Healthy Eating vs Retirement Savings

[BeckyFL]

I've been thinking lately about exactly where the line is to be drawn as far as the extent to which you should buy organics, raw milk, clean meats, etc vs saving for retirement.

Right now, we are buying raw milk at $7.50/gallon (about one a week along with some Archer Farms organic milk as well), farm eggs at $4/doz, 1/2 beef at a time for about $4-5 per pound, chicken breasts from Fresh Market for $3.99/lb and some organic produce here and there (usually lettuce and sometimes strawberries, etc). Other produce is conventional.

My friend has gone way beyond this. They buy everything organic. Their butter is $10/lb raw milk butter. They don't buy 1/2 a cow at a time so their meat is quite expensive. They go through tons of produce... all organic. Their 19 year old daughter has Type 1 diabetes and she eats as many good things as possible.

I know we had a discussion about saving on groceries a bit ago and I've been thinking about it since then.

We don't have much set aside for retirement. My friend has even less set aside although her husband makes decent money. They are in their 50's and spend a lot of their income on food or health supplements, colonics, etc. I look at their situation and think it's a bit extreme and overboard. BUT is my situation overboard as well?

For us, we have a limited income. BUT... we COULD cut back by lowering our food standards and put more money aside. So... where do you draw the line?

[LibraryLover]

I don't know. I do spend a lot of money on healthy food. I try to be careful and thoughtful about it (bulk, coop, local grass fed meats etc), but I know it's not exactly a bargain way to shop. I raise my own chickens for eggs and meat, and one bag of organic feed is $25. I try to keep them on grass as much as possible, of course.

[Carol in Cal.]

If you're healthier, it's easier to work longer into retirement age.

I think it's important to try to have both, and I guess that my focus would be on finding better deals on healthy foods and also on saving in other areas. IOW, I would try for a compromise.

[Halftime Hope]

you know, this is something I wonder about as well.

 

I'm pretty fortunate, in that I can often find healthy items marked down, such as organic (not raw) milk for half price as it nears the expiration date. I wish it were raw, but I'd have to drive over an hour for that.

 

My parents are in their early eighties, and are still pretty vibrant, although they are a bit eccentric. (Eccentricity has nothing to do with health, in their case.) They have been eating well since I was a teen, so probably since their mid-forties. Their idea of eating well is primarily to eat a lot of fruits and vegs; when eating grains, they should be whole; raw nuts; meat as desired; *very* little processed meats; very little sugar; and boatloads of supplements and dietary powders (whole foods, proteins, etc.)

 

My dad has had two mitral valve replacements (due to childhood scarlet fever) and my mom has very mild copd (repeated lung infections while they were overseas) and some gi issues. Other than those concerns and "slowing down," they are fit and healthy. Every time they get a new doctor becasue of HMO changes, the primary care docs express shock to learn they are not on pain meds of any kind.

 

I hope I age as healthily as they have.

 

Note that they haven't done much in organic eating throughout the years, but then again, who knows if crops now use more pesticides than in years past, particularly if they are coming from overseas countries that don't have the federal guidelines we do. ??? In years past, there was not the exposure to GMO foods either.

 

I suspect that the most beneficial thing they have done is to keep inflammatory processes in their bodies very low due to their lifestyle.

 

hth

[elise1mds]

Personally - and I may be in the minority here - I would save for retirement. The way I see it, it there's no hard-core evidence (YET) that eating non-organic fruits and veggies is going to shorten your life any. Wash your food well, eat healthfully, exercise, and check your family history. If you come from a long-lived, healthy family, then odds are good you will, too, and you'll need to plan for that. If I hit my grandmother's age, 87, I would rather be able to buy any food I want rather than having to aim for the lentils, KWIM?

 

I ask myself all the time whether I'm buying enough organic food or not, but the bottom line is that I'm trying. Compared to many, many people on this board, I am a slacker. But compared to many, many people that I know personally, I eat extremely well and am lucky to afford the organic food that I can. I think you do what you can and hope for some luck and government changes. After all, when did GMO foods become the standard? Why can't organic be the standard and the GMO foods be the ones regulated (and therefore more expensive)? It drives me batty.

