Part One of Two

So first a confession; I’m writing this while eating an otherwise healthy breakfast and sipping, wait for it… a Diet Coke.

And sadly this isn’t a rare occurrence for me, as my food MO is to eat pretty well for the most part but still make an occasional inexplicable choice. The culprit in this scenario, the Diet Coke, is not only nutritionally bereft in the worst way, but at roughly $3.99 for a 12 pack, a shameful purchase given that for the same price I could have endless glasses of antioxidant rich ice tea and a enough bananas to keep my family of four potassium rich for a full week. It’s a no-brainer, and yet there seems to be a widely-held belief in this country that it’s more expensive to eat well. Eating foods that are not only nutritionally sound but that are organic, local and sustainable is often viewed as the purview of the upper middle class, cost prohibitive to a majority of Americans. The prevailing notion is essentially that while high-quality food is fine for a short list of items, processed, bagged and boxed options from the center aisles of the grocery store are the only affordable choices for most of what we eat.

I just don’t buy it.

I think this is a relatively recent phenomenon, as evidenced by the numerous occasions during my own childhood when I would plead with my dad to buy some frozen pizza or other processed novelty at the grocery store only to have him grimace, not at the nutritional content or lack thereof, but at the cost, declaring that he could make a pizza that tasted a lot better and was a lot cheaper — at home.

But for argument sake, even if eating well did set us back a few extra dollars each week, (my Diet Coke “addiction” not-withstanding), as my hubby and I try to eke out the best, healthiest, most sustainable food plan for our family, I’m convinced that we can’t afford not to eat well.

I could spend pages telling you why: the health benefits of eating well, the environmental impact of our current food system, the rationale of seasonal eating. But so many others have already done it far more eloquently, so instead I’ll urge you to read Michael Pollan’s Omnivore’s Dilemma, Mark Bittman’s Food Matters: A Guide to Conscious Eating, or Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life. Or if you’re short on time, take in a viewing of the documentary film Food Inc. at the Magnolia Theater.

So, I’m ready to take action, stop my occasional dalliances with boxed mac and cheese and make a commitment to responsible eating. I’m aiming for 75% of my family’s food consumption to come exclusively from organic, sustainable sources (all ideally local as well, but we live in Dallas, and we love the aforementioned bananas). I’m starting with 75% because I’m realistic. We love the salsa at Mi Cocina and are fairly addicted to Paciugo Gelato, and I know we’ll want to enjoy these things occasionally, but if we’re managing to eat the way I unequivocally, wholly, believe we should be a majority of the time then I think we’ll be headed in the right direction.

Before embarking on my mini food revolution, I thought it wise to glean insight from those that came before me and visited a slew of articles I’d bookmarked about eating sustainably on a budget. My favorite account comes from the Dallas area blogger who writes on ourgreennest.blogspot.com and is completely committed to a green lifestyle. She documents her strategy for feeding her family of two adults and one breastfeeding/solid-eating toddler 100% organic food, spending only an average of $100 a week. Granted her example is a bit extreme, as her family is vegan so they eschew the more expensive organic items like meat and dairy, but she employs a few tactics that I will immediately adopt, including getting all grains, rice and beans from the bulk aisle and severely limiting packaged foods and beverages containing zero nutrients… Diet Coke, I’m talking to you. We’re also planning to cull down our meat-based dinners to four (or less!) a week.

This weekend we’ll create a meal plan and shopping list and head to the farmer’s market + Whole Foods to gather our provisions. My aim is to spend no more than our average weekly grocery budget by sticking to the new cost saving tactics. I’ll also set aside a small slush fund for the possibility of a mid-week gelato run so we don’t immediately abandon ship due to any feelings of deprivation.

Next Friday, I’ll share our week-one results – what worked, what failed miserably, what we ate…how much it cost. Since my aim is for this to be a long-haul change, I’m especially focused on working out the culinary kinks right from the start so eating doesn’t become a burden but rather a celebratory, responsible, nurturing event activity for my family.

So here’s to better eating! (And who knows, maybe our reduced food “footprint” will offset our shameful air conditioner usage during this crazy hot Dallas summer.)