Looking to eat more organically, please help!

aigéan

Hey everyone! So, basically I'm sick of eating like crap. I don't eat horrible, but I know my body deserves a lot better. Of course I plan on indulging every now and then, but I really want to start eating healthy and more organically! I always feel so much better without all that processed crap in my body. I'm also looking to lower my sodium intake, and raising my fiber and protein intake.

I'm asking for your help! I'd love it if you would share some tips, recipes, or foods that you guys love! Anything at all (except sushi!) that is healthy, organic, that you love to eat. Salads, sandwiches, fruits, veggies, please share with me!

Reply here or send me a message, either or! I would really appreciate discussing different kinds of healthy foods!

Thanks so much!


(PS, I have been looking around on various sites, but a lot of them are too complex and don't have the right kind of feedback!)

vkpmusic

Easy Easy smoothie you can make organic or not:

2 cups baby spinach
1-2 cups of almond, soy, or whole milk
1 banana.

Tastes like whatever fruit you put in. You can make it as think or soupy as you like. My other fav is a cup of frozen peach slices instead of the banana and some cinnamon...tastes like peach cobbler.

Do you have a whole foods? They (and publix) have precut frozen organic fruit that's quick and easy to use.

Whole Foods also has a monthly newsletter with great recipes.

You can often make your standard recipes like baked chicken just substituting organic ingredients for the standard variety.

vkpmusic

Ooops--I meant to say combine all that stuff in a blender! LOL!

JulieBoBoo

do an online search for kale chips. They're pretty tasty and very healthy.

chacaruso

Welcome. Organic is best, if you can find it and afford it.

hjorden

One of my favorite salads is fresh spinach, red onion, tomato, broccoli, and black olives with a vinaigrette made of balsamic vinegar and olive oil with a clove of garlic pressed in. All ingredients can be gotten from your local farmers market or whole foods. You can also add raw almonds or walnuts to the mix.

pratrat150

Easy Easy smoothie you can make organic or not:

2 cups baby spinach
1-2 cups of almond, soy, or whole milk
1 banana.

Tastes like whatever fruit you put in. You can make it as think or soupy as you like. My other fav is a cup of frozen peach slices instead of the banana and some cinnamon...tastes like peach cobbler.

Do you have a whole foods? They (and publix) have precut frozen organic fruit that's quick and easy to use.

Whole Foods also has a monthly newsletter with great recipes.

You can often make your standard recipes like baked chicken just substituting organic ingredients for the standard variety.

I make that smoothie every morning! I can't get myself to eat anything for breakfast but I can manage a smoothie. I freeze my banana and I use water instead of almond milk. Sometimes I put in a handful of soaked almonds in just for fun/extra protein. This is also such a great way to get RAW spinach in your diet.

Also, organic is great but be prepared to dish out some big bucks. It helps to buy in bulk at places like Costco. Costco has tons of organic produce for a slightly more reasonable price.

aigéan

Easy Easy smoothie you can make organic or not:

2 cups baby spinach
1-2 cups of almond, soy, or whole milk
1 banana.

Tastes like whatever fruit you put in. You can make it as think or soupy as you like. My other fav is a cup of frozen peach slices instead of the banana and some cinnamon...tastes like peach cobbler.

Do you have a whole foods? They (and publix) have precut frozen organic fruit that's quick and easy to use.

Whole Foods also has a monthly newsletter with great recipes.

You can often make your standard recipes like baked chicken just substituting organic ingredients for the standard variety.

They both sound really good! We do have a Whole Foods around here and other stores that are very similar. Can you taste the spinach at all? What kind of nutrients does spinach have? Well I guess I could just look that up instead of bothering you to tell me!

Thanks so much!

aigéan

do an online search for kale chips. They're pretty tasty and very healthy.

Just looked up a recipe for them and people love them! I must try them!

aigéan

Welcome. Organic is best, if you can find it and afford it.

