of the others worse/stronger)
c) Pesticides/herbicides/added antibiotics are chemicals that our body does not need and as our bodies are already under a lot of stress I prefer to keep mine as clean/chemical free as possible
d) Organic food can in some cases be more nutritious, e.g. higher in antioxidants or in regards to meat/ dairy, these have more beneficial anti-inflammatory omega 3 fats than non-organic versions but may have a little less iodine in dairy, so monitor your levels at the start if you make this change:
http://www.ncl.ac.uk/press/news/2015/10/organicvsnon-organicfood/
Now I can’t eat organically 100% of the time and sometimes eating your non organic greens is better than not eating them because you’re waiting to find them, so If I can’t get organic food then I go with trusted sources. I’ve contacted and got emails from Tesco and Sainsbury’s saying that they use pesticides only if the preferred natural methods failed, therefore they’ll have some of the cleanest produce.
Also, if it has a thick skin which you don’teat then there tends to be less exposure than thin skin options (apples) as the thick skin provides a barrier e.g avocado, bananas
Note: I have not been paid by any of the shops below to do this, I bought them because I felt they were great value & none were on offer. I’ve highlighted ones in bold that are actually cheaper than non-organic commonly found versions. I purchased all of these in stores from Belfast.
I got both the hazelnuts and sweet corn from a small Tesco express, proving it doesn’t always have to be the bigger ones
–4 pack kiwis= £1 (cheaper than a 4 pack of “ripe and ready” ones and same price as buying 4 individual ones)-290g packet white button mushrooms =90p
–250g butter salted/unsalted= £1.45 (certain branded butters of the same quantity aren’t organic & are more expensive!)
-700g bag carrots= £1
-200g tub garlic hummus= £1 (usually a deal on for 2 for £1.80 so 2 organic tubs are cheaper than 2 non organic)
–200g hazelnuts=£2.50 (the non-organic 200g tesco hazelnuts cost £2.80!)
-cartons of beans/chickpeas = 65p
-500g carton passata= 80p
-plain wholegrain rice cakes= £1
-1 bag of bananas= £1.16 (only 7p more than normal ones sold in the same shop)
-1 bag of carrots= 99p
–750g organic wafer oats= 99p (much cheaper than branded organic oats)
–500g low fat plain yogurt= 99p(cheaper than other branded organic 500g plain yogurts & cheaper than some non-organic greek yogurts)
-4 pack lemons= £1.25
-750g bag onions= 99p
–1 box (20 teabags) plain green tea= £1
-1 box (20 teabags) green tea with lemon/jasmine= £1
B&M: 185g Napolina jar green/red pesto= 59p! I don’t think I can find many pestos this cheap never mind organic ones with a popular brand such as Napolina
Home bargains: 500ml jar virgin coconut oil: £3.99 Try to find another version this cheap for this amount, it’s very hard to do! However, I should point out that this one is US organic certified & I do prefer EU certification as they tend to be stricter but still a good find for those unsure if they’ll like the taste & who don’t want to shell out £10 more for a branded one
Bottom line: Don’t just see the word “organic” and assume expensive, read the price and consider buying it if it’s affordable for you, keeping in mind you’re helping the environment, organic farmers and your body will love you for it too!
Plus, the more people that buy organically, then the supermarkets will pick up on it & bring in more variety at better prices to compete with the other supermarkets, so spend wisely xx
