Green Spending

One thing that I feel guilty about is the amount of money I spend each week on groceries. Since I've overhauled my diet and been incorporating more organic greens and veggies in my diet, I probably visit the market about five days a week. A couple times a month I hit the weekend farmers too.

Living in New York and carrying my bags from store to home, makes it impossible to truly stock up. I can a handle one bag per arm. Also, my refrigerator only has so much room. These days it's always packed. Next to my husband's beer, you'll find kale, cucumbers and cultured veggies. In the fruit and veggie drawer not only are there granny smiths, lemons and more cucumbers but also a chunk of Callebaut chocolate (leftover from when I used to eat a lot more sugar and engage in a lot more baking) along with tiny vials of tobramycin and amphotericin (medicines that I use in my daily nasal wash). Also, it's hard to stock up on fresh, organic produce since whole foods have an expiration date unlike processed ones.

I have no actual idea exactly how much I spend, since I'm partially afraid to total the amount. The book, In Defense of Food, encourages readers to spend more on fresh, organic whole foods while eating less overall and specifically eating less or abstaining from eating processed and manufactured foods. It states in the end you'll have better health, fewer doctors visits and fewer medical bills.

I have come to believe that food can heal. As I see my health slowly improving, I see myself being able to get off my intra-nasal medications that cost close to $200 a month and to stop visiting the otolaryngologist, who charges cabout $4,000 for a visit and debridement. So, spending $2.29 for two organic cucumbers at Trader Joe's or $4 for a pound of fresh, local kale seems like a steal.