[twoforjoy]

Personally - and I may be in the minority here - I would save for retirement. The way I see it, it there's no hard-core evidence (YET) that eating non-organic fruits and veggies is going to shorten your life any. Wash your food well, eat healthfully, exercise, and check your family history. If you come from a long-lived, healthy family, then odds are good you will, too, and you'll need to plan for that.

 

This. Spending money for healthy foods, sure. Spending the extra for organics, I'm just not convinced there's a pressing reason to do so.

[Annie]

Here's where I draw the line for our family:

 

Organic (but not raw) dairy - I can sometimes get them cheaper close to the expiration date

 

Dirty dozen (mostly) organic - My city has very limited organic produce options in the supermarket. It's really hard to pass up all of the delicious looking (and cheap) strawberries when there isn't an organic carton to be found anywhere.

 

CSA in the summer/fall

 

I can get backyard chicken eggs for $3/dozen

 

We struggle with meats right now. In about a year we should be able to move to a place with enough room for a freezer. For now, I piece together what I can.

[Anita in NC]

I guess my question is can you eat healthily and eat things that are inexpensive.

 

As vegetarians we eat lots of things that are healthy and cheap like lentils, beans, quinoa, millet, rice, etc.... Some vegetables are a lot cheaper than others and if you buy seasonal fruits and vegetables you can get them for a good price.

 

In the summer we grow some of our own food - like tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant, squash, etc....

[LibraryLover]

For me, true organics is an environmental issue, as well as a human one. I can't look at conventional furits and veggies without thinking of the farm workers made ill by having to work with pesticides. I lived in CA for a time, and saw many migrant children in my work. Whenever I see 'Farm Fresh from California' signs at my market, I don't get a bucolic image in my mind.

 

I also know that the watersheds around Perdue (and others) factories are sufferring greatly and even being destroyed.

 

I spend about $600/month on food, and that's pretty much the best I can do, given my emotional limitations.

[LibraryLover]

I agree. It's probably the reason I don't spend 1000/mo.

 

I guess my question is can you eat healthily and eat things that are inexpensive.

 

As vegetarians we eat lots of things that are healthy and cheap like lentils, beans, quinoa, millet, rice, etc.... Some vegetables are a lot cheaper than others and if you buy seasonal fruits and vegetables you can get them for a good price.

 

In the summer we grow some of our own food - like tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant, squash, etc....

[actuary]

This. Spending money for healthy foods, sure. Spending the extra for organics, I'm just not convinced there's a pressing reason to do so.

:iagree:

[KS_]

For me, true organics is an environmental issue, as well as a human one. I can't look at conventional furits and veggies without thinking of the farm workers made ill by having to work with pesticides. I lived in CA for a time, and saw many migrant children in my work. Whenever I see 'Farm Fresh from California' signs at my market, I don't get a bucolic image in my mind.

 

I also know that the watersheds around Perdue (and others) factories are sufferring greatly and even being destroyed.

 

I spend about $600/month on food, and that's pretty much the best I can do, given my emotional limitations.

 

This is how I feel, too - it's not only my family's health, but the environmental and large scale effects (which is also why I recycle). We don't eat entirely organic, but I use the Dirty Dozen list (I will not buy non-organic produce on the list) and buy an organic produce basket every other week from Bountiful Baskets (which provides many organic items that I can't get at our local store). We buy organic eggs, and local grass fed beef.

[Jyniffrec]

I always get good quality fats and oils if I can. I buy bio-dynamic fruits and vegetables that grow close to the ground. I don't worry about fruits and vegetables that have thick skins. I just do the best I can with the budget I have and we do try to save money as well.

[ocelotmom]

We basically draw the line at where we feel negative effects on our current health and well-being.

 

We'd save a lot if we ate processed food and a more grain and starch-based diet, but we feel much better eating few or no starches, so we spend more for a more meat and vegetable-based diet, even though it's a sacrifice.

