In order to successfully achieve overall wellness, we must eliminate the toxins we come in contact with through our environment and food. My “Revive Your Environment” post covers environmental toxins and easy steps to eliminate them. For my family, we were already living as a single income family, so budget was our #1 concern when we began this journey. I want to share some tips on how to clean out the processed foods and shop on a budget. There are various ways to achieve this objective. I am going to tell you my go-to places.
One of the simplest plans to go by for clean eating is to reference Paleo. Search Paleo and you will be blown away by all the information and recipes out there. The most important item to eliminate is wheat and moving towards no corn, soy or dairy. Wheat is sprayed with Roundup which destroys the gut. Cleaning out your pantry can be daunting but it’s a must.
Groceries on a budget:
Shop local farmers markets. Get to know your farmers. Ask them if they use pesticides. I have found with face to face conversations, they are honest and open about their crops. I get what produce I can here because it’s the best price and local, then I fill in as needed from Costco and Sprouts.
Costco has made HUGE improvements in the past year by adding more organic foods. They change out their products based on supply and demand, but I have created a master grocery list of staple items I keep on hand. I have done cost comparisons with many stores and find the majority of time, Costco is the best. Recently they started caring the Chosen Foods Mayo made from avocado oil. This mayo is 1/3 the price that I found at a health food store.
I shop at Sprouts for the produce and snack items that cannot be purchased from farmer markets or Costco. We like to get kombucha, kraut, buckwheat and Simple Mills crackers. I try to keep Sprouts trips to one per month.
Amazon Prime is a great resource, also. I order plantain chips, almond flour, coconut flour, arrowroot and Epic bars. Most flours comes in a 5 lb. bag and keep for a long time. I use gluten-free flours to bake the kids treats for school and bread for their lunches.
Action Step: Share a healthy food find in the comments below.
Amber