Eating a Mercedes Diet on a Kia Budget

This is in no way a rip on Kia or a promotion for Mercedes, but wouldn't it be nice if we could all afford a Mercedes.  I look at groceries in the same way. There is Whole Foods and then there is Dollar General.  They both carry groceries.  So what's the difference?  Although both are groceries, just as Kia and Mercedes are both cars, they are very different from one another.  When looking at a car, they may appear to have a similar shell, paint color, trim, tires, but just because the exterior is similar, the make up from one to the next is very different in quality. 

Let's take an apple as an example. Both are shiny red, a brown stem, and are grown on trees...so what's so different?

LOTS!!!  To best describe the difference and it's health effects, Forbes released an article in 2012 titled, "Pesticides, Healthy Communities, and You".

I'm trusting you checked out the article as it's a very short read...but what's my point...how is this related to this blog post???  Well, when I think organic, I think in terms of purchasing a Mercedes...but how do I purchase a Mercedes on my Kia budget?  Let's face the music ladies and gentlemen, I am living on a Kia budget. (Again, if you drive a Kia, this is not a put down, just an analogy.)  Do you  purchase everything organic, even if it's not in your budget?   Do you need to purchase everything organic? Do you (meaning myself, and this is the most common question people ask me about healthy eating) purchase everything organic?  Well, the answer is "no"!

My general rule of thumb is are you eating the skin or if it doesn't have skin, buy organic.  Now this doesn't apply to everything as farmers grow crops very differently from one crop to the next.  Some crops don't require any pesticides and on that note, if they did use pesticides it would completely devastate the entire crop...such as broccoli.  So do I buy those organic? Nope, remember...Kia budget...Mercedes diet.  So how do I know what to buy?  I follow my cheat sheet. perhaps you have heard of it, "The Dirty Dozen and the Clean 15".  Below are two examples:

So, here it is, this is how I do it...my Kia budget makes its first stop at Aldi's!  Yes that's right, I said Aldi's, and don't you forget your quarter...or you will be without a cart.  But don't get to hung up on that quarter...you'll get it back as long as you return that cart...and you better because this is Kia budget...Mercedes diet.  As much as this sounds like the complete opposite of everything that I have already said, my local Aldi's usually carries about 50 - 80%, given the week, of everything that I put on my list to buy in the organic section!  Guess what, it even costs a fraction of what I would pay for it non-organic at my favorite stores to shop!!!  Trust me folks, I'm cashing in where I can, because I want to make sure I get the best bang for my grocery budget!!!  While you're there, make sure you check out the non-organic items on your "Clean 15" list, you wouldn't want to miss out on a good deal!

So tip #1: you don't have to shop expensive to eat well by doing a little homework.  Watch your local grocery flyers and know your prices before leaving the house.
Tip #2: It isn't necessary to eat everything organic.  Although some would and possibly will argue this tip...but remember, we are trying to eat a Mercedes diet on a Kia budget.
Tip #3: Meal plan, so stay tuned and visit me again for "7 Days to Successful Meal Planning" right here!


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