 

We generally eat conventional produce, though. Hopefully once Farmer's Market starts, we'll be able to find affordable locally-grown produce, and if so, we'll buy that, but not if it's horribly expensive. We buy local, appropriately raised and fed meat, but in large enough quantity that it's comparable in cost to conventional meat bought in smaller quantities. We do buy conventional meat when it's near it's sell-by date and deeply discounted.

 

DH has health problems that may well impact his ability to actually experience and enjoy his retirement (plus a strong family history of Type II DM), so controlling those has to be a priority to some extent.

[Penelope]

I guess my question is can you eat healthily and eat things that are inexpensive.

 

As vegetarians we eat lots of things that are healthy and cheap like lentils, beans, quinoa, millet, rice, etc.... Some vegetables are a lot cheaper than others and if you buy seasonal fruits and vegetables you can get them for a good price.

 

In the summer we grow some of our own food - like tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant, squash, etc....

 

:iagree:

 

It is the meat and the dairy that hugely increase the costs of eating organic. The produce, at least where we live, adds some, but it isn't too bad. I also don't get upset if I can't find much good, reasonably priced organic produce. Sometimes it happens. I think as long as we eating lots and lots of green stuff, we'll be doing as well as we can.

 

There are lots of other things I do when I have time, that save money. Drive the extra distance to buy grains and beans in bulk, make bread, buy lots of extra peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, greens when they are cheaper and in season, and freeze, or cook and freeze for things that are not so good frozen and raw.

[justamouse]

Huh. For as much as we pay around here-your prices are higher. Are you getting stuff directly from the farms or shopping in Whole Paycheck?

 

Because of Alz in my Dh's immediate family, we've switched to organic meats and are slowly switching the dairy (the nitrates-you know about this if I remember correctly). I do buy the dirty dozen organically if that's what I'm using that week. I can make my own butter, cheeses and breads.

 

We are eating much less meat, much less milk, but better quality. I have a garden going, I can, and I buy in bulk what I can.

I also try not to throw any food out. It's just too expensive to throw out.

 

I don't plan on retiring. I, like my Aunt and Uncle, plan on being so busy that I need to be healthy (they are in their 70s and are so busy they make me tired. Aunt has been a health food nut since the early 70s.). I'll probably start businesses with my kids-which is what we talk about now. But, because they will be out of the house, and that's 20 years from now, the house will be paid off, my bills will be less, and what I do have as investments will hopefully be ready to pluck. If my Dh dies before I do, we're OK.

Edited May 26, 2011 by justamouse

[Jenny in Atl]

For me, true organics is an environmental issue, as well as a human one. I can't look at conventional furits and veggies without thinking of the farm workers made ill by having to work with pesticides.

 

:iagree:

Our love of cheap year-round food, in overly abundant supply, is slowly killing us. I just read a heart braking review of a book about food waste in the US. http://www.amazon.com/American-Wasteland-America-Throws-Nearly/dp/0738213640

 

The issue goes beyond just organic. I honestly don't want to be well off, in my old age, if I'm riddled with lifestyle and food related diseases.

[Shellydon]

I've been thinking lately about exactly where the line is to be drawn as far as the extent to which you should buy organics, raw milk, clean meats, etc vs saving for retirement.

Right now, we are buying raw milk at $7.50/gallon (about one a week along with some Archer Farms organic milk as well), farm eggs at $4/doz, 1/2 beef at a time for about $4-5 per pound, chicken breasts from Fresh Market for $3.99/lb and some organic produce here and there (usually lettuce and sometimes strawberries, etc). Other produce is conventional.

My friend has gone way beyond this. They buy everything organic. Their butter is $10/lb raw milk butter. They don't buy 1/2 a cow at a time so their meat is quite expensive. They go through tons of produce... all organic. Their 19 year old daughter has Type 1 diabetes and she eats as many good things as possible.

I know we had a discussion about saving on groceries a bit ago and I've been thinking about it since then.

