photo credit: Inspire Me Now
One of the things that I’ve learned in my personal experiences with healthy living and eating is that sometimes it can be more expensive to buy healthy food. It takes a bit of savvy shopping to purchase food that is healthy but it can be done. Most of us have heard all about the benefits of purchasing organic produce but I can tell you that it is virtually impossible for me to buy everything organic. For instance, last month I visited one of my local grocery stores with the intention of purchasing red bell peppers for a recipe. Organics were available so I placed them in my cart. When I got to the check out line I was told by the cashier that ONE bell pepper was $7.00!
Needless to say, I did not purchase that pepper. I did however buy a different pepper - also organic for $2.50 (which is still ridiculous in my opinion). As an alternative to organic foods, I’ve decided to shop for locally grown food. In my non-scientific opinion this is a good alternative for several reasons. One, my food is not being transported from long distances causing excessive pollution in the environment. Two, I am not as concerned about any types of preservatives because it is locally grown. Three, I like the idea of supporting local farmers and having the knowledge of exactly where my food comes from.
To supplement my monthly trip to the Farmers Market, I’ve discovered that my Walmart has locally grown produce. This is great because it is closer to me and I can travel there more frequently. Obviously Walmart does not carry all of the produce that my Farmers Market does but it is a good place for me to go on off weeks. And Walmart is gearing up efforts to provide local produce for consumers, a bonus for the environment! You can get more information about their efforts by watching this video.
Again, I know eating healthy can be pricey but by doing some savvy shopping you can do it!
Disclosure: I am a Walmart mom and have been compensated to provide information about their sustainability program. And as usual, all opinions are my own.