Affording is a problem, but I'd like to at least eat some organic foods!

aigéan

One of my favorite salads is fresh spinach, red onion, tomato, broccoli, and black olives with a vinaigrette made of balsamic vinegar and olive oil with a clove of garlic pressed in. All ingredients can be gotten from your local farmers market or whole foods. You can also add raw almonds or walnuts to the mix.

That sounds super good, except for the tomatoes! haha, I wish I liked them, but I just don't! Thanks so much! I'm absolutely going to try this! Pretty sure we have all the ingredients except for the black olives!

vkpmusic

Easy Easy smoothie you can make organic or not:

2 cups baby spinach
1-2 cups of almond, soy, or whole milk
1 banana.

Tastes like whatever fruit you put in. You can make it as think or soupy as you like. My other fav is a cup of frozen peach slices instead of the banana and some cinnamon...tastes like peach cobbler.

Do you have a whole foods? They (and publix) have precut frozen organic fruit that's quick and easy to use.

Whole Foods also has a monthly newsletter with great recipes.

You can often make your standard recipes like baked chicken just substituting organic ingredients for the standard variety.

They both sound really good! We do have a Whole Foods around here and other stores that are very similar. Can you taste the spinach at all? What kind of nutrients does spinach have? Well I guess I could just look that up instead of bothering you to tell me!

Thanks so much!

You honestly can't. If you think you can, add a little more fruit. It's another reason I like vanilla almond milk added to it. Just be sure to blend really well. I find it works best if I put everything on top of the spinach in the blender. Spinach has all sorts of nutrients including folic acid, and antioxidants. I think it even has vitamin c. I know I have tons more energy when I drink it on a regular basis. Like I said, shop the sales and you can do fairly well. The only think I can't seem to get around the price on is the organic meat. Try this website for more smoothie ideas www.greenmonster.com My friend also has a site calle bewellholistics.com that has a bunch of recipies.

fitnesspirateninja

Get a veggie box. Or go to your local farmer's market. You can find them here:
http://www.localharvest.org/

The problem with CSA veggies boxes is that they require a "buy-in." I found a farmer who just sells me a box on weeks that I want them. Also, if you are a picky eater, you might not be happy with a veggie box because you don't decide what goes in them. But I like trying new things and I love that I can talk to the person who grew my food. Everything was grown within 20 miles of my house!

Farmer's markets are probably the best option for you if you don't have a veggie box option that you like. I know a lot shut down in winter, but you might find some that are still open.

amycal

Costco usually has a good selection of organic foods at a good price but the quantity is large so unless you have a family or eat a lot it can spoil. I too am trying to not just eat less, but better. I also do a pretty good job at least at meal time but I love sweets and when I am not home or don't have a plan it is easy to eat junk.

aigéan

You honestly can't. If you think you can, add a little more fruit. It's another reason I like vanilla almond milk added to it. Just be sure to blend really well. I find it works best if I put everything on top of the spinach in the blender. Spinach has all sorts of nutrients including folic acid, and antioxidants. I think it even has vitamin c. I know I have tons more energy when I drink it on a regular basis. Like I said, shop the sales and you can do fairly well. The only think I can't seem to get around the price on is the organic meat. Try this website for more smoothie ideas www.greenmonster.com My friend also has a site calle bewellholistics.com that has a bunch of recipies.

lol: greenmonster.com actually takes me to the Red Sox website! funny! Thank you so much. Love your friends site!

aigéan

Get a veggie box. Or go to your local farmer's market. You can find them here:
http://www.localharvest.org/

The problem with CSA veggies boxes is that they require a "buy-in." I found a farmer who just sells me a box on weeks that I want them. Also, if you are a picky eater, you might not be happy with a veggie box because you don't decide what goes in them. But I like trying new things and I love that I can talk to the person who grew my food. Everything was grown within 20 miles of my house!

Farmer's markets are probably the best option for you if you don't have a veggie box option that you like. I know a lot shut down in winter, but you might find some that are still open.

