Two years ago my husband and I made a life-changing health pact.
At the time, local and organic were buzzwords whispered by bearded hipsters, embraced by loving tree huggers, and practiced by dexterous Yogis.
We shopped unenthusiastically at our regular grocery store, which was cheap and conveniently located a block away. Back then, grocery shopping was a chore.
I learned an important lesson during my lifelong battle with severe migraines. Preventive care was the only way to win. Regular sleep, tackling stress, and moderate exercise seemed to do the trick. It only made sense that dietary improvements would be the next logical step.
Since going organic, I’ve had possibly one or two migraines in the past couple of years, but they were minor. Previously I had several debilitating ones per year.
I teach dance to 20-50 kids each week—busy times of the year I’m around more than 100. Although it’s a germ extravaganza, I rarely get sick.
Bonus benefits for my hubby and I include: consistent energy, restful sleep, and weight loss. In conclusion, we feel better than we have ever felt in our lives.
Luckily for those of us here in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, we have Outpost, a local co-op brimming with natural wonders from end to end. For a small annual fee, we are owners, proud advocates of a necessary food revolution.
We are currently being featured on their website as “I Love Outpost” enthusiasts…
“Grocery shopping here is not an errand, it’s like going on a field trip. A feast for the senses, buying local encourages us to be spontaneous and daring with our meals based on the availability of fresh produce.”
A lot of us just don’t know any better. Hey, I grew up with frozen dinners and fast food, too. In the end, none of that is food and you bet your waistline you darn well know it.
The biggest excuse I hear for not shopping organically involves cost.
First, I’m going to level with you. Our weekly grocery bill did increase when we made the organic switch.
The primary reason for this involved eating more at home, another significant component of our health pact. With beautiful, savory ingredients at our fingertips we didn’t want to eat out as much. In turn this saved us money we were overspending at restaurants, channeling directly into our home supply.
Why shouldn’t we splurge on groceries? We’re getting plenty of bang for our buck. Food keeps us alive. Don’t worry, it’s a sound investment.
Alarmingly, Americans spend less of their incomes on groceries than other countries. This scarce amount is further wasted on processed meals bundled in nifty packages of convenience. Outside the grocery budget, money is handed through drive-through windows at fast food conglomerates, blindly encouraging the world dominance of chemically enriched meal impersonations.
Not only do these food imposters not nourish us properly, they damage our health. And, that brings us to health care.
Just kidding. I won’t go there.
My point is to take a look at yourself and your kitchen…take a really good look. Slow down and evaluate. Your health should never be an afterthought.
Go local. Go organic.
Get started by finding the right food provider near you…
Co+op, stronger together
Local Harvest
Get educated and spread the word by watching…
Britt Skrabanek 
We made the switch to organic a few years back and feel better too (note: we are a migraine family as well). I love the photo of the two of you at the market, too cute!
I’m very passionate about a healthy lifestyle being the best medicine. I love hearing positive stories from other people. We are definitely onto something, Letizia!
Thanks for the photo compliment. I always forget how tall my hubby is. I’m 5 ft. 8 in. and I look like such a shorty next to him. He’s my tall glass of filtered water. : )
Now that I know how tall you are, I can see how tall he is in comparison! That just makes the photo cuter 🙂
LOL!
I try not to eat dairy and find that controls my migraines quite well. However, I recently began to worry about calcium and have tried putting some dairy back into my diet. Not enough to upset the migraines, but apparently sufficient to give me IBS. I cannot do dairy. The sooner I wake up to that and stop it, the sooner I will feel better!
I’ve heard about the dairy-migraine relation. Living in the cheese state of Wisconsin, I could never entirely give up dairy! I did switch to almond milk last year, and love it, so I’ve definitely cut back.
Never tried almond milk. Perhaps I should give it a whirl. But cheese is terrible for me. Best I don’t go and live in Wisconsin!
Yes, do try it! We use it in coffee, cooking, smoothies…it’s a great substitute.
Great post! I recently made a huge life change as well. I drastically changed my diet and made exercising a priority. Our grocery bill went up too, but we rarely go out. We cook all the time too, though I am running out of recipes.
People need to stop and realize what they are really eating! Pre-packaged food is terrible for you and so is fast food. I feel so much better! Thanks for this great post!
That’s awesome, Whitney! I agree…many of us don’t stop to think what we’re feeding ourselves. Quick fixes will only hurt us in the end. Thanks for chiming in, doll!
Nice post! And thanks for the co-op shout out 🙂
Sure thing, Lisa!
I went organic a few yars back because I have a wheat intolerance and thought I may as well go the whole way 🙂
Great post
Great post
Thanks, Dianne!
We eat organic when we can. Eventually, we’ll find ourselves more committed. We often go to local farmer’s markets for our produce and have been surprised to learn that only about half of them are organic.
When we do find organic produce and meats, we marvel at the taste. It’s so much better.
I just saw a CNN report that organic foods have not been proven to be healthier. I don’t believe it at all.
Yeah, we stick with our co-op rather than farmers markets to make sure we’re actually getting organic. I also disagree with the CNN report. That’s a bunch of you know what. : )
[…] We switched to organic food five years ago. Whenever I get into a conversation with someone about my beautiful groceries, they complain about how expensive the good stuff is. Yet they’re wearing the latest trends, drinking their expensive coffee drinks…need I say more? […]