Eating a good diet is often thought to be expensive, especially when sticking to the quality standards that the paleo / primal lifestyle has (grass-fed meat, wild fish, free ranged poultry). This being said, there are ways to get the best value for those who don’t have an endless food budget without sacrificing too much quality. Most people know that the top notch quality foods are found at farmers markets, but is it really necessary to buy all your food there to have optimal nutrition? Here’s a guide about the places to shop to make your money stretch further without lowering your quality goals.
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Meat: ideal quality
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Beef : 100% grass-fed & grass-finished
With the quality of beef being so important, it might make sense that this is one to get at the farmers market. It actually isn’t. With the exception of ground beef, the beef at farmers markets is a good 40+% more expensive than at grocery stores that stocks good meat. The high price you are paying doesn’t get you any additional quality, in fact since it is almost all frozen, you are losing quality. In both settings the cows are raised on open grassland, living optimal lives. Unlike poultry (see below) the farmers market really offers no advantage other than carbon footprint of less travel time.
Instead, buy your 100% grass-fed meat at stores such as PCC, Whole Foods, Trader Joes, and Ballard Market. From what I have found, PCC is typically the least expensive. Another options is to order directly from Thundering Hooves. The absolute cheapest option? Buy a whole cow and split it amongst friends. This typically gets you 100% grass-fed beef for around $4 per pound.
If fully grass-fed meat is still just plain too expensive, look for Country Natural Beef which is 90% grass-fed (yes the last 10% does make a huge difference) and antibiotic and hormone free. Country Natural Beef is sold at many stores including PCC, Whole Foods, Madison Market to name a few. This is still far better than conventional, cheaper meat.
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Lamb: 100% grass-fed & grass-finished
Very similar to the beef issue, only fewer grocery stores sell it. The cheapest, highest quality lamb is again through Thundering Hooves. As far as retail stores go, PCC and Whole Foods are the places to go. At the farmers market, expect to pay a lot more for the same quality stuff. If you are concerned about buying only local however, Whole Foods lamb is very far from it…but remember we are trying to save money here and do our best.
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Poultry: 100% pasture-rased
Chicken and turkey are one of the best indicators of the quality differences you receive at different grocery stores. Allow me to break it down for you:
QFC/ Safeway/ Fred Meyer/ Albertsons: (CONVENTIONAL) Birds raised in cages, zero room to move. Beaks and wings clipped to prevent conflict. Birds pumped full of antibiotics to make up for cramped conditions. Feed is entirely corn, wheat, and soy.
PCC / Whole Foods / Other Natural Stores (FREE-RANGED): Birds raised in large hen houses without cages with a door that is open if the birds choose to go outside. Crammed together. No antibiotics are administered. When inside, they eat corn, wheat, and soy. When outside, they eat grass, bugs, worms, etc. They are usually inside, so their feed is usually corn, wheat, and soy.
All Stores (ORGANIC). Same as conventional raising in the natural food stores, however the corn, wheat, and soy they are given have to be certified organic. Big whoop. Not worth the money.
Farmers Markets: Birds raised primarily outside, eating optimal amounts of grass, bugs, insects, etc while still receiving some corn, soy, wheat, and various vegetables from the farm. The extra bugs and grass they are eating significantly increases the nutritional content of the meat. Farmers markets are definitely something to look into when buying poultry.
Out of all food items, poultry is the biggest one that buying from the farmers market will benefit you.
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Eggs 100% pasture-raised, golden yolks
Eggs can follow the exact same guide as the poultry above, however there’s one more variation I’d like to touch on
Omega 3 Enriched: Still fed corn, soy & wheat, however also fed flaxseeds which increase the omega 3 content. If you can’t buy farmers market eggs, I would go for these. They are eating less of the bad stuff and give you a little extra omega 3 to enjoy.
Depending on the weather, the chickens will be inside or outside on varying levels. I would say there is definitely a potential argument for getting better value buying during the dryer months from farmers markets since if the weather is bad, they will be raised indoors regardless. Some farmers though will feed the chickens bugs and grass still inside, so talk to your farmer! If your yolk is yellow, they haven’t been outside much. All supermarket eggs have yellow yolks!
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Side Note: So is organic meat worth it? No. The reason I buy only organic beef at Whole Foods is simply because their 100% grass-fed meat happens to be organic. There is plenty of organic meat that is completely corn fed, just organic corn. Any farm that is going the effort of producing 100% grass-fed meat is going to be raising to organic standards, just without the extremely expensive certification. Thundering Hooves for example has some of the best quality meats in this area. They are not certified organic, which is why it is still affordable.
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Seafood: Wild Caught
The biggest thing here is to make sure you are getting wild fish and not farmed fish. If the product says “Atlantic,” it is farmed. Buy from a source with a knowledgeable employee who can guarantee you the fish is not farmed. Just like with beef, some fish starts wild and then is farmed for the last portion of their life. Really make sure the fish you are getting is 100% wild.
Fresh or frozen? Whatever is cheapest. Fresh will taste better, but if you can get a good deal on frozen, go for it as long as it is wild. I honestly don’t have a suggestion for where to shop to save on fish, just not the farmers market. Today I saw the same type of salmon at QFC for $2 more per pound than at Whole Foods. Go figure.
In reality however if money is a concern, you might be better off skipping the seafood. Grass-fed meat has the same healthful fatty acid profile as wild caught fish and is significantly cheaper. With the money you save, buy some fish oil!
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Produce: Your money saver
Organic produce often does taste better and can be quite expensive. With this in mind, I feel it is the main area you should spend less on when faced with a tight budget. Unlike cheap meat where you are consuming antibiotics and hormones as a byproduct, eating cheap vegetables really only results in lower vitamins and mineral contents, which even that topic is debatable. Pesticides are another potential issue, which most who buy organic assume they are avoiding. The reality though is that organic pesticides exsist and they are often used in organic farming. Simple solution? Wash your veggies, and wash them well! The last reasonable concern is that of genetic modification, which there is no solid research saying it is good or bad. I’m personally concerned, but not concerned enough to let my meat quality suffer when having to spend more on produce.
When cost is a concern, your best bets are shopping at places like QFC, Safeway, etc. Also surprisingly, if you find a produce market on the side of the road such as Rising Sun, it is significantly cheaper than grocery stores. At these cheaper places, if you can afford their organic produce, then go for it. Also occasionally checking Whole Foods and PCC for produce sale items can prove beneficial as well.
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Conclusion: Don’t Hate Me!
I am by no means anti-farmers market. I fully support local farmers and the difference they make. If I had an endless budget, I’d buy all my food from the farmers market to get the most optimal choices available. However, in a realistic world, as you can see, some things just aren’t worth it while on a tight budget. If you have the money, then go for it! If not, don’t worry…there are many other ways to shop.