I have never even heard of a veggie box! lol! Sounds interesting though! haha Sadly, the farmers markets closest to me are closed!

Thanks so much for the info!

vkpmusic

You honestly can't. If you think you can, add a little more fruit. It's another reason I like vanilla almond milk added to it. Just be sure to blend really well. I find it works best if I put everything on top of the spinach in the blender. Spinach has all sorts of nutrients including folic acid, and antioxidants. I think it even has vitamin c. I know I have tons more energy when I drink it on a regular basis. Like I said, shop the sales and you can do fairly well. The only think I can't seem to get around the price on is the organic meat. Try this website for more smoothie ideas www.greenmonster.com My friend also has a site calle bewellholistics.com that has a bunch of recipies.

lol: greenmonster.com actually takes me to the Red Sox website! funny! Thank you so much. Love your friends site!

OOPS www.greenmonstermovement.com :laugh:

chacaruso

Organic is definitely better, just cost more unfortunately.

kayemme

Welcome. Organic is best, if you can find it and afford it.

Affording is a problem, but I'd like to at least eat some organic foods!

it's not so expensive if you shop seasonally. sure, an organic tomato in february is pretty steep, but it's quite reasonable in july-september.

BoresEasily

Easy Easy smoothie you can make organic or not:

2 cups baby spinach
1-2 cups of almond, soy, or whole milk
1 banana.

Tastes like whatever fruit you put in. You can make it as think or soupy as you like. My other fav is a cup of frozen peach slices instead of the banana and some cinnamon...tastes like peach cobbler.

So you don't taste the spinach at all? I like the sounds of that. I put my spinach in everything but haven't put it in any of my smoothies yet but if you won't taste it, then I'm going to have some fun. Thank you.

DanL66712

There is a great debate over whether organic actually has any benefits. One good article can be found here:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/food_and_drink/real_food/article6731910.ece

I think it is more important to eat a healthy diet than spend all your money on organic - especially as organic can be more expensive and often smaller in size.

stormieweather

My approach is slightly different, whatever processed foods I eat, are organic. So if I want canned Ravioli, it has to be organic...stuff like ketchup or cereal or pancake mix or crackers, lunch meat, cheese, etc. My fresh foods I buy from a farmers market. The idea for me, is to ensure that any processed foods I eat contain no preservatives, artificial ingredients or pesticides. It costs a LOT more, but then, I avoid most all processed foods anyway. The price is a small deterrant to buying the "easy" route (boxed, canned). But if I choose to do so anyway, the ingredients will be as safe as possible.

jojoworks

Good luck with your efforts to eat healthy and organic. I am a HUGE fan of organic food for many reasons, but I want to caution you on ONE thing:

You can buy ORGANIC junk food that is just as crappie as conventional junk food. Sugar and salt are still what they are regardless of whether is made from organic ingredients or not. So don't sit down to eat a big bag of potato chips thinking you've made a good choice just since they're organic. The food you choose to eat still has to make sense on a "good for you" scale.

again, good luck and happy eating!

fitnesspirateninja

Get a veggie box. Or go to your local farmer's market. You can find them here:
http://www.localharvest.org/

The problem with CSA veggies boxes is that they require a "buy-in." I found a farmer who just sells me a box on weeks that I want them. Also, if you are a picky eater, you might not be happy with a veggie box because you don't decide what goes in them. But I like trying new things and I love that I can talk to the person who grew my food. Everything was grown within 20 miles of my house!

Farmer's markets are probably the best option for you if you don't have a veggie box option that you like. I know a lot shut down in winter, but you might find some that are still open.

I have never even heard of a veggie box! lol! Sounds interesting though! haha Sadly, the farmers markets closest to me are closed!

Thanks so much for the info!

Sorry, I forgot that we are totally spoiled with the weather here. Some towns in the Bay Area do farmer's markets year round (I think ours closes next weekend or something like that). Also, I live in farm country so there's no shortage of farmers. I do love the veggie box - the closest farmer's market is 25 miles away. I don't know if I could afford to to the "buy in" and "pay upfront" boxes, though. Weekly is all I can handle.

superhippiechik

do an online search for kale chips. They're pretty tasty and very healthy.

