I try to steer clear of the processed junk and buy healthy vegan options instead but am on a budget so choose things like value brand soya milk (65p a litre), Hovis wholemeal bread at 75p, fruit and veg I choose really carefully as sometimes packaged stuff is cheaper than loose, I buy frozen berries and spinach as cheaper than fresh but still nutritious. I do buy some processed veggie frozen stuff for convenience though but only when it's on offer. Nuts can be dearer but a big pack works out less per kg than smaller packs, lentils and pulses sometimes better tinned than dried as more convenient (saves on cooking). Crisps I don't bother with as they're poor value but Sainsburys value corn tortillas are nice at about 50p for a large bag. Pasta sauce takes only a few minutes to make with some chopped tinned tomatoes, tomato puree and seasoning, can thicken the sauce with a little cornflour if needed. So true the food industry is consumer driven though.

@Ang108 22 ingredients... Now that's a diary I wouldn't mind mind looking at lol.

I also bulk buy nuts with friends, otherwise I could not justify the cost.

I feel like supermarkets are sad for similar reasons - they're just too damn big - Americans suffer from too many choices, seriously, it's a thing.

amelialoveshersnacks wrote: »

Slightly different tangent..... I was snooping through some friends diaries, for inspiration lol. I couldn't help but notice that for e.g dinner is made of 3 things - meat, sauce from a packet, noodles ewwww. My diary annoys me because generally dinner is made from a minimum of 7 ingredients - generally 5 of them being veges and I was thinking Doesn't anybody friggen cook!
Sorry, I just had to get that out....
I generally just do the outside perimeter of the aisles when I do the shopping, except I get fruit n veg elsewhere. Are you able to bulk buy with a group of friends?

I live in a college community. My husband is a professor. My daughter just graduated -- and she did all her own cooking in the little kitchen in her dorm. This is my advice. Stay out of those expensive health food stores. They even shock me!!! Shop in the produce sections and in the frozen foods sections. Frozen vegetables are VERY clean, VERY fresh and full of vitamins (because they are packaged when they are ripe). You don't need to buy only organic produce. A lot of nonorganic produce is just as healthy as organic. If you want to buy some things organic, let Consumer Reports assist you. They have tested the pesticide levels on supermarket produce - the produce from all over the world that we see in our regular markets. Consumer Reports says the five fruits you should always buy organic to avoid pesticides are peaches, tangerines, nectarines, strawberries, and cranberries. The five vegetables are green beans, bell and hot peppers, sweet potatoes, and carrots.

If you want to read the full report, and see the full guide, go here http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/health/natural-health/pesticides/index.htm

When my kids were small, I could not afford organic anything! Or even boxed or canned anything. I bought the regular produce and cooked it. Kids grew up VERY healthy, including one who now has 3 Olympic medals. Many of her teammates were vegetarians and vegans. They did not buy organic produce either - none of them could afford it because they were paying their own room and board while working with the Olympic team. (Many US Olympic teams work this way. In the minor sports, athletes do not get funding - and they have to pay for their own room and board). Just know that you can have a VERY healthy body by eating real food.

lol @amelialoveshersnacks. When I input my recipes sometimes I have 15+ ingredients. I just keep going and adding flavor until it is delicious or I wear out.

Sidelined from my business by lyme, my favorite supermarket which can be demolition derby offered online shopping. Under pressure they are expanding their line of organics. I grab their flyer, fill up my cart, and once a month pickup my order and visit the orchard up the road for fruit. Everything I can't get there I order from vitacost.com and it gets shipped to my house.

We grow a lot of our vegetables, some fruit, and chestnuts are our most cherished crop. We have chickens and quail, so have some sort of fresh eggs available daily and bone stock cooking regularly.

So glad to have a personal shopper although sometimes I do get curious surprises.

Last week I was researching bone stock and learned that many tested brands, even some organic, contain high levels of lead. You should check it out and see what you think.

Food is your most important medicine. It's nice to use your health care dollars on nutritious food. Having a degree from an agriculture college I would suggest not buying fruit & vegetables from South America unless certified organic.

Go to ewg.com and check out the dozen most & least sprayed produce items. It will help you to make good organic produce vs. items at low risk choices and reduce pesticide exposure.

I am a huge fan of organic frozen veggies and/or buying bulk (which I KNOW isn't ideal for you.. BUT as soon as something starts to go wilty, put THAT in the freezer. And do a big cook and freeze leftovers (soups and stews are great this time of year) Maybe find a friend to split bulk buying with? I do know that grocery stores tend to cater to their buyers.. So if most in your area aren't willing to spend extra $$ for organic food, the store simply won't carry them. Vs. if they get a lot of requests for items, they WILL start carrying them. What I find more sad than grocery stores not carrying organic and healthy foods is that the majority of people in the country don't CARE. YES Whole Foods is crazy expensive. But even at our "regular" store where there is the option of organic and non-organic, most people don't want to spend the extra $$ for organic. Or cook. Kids come to play at our house and ask what we are having, and when we ask them if they already ate, I swear the answer is pizza 75% of the time.

Also check out if there are farmers markets in your area. You can get a bunch of locally grown produce for a great deal.