Many people assume that eating all natural foods is a luxury that they can’t afford. While it’s true that most organic versions of processed, convenience food is more expensive, if you make wise, informed choices it’s very possible to keep your costs in line with your budget. If you’re currently relying heavily upon processed, pre-made food, you may need to start making a shift in your mindset. Eating an all natural diet means you will likely be cooking more from scratch rather than opening a box. Not only is it healthier to leave the heavily processed stuff on the shelf, it’s also less expensive. You can make several dozen muffins in your own kitchen for the cost of six of them from the bakery. And you know exactly what’s going into those muffins. That means nothing can slip by you that might derail all the hard work you’re doing to improve your child’s behavior. Believe me, I certainly have days when our schedules have us all heading in different directions and the very best I can do is to heat up a frozen pizza for the kids. But I make sure that the pizza is the best quality, 100% natural version of frozen pizza I can get. And also believe me when I say that the expense of that pizza ensures that those times are certainly more rare than they used to be. Luckily making pizza from scratch is easy, so we haven’t had to give up our favorite Friday night family meal.
To help ease your mind and get your imagination started, here’s a list of some of the most budget-friendly all-natural foods you can find at almost any grocery store.
bananas
apples
pears
grapes
oranges
watermelon
carrots
zucchini
yellow squash
lemons
limes
onions
potatoes
100% natural canned tomatoes
dried beans – any
dried pasta – any without additives
brown rice
raisins
old fashioned pop corn
eggs
oatmeal – no additives
grits – no additives
corn and flour tortillas – no additives
sunflower seeds
pumpkin seeds
peanuts
all natural peanut butter (just peanuts and oil in the ingredients)
all-fruit spread
plain yogurt – regular and Greek
applesauce
canned pumpkin – no additives
100% natural pretzels
100% natural tortilla chips
canned tuna
canned salmon
chicken thighs and legs
turkey legs
ground turkey
frozen fruit
frozen vegetables
canned pineapples in 100% juice
canned peaches in 100% juice
Slightly more expensive, but worth it:
all natural beef
all natural, nitrate/nitrite free sausage
all natural pork
organic fruits and vegetables on the Dirty Dozen List
nuts – cashews, walnuts, pecans
100% natural dried fruit
all natural, organic bread
all natural string cheese/snack cheese
all natural cheeses
all natural bagels
100% orange juice
100% natural lemonade
ketchup with no high fructose corn syrup
olives
organic milk
Worth a splurge when you can:
grass fed beef
antibiotic free chicken
organic cheese, raw if you can find it
organic, all natural cereal
locally produced honey
raw agave nectar
organic, expeller processed canola oil
organic, expeller processed olive oil
organic, expeller processed coconut oil
fish – halibut, salmon, tilapia
organic fruits and vegetables
flaxseed meal
wheat germ
organic nuts roasted without oil
100% maple syrup
almond butter
nitrate/nitrite free bacon
nitrate/nitrite free ham, turkey, roast beef
nitrate/nitrite free pepperoni
organic, all natural yogurt – regular and Greek
organic spices
Celtic sea salt
What are some of your family’s favorite all natural, budget-friendly foods? I’m always looking for new ideas – so share your thoughts so we can all learn from one another!
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we buy from bulk bins too get just want you need and it's cheaper.
barley is good can't remember if you had that on the list.
homemade and green: http://homemadeisalwaysbetter.blogspot.com/
this post is exactly what i needed. i'm just now beginning to switch to natural eating and didn't know where to start. thank you very much:)
What about raisins/dried fruits? I've heard that they have sulfites in them.
Please post the Dirty 15 list. Maybe you posted this before but I just found your blog.
I'm trying to eat more naturally but it's a big process trying to get them to eat it.
Gidgetnfroggi – great idea about the bulk bins! thanks!
Allie – so glad I could help!
Heather – thanks for reminding me, I meant to add a link to that. It's there now. I also added the link to the resource page too. Raisins can be tricky. Some kids can tolerate them well, some can't. Buy organic to avoid any additives, and watch your kids to see if you notice a pattern after eating anything that may be questionable like this. Good luck!
Thanks for sharing such a great list. My family love fresh fruit and vegetables so we take a drive into the country whenever we can and buy directly from the farmers. They often have a stall at the front of the farms or an honesty box to buy their produce. This is always much cheaper than the markets and worth the drive.
Hi Cathy – what a great way to get fresh, local produce! I’m hoping to spend a morning doing this sometime this summer!
So, would you say produce and other such items purchased from a farmer’s market is okay? Or do you have to shop farmer’s markets with skepticism?
I love to shop farmer’s markets and really recommend getting as much produce there as possible. First, it’s locally grown, so it didn’t sit on a truck for days before getting to you. And most small farmers don’t use an irradiation process like larger producers. so the nutrients in the produce are more available. You are supporting your local economy at farmer’s markets. I always look for organically grown produce and chat with the farmers about how they grow their crops. That’s my favorite part – getting to know the people who are actually growing your food. If you’re skeptical about their practices then you can keep looking for someone you trust. Most of the farmers I’ve met welcome visits from the public as well so you could even go and check things out for yourself.