We don't have much set aside for retirement. My friend has even less set aside although her husband makes decent money. They are in their 50's and spend a lot of their income on food or health supplements, colonics, etc. I look at their situation and think it's a bit extreme and overboard. BUT is my situation overboard as well?

For us, we have a limited income. BUT... we COULD cut back by lowering our food standards and put more money aside. So... where do you draw the line?

 

For *me* your food preferences are over the top. I would buy regular food at the grocery store and put the rest towards retirement. We personally buy organic milk and yogurt(it is just a few cents more than the non-organic) and occasionally organic produce. We will by organic meat when it is on sale and when we get a chance will support local farmers as long as the price is hugely more. I really believe that you can eat well by cooking from scratch and it doesn't have to be organic. I personally am not sold that organic is all that much better for you. Whole wheat, lots of fresh produce, little or no processed foods are great, but I don't think that foods have to be organic to be healthy. Just my 2 cents.

[LibraryLover]

I think most of us realze we're pretty flawed, Wendyk. Most of the folks I know try to do what they can with their money and resources. I know for me, recycling and limiting packaging is very important. Treading lightly is actually more important to me than organics. I will buy local food that might not be organic, but isn't in strofoam and didn't travel 3 k miles. But I also want to save money. It's an imperfect system here, for sure. :)

[amy g.]

If I had to choose, I would choose healthy, fresh foods over saving for retirement.

 

My grandmother ate very well, and lived to be 99, while my dad only outlived her by 2 years. It's not a known fact that his poor diet contributed to his colon cancer, I'm pretty sure that it did not help prevent it.

 

Fortunately, I am able to have both quality food and money for retirement because I pay for my food with time instead of money.

 

It is a whole lot of work to get up early to milk the cows and goats, but it is worth it to me because I know my family has the freshest raw milk.

 

Organic vegetables cost us only the cost of the seeds.

 

We only eat meat that we raise ourselves.

 

Hopefully, when Dh no longer wants to work, and my children are grown, we will continue to grow food for our grandchildren.

[Food4Thought]

What's the point of having lots of money for retirement if you only have to spend it on medical bills? For me, healthy eating is a way of saving. I'm saving my good health for my later years.

 

However, I don't think you have to go over the top spending tons of money on organic this and free-range that. Local farms will sell us produce for much cheaper than the prices the OP has quoted. You'll definitely be paying too much if you buy from chain grocery stores. Find local outlets - especially now that Farmer's Markets are up and running again.

 

Also, consider that dairy is your largest cost. I may be in the minority on this, but I don't believe dairy is necessary for survival, and I've even read a lot of research that shows that dairy can actually be detrimental in many ways (organic or not). We've cut dairy out of our diets, which has made a big difference on both our health and our budget. Anyway, if I was spending that much money on one particular food, I'd definitely be cutting way back on it. It's a luxury, unless you grow it yourself.

[Shellydon]

What's the point of having lots of money for retirement if you only have to spend it on medical bills? For me, healthy eating is a way of saving. I'm saving my good health for my later years.

 

 

I think that assuming that eating organic is the only way to be healthy is flawed. I also think that assuming that just because you eat organic and/or eat well you won't have medical problems is flawed. Lots of people that eat well end up with cancer, ALS, MS or get hit by a car and have to be in a wheelchair and can't work again.

[amy g.]

While it is true that eating well doesn't guarantee healthy long life, neither does saving money guarantee a happy secure retirement.

 

We all know people who have saved, and prepared, but have had their plans for retirement ruined through no fault of their own. Others fail to save or plan, but end up being taken care of due to fate, or inheritance.

 

None of us can control our futures, but we can choose to increase our odds. for me, that means the healthiest food I can possibly provide as well as saving money for the future and avoiding debt.

[BeckyFL]

Thanks for all the feedback. So far there are many different viewpoints. I guess it's just going to take some prayer to figure it all out. Tossing around ideas is a great starting point for thinking it all through. Thanks!

