Heres a common misconception about eating healthy: its expensive.
Sure, some organic items may cost more than conventional food, but can you really afford not to eat organically?
Eating unhealthy foods will cost you more in the long run when it comes to your health.
I will admit that it can take some time to adjust to the price differences. I can remember when I struggled with the justification of eating fresh, organic and local food. It can be difficult when you walk into a grocery store and see the price of organic produce.
However, along my own personal wellness journey I have picked up some valuable techniques that can help keep the costs down.
Today, I am going to tell you about one great way that will allow you to eat wholesome, organic food on a reasonable budget: Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA).
Without going into too many details, a CSA is a group of people who agree to support a local farm and its operations.
Members share the risks and benefits of crop success with the farmer. So this means that if the growing season goes exceptionally well, then you get far more organic produce than you can imagine!
Some CSAs may have slightly different rules and fees, but the fundamentals are essentially the same. Members pay the farmer a set rate at the beginning of the growing season.
In exchange, you receive an equal portion of the organic, local food that is cultivated.
The food is generally harvested and delivered to designated drop-off area once a week for the members convenience.
Most cities have local farmers in their regions who offer CSA. You may need to do some searching to find the one nearest you. Here in Vancouver, I am part of the Nathan Creek Organic Farm CSA.
If youre wondering just how affordable a community-supported agriculture is, I played with some numbers and estimated that I will be paying about $15 per week for a box full of the most nutrient-dense, fresh, local and organic produce.
So for those who are still saying I just cant afford to eat organic, you just need to forsake your $6 latte and sign up for a CSA near you.
Rich Ralph for FitnessGoop.com.