Make your own ! Coat lightly with extra virgin olive oil and bake at 350 until crisp and then sprinkle with sea satl. Viola`!

ccgisme

We jokingly refer to Whole Foods as Whole Paycheck. Since your farmer's markets are closed, consider Trader Joe's (or Trader Giotto's if you perfer )

BoresEasily

There is a great debate over whether organic actually has any benefits. One good article can be found here:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/food_and_drink/real_food/article6731910.ece

I think it is more important to eat a healthy diet than spend all your money on organic - especially as organic can be more expensive and often smaller in size.

Whoever said there was? The reason people buy organically is because the food is cleaner not because it has added benefits. That is undeniably the dumbest most wasteful study ever created. Here's the reason one eats organic as was laid out to me recently. If you're given two of the same vegetables or pieces of fruit and someone sprays pesticide on one, which one are you going to choose?

Grokette

Get a veggie box. Or go to your local farmer's market. You can find them here:
http://www.localharvest.org/

The problem with CSA veggies boxes is that they require a "buy-in." I found a farmer who just sells me a box on weeks that I want them. Also, if you are a picky eater, you might not be happy with a veggie box because you don't decide what goes in them. But I like trying new things and I love that I can talk to the person who grew my food. Everything was grown within 20 miles of my house!

Farmer's markets are probably the best option for you if you don't have a veggie box option that you like. I know a lot shut down in winter, but you might find some that are still open.

Yes, buying local and in season is ALWAYS the best option. It creates a local and sustainable economy and environment. The food is more nutritional because it is local and picked a lot fresher than it being shipped.

And that includes shopping at places like whole foods who does sell organic, but how much of the vitamins and minerals are lost due to the shipping process.

Grokette

There is a great debate over whether organic actually has any benefits. One good article can be found here:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/food_and_drink/real_food/article6731910.ece

I think it is more important to eat a healthy diet than spend all your money on organic - especially as organic can be more expensive and often smaller in size.

The thing is organic fruits and veggies are smaller and CLOSER to the real size they should be.

I don't want to eat plants that have been genetically modified or engineered. And I sure as H*** don't want to eat bug spray and waxes they rub on the fruits and veggies. I want to eat them grown in the ground as NATURE intended.

As someone else mentioned, the cheapest and most cost effective way to eat local and organic is to learn to use what is in season or start freezing, canning and drying foods during the summer when they are in season.

aigéan

My approach is slightly different, whatever processed foods I eat, are organic. So if I want canned Ravioli, it has to be organic...stuff like ketchup or cereal or pancake mix or crackers, lunch meat, cheese, etc. My fresh foods I buy from a farmers market. The idea for me, is to ensure that any processed foods I eat contain no preservatives, artificial ingredients or pesticides. It costs a LOT more, but then, I avoid most all processed foods anyway. The price is a small deterrant to buying the "easy" route (boxed, canned). But if I choose to do so anyway, the ingredients will be as safe as possible.

That's a great idea! I'd love to cut out processed foods from my diet, but sometimes it's just so difficult! I really need to start making better choices. And I don't have a lot of money so I guess I'll just have to do what I can for now, but thanks so much for the idea!

aigéan

There is a great debate over whether organic actually has any benefits. One good article can be found here:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/food_and_drink/real_food/article6731910.ece

I think it is more important to eat a healthy diet than spend all your money on organic - especially as organic can be more expensive and often smaller in size.

Whoever said there was? The reason people buy organically is because the food is cleaner not because it has added benefits. That is undeniably the dumbest most wasteful study ever created. Here's the reason one eats organic as was laid out to me recently. If you're given two of the same vegetables or pieces of fruit and someone sprays pesticide on one, which one are you going to choose?

AMEN !!!