[The Governess]

I don't buy 100% organic. But I am very selective about where our foods come from. I only buy organic animal products because I want to make sure they haven't been fed GMOs or given antibiotics or hormones. I try to always buy products that come from a reputable dairy or local ranch/farm. It's hard but it's worth it. And it's not just a monetary or health consideration for me, it is a question of ethics as well. Sure, factory farmed products are cheap, but at what expense? I need to care about the animal that was raised in appalling conditions so I could have a cheap hamburger (this is true of just about any meat or milk you buy in a regular grocery store). I just can't bring myself to eat an animal that was raised this way anymore. How do I do that and say that I value life? I feel that the only way our food will be raised with care once again is if we stop demanding cheap food. So, I am happy to spend the extra money, eat less meat if I must in order to keep my grocery bill down to a semi-reasonable level, and support the farmers and companies that are trying to do the right thing.

 

Sorry about the rant, I have been having passionate feelings on this topic lately. :D

[Food4Thought]

I think that assuming that eating organic is the only way to be healthy is flawed. I also think that assuming that just because you eat organic and/or eat well you won't have medical problems is flawed. Lots of people that eat well end up with cancer, ALS, MS or get hit by a car and have to be in a wheelchair and can't work again.

 

I just want to clarify that I did not say "eating organic" was the way to good health. If you read the rest of my post, you'll see that I don't advocate that at all. But I do think good health is worth spending a little extra time, research, and money. Don't buy it just because someone's trying to sell it to you. Buy it because it's the best choice for what you can afford.

 

Sure, we're all going to die somehow, but the Standard American Diet is a great way to make that happen a lot more painfully, and for a lot longer time. No thanks.

 

"Let your food be your medicine, and your medicine be your food." -Hippocrates

[MSNative]

Don't know what your situation is but can you garden? Even a

balcony garden can save a lot. I live in the city limits on a half acre of hill. We have a small terraced area we use for raised beds. Just this year we figure we have saved over $100 on salad greens and beans. That's before the berries, apples, pears, and all the main veggies. We're only able to use an area about 10X20 for veggies but it produces. The trees we planted around the yard. Herbs are mixed in and in window boxes. Melons and grapes along the fence

 

Gardening allows us to eat very healthy, stay healthy tending it and still have money for savings. Plus we get to know our neighbors when we go around begging them to take some of the surplus that we can't preserve. Like salad greens. Anyone want some? Please!! :)

[BeckyFL]

Don't know what your situation is but can you garden? Even a

balcony garden can save a lot. I live in the city limits on a half acre of hill. We have a small terraced area we use for raised beds. Just this year we figure we have saved over $100 on salad greens and beans. That's before the berries, apples, pears, and all the main veggies. We're only able to use an area about 10X20 for veggies but it produces. The trees we planted around the yard. Herbs are mixed in and in window boxes. Melons and grapes along the fence

 

Gardening allows us to eat very healthy, stay healthy tending it and still have money for savings. Plus we get to know our neighbors when we go around begging them to take some of the surplus that we can't preserve. Like salad greens. Anyone want some? Please!! :)

 

I really want to do that. I'm in Florida and so far have a record of killing things. We just put some new beds around the back porch, so I'm hoping to try again with some tomatoes and things (you swayed me away from flowers -thanks!). I would really love to have my own fresh produce!!!!

[OrganicAnn]

I think if you make good choice you can increase your organic and/or healthy and not sacrifice your retirement. Meat can be expensive, so cut back on meals with meat. Organic vegetables are expensive, but if you buy in season and not early when they are most expensive you will save money. Also if you grow your own (if you don't go crazy with gadgets and products), you can have organic, fresh, seasonal veggies that aren't too expensive. Then can, dry, freeze them. Fruit trees instead of ornamental trees. Fruit bushes instead of ornamental flowering bushes. Lots of things you can do, if you want to.

 

I read someone that if people ate the bare minimum amount of calories that they would increase their life expectancy. Something like rice and beans for 2 meals a day and only eating 2 meals. That would save a lot of money for retirement. (I don't think I could do it)