Savings & Nutrition
I like to think of myself as queen of saving money (a title of which I am happy to share)! Here is a website I recently learned about that has been helpful...
www.fivedollardinners.com ...This woman is amazing, really! She feeds her family of four every night for under $5. I highly recommend checking it out. She doesn't use organic though, which makes this even more of a challenge... I know organic food costs more, but I still try to buy organic. Her website actually has a great article on eating organic: http://www.5dollardinners.com/2009/05/organic-on-a-tight-budget.html.
You may be wondering how I can "justify" eating organic while trying to save money. I actually took some convincing myself at first, but here's what I know... First of all, all of the pesticides used to keep bugs and pests from eating food while its being grown actually makes it into our food. Gross. If its killing pests, why do I want to eat it? (And we wonder why there's so much cancer and disease.) There's more though... Looking at the Old Testament, the Israelites were told to observe a Sabbatical year, as well as the Year of Jubilee. (The Sabbatical Year is every 7 years. The Year of Jubilee is the 49th year.) On these years, the people were to let their land rest - not to grow anything. (Interestingly, there is no record of the Israelites ever adhering to this in the Bible, but since when has man ever done as God told him?) As it turns out, God knew what He was doing. Imagine that! Allowing the land to rest for that seventh year allows the soil to replenish all of the nutrients it has lost over the past 6 years while it has been growing crops. I am not saying farmers do this now, but maybe they should? Back to USDA organic though... spraying pesticides on crops year after year strips nutrition out of our fruits and vegetables. Bottom Line: Aside from unwanted pesticide residue, there is less nutrition in non-organic foods. ...I think I read that in The Maker's Diet? You can try researching it, but most researchers admit - or say at least - that there has not been much research done on the topic... I'm a skeptic. I'm sticking to organic.
Another idea... be organic yourself and grow your own garden. I am! And if you do that, then you can also allow the ground to rest every 7 years to replenish its nutrients - organic and obedient! My next project is putting up chicken wire to keep the squirrels and bunnies out...
www.fivedollardinners.com ...This woman is amazing, really! She feeds her family of four every night for under $5. I highly recommend checking it out. She doesn't use organic though, which makes this even more of a challenge... I know organic food costs more, but I still try to buy organic. Her website actually has a great article on eating organic: http://www.5dollardinners.com/2009/05/organic-on-a-tight-budget.html.
You may be wondering how I can "justify" eating organic while trying to save money. I actually took some convincing myself at first, but here's what I know... First of all, all of the pesticides used to keep bugs and pests from eating food while its being grown actually makes it into our food. Gross. If its killing pests, why do I want to eat it? (And we wonder why there's so much cancer and disease.) There's more though... Looking at the Old Testament, the Israelites were told to observe a Sabbatical year, as well as the Year of Jubilee. (The Sabbatical Year is every 7 years. The Year of Jubilee is the 49th year.) On these years, the people were to let their land rest - not to grow anything. (Interestingly, there is no record of the Israelites ever adhering to this in the Bible, but since when has man ever done as God told him?) As it turns out, God knew what He was doing. Imagine that! Allowing the land to rest for that seventh year allows the soil to replenish all of the nutrients it has lost over the past 6 years while it has been growing crops. I am not saying farmers do this now, but maybe they should? Back to USDA organic though... spraying pesticides on crops year after year strips nutrition out of our fruits and vegetables. Bottom Line: Aside from unwanted pesticide residue, there is less nutrition in non-organic foods. ...I think I read that in The Maker's Diet? You can try researching it, but most researchers admit - or say at least - that there has not been much research done on the topic... I'm a skeptic. I'm sticking to organic.
Another idea... be organic yourself and grow your own garden. I am! And if you do that, then you can also allow the ground to rest every 7 years to replenish its nutrients - organic and obedient! My next project is putting up chicken wire to keep the squirrels and bunnies out...
Yipee! Now I can comment :) Thanks for the email tip about organic too.
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