Tips on getting the best bang for your buck whilst grocery shopping!

[justiceischeap]

106. One more tip: Organic food in grocery stores is often a rip-off

Some farmer's do the very bare minimum they have to, to be certified organic. Also, a complaint often heard are of poor certification standards.

I haven't kept up with the laws but an example would be a cow being fed corn-based feed and that corn in the feed is genetically modified--that then makes the cow food product no longer organic if you go by the strictest definition but is okay according to the USDA. There's weird stuff that goes on with organic labeling.

If at all possible, purchase local and organic, otherwise do some research about the products you're interested in purchasing. And look for "non-GMO" labels on store purchased organic food products.

I just thought of another tip: Veggies... we tend to overcook them and they lose a lot of nutrients that way.

I have a friend who is a raw foodist (I find that extreme but some of the food is really good). For bigger nutritional bang for your buck, find some ways that raw foodist's prepare their food.

For example, I often eat raw garlic kale but if you don't "treat" it properly, it can be bitter. So, I use a bit of lemon juice and apple cider vinegar along with the garlic and "massage" my kale with it, letting it sit for a half-hour or so (or make it the night before) and this softens it up--almost like cooking it would yet I lose none of the nutrients I would from cooking it. Then I add some tamari, tahini and nutritional yeast to it and I've got greens that are chock-full of nutrients and vitamins.