It absolutely is.  I know which fruits and vegetables should really be purchased organic, but when the difference is $1 PER apple or whatnot, when it's a food that could potentially end up in my trash in a week if no one eats it, it's hard to justify it.
Non-genetically modified foods are important, but again, that means you have to buy organic.  Getting soda or ANYTHING made with natural sugar instead of high-fructose corn syrup alone could change a $30 bill into $60, easily.  It's ridiculous.

I still try to buy the best we can afford (I'm not buying chocolate chip cookies for lunch and we only eat whole grain pasta and bread), but I still would like to make some improvements to our diet that I currently cannot afford.

RanaAurora Jan. 8, 2009 at 3:36 PM

I agree it is very expensive to feed your family healthy foods but it is also worth it to me... so I buy fresh veggies when they are on sale other wise I buy frozen to avoid salt. I buy in season fruit or canned with natural juices. And when it comes to snack foods (chips, cookies, brownies, fruit leathers, dried fruits, cupcakes, ice cream)I make almost all of my own so that I know what goes into them. I also use the cook book The Sneaky Chef which helps make not always the most healthy foods healthier for you buy sneaking in veggies, lol! My kids never even notice. It is a lot of work, planning and organization to do it is worth ever ounce of energy that I put into it! Also if you have money to buy junk then you HAD enough to buy some canned veggies or fruit. It is all a matter of choice.

MNMom247365 Jan. 8, 2009 at 4:18 PM

I think it's possible to stay within "budget" and still eat healthy, but it can take of lot of willpower to stick with it. Especially with both parents being exhausted and not having any kids old enough to really contribute to meal preparation (only able to do tiny roles). Some weeks we shop really "smart", other weeks we end up doing not so healthy and cheap meals.

redlily08 Jan. 8, 2009 at 4:31 PM

MNMom, we have the Sneaky Chef book too.  It's great.  I use wheat germ in practically anything we can add it to, and we do eat HEALTHY... but like I said, there's healthy eating, and then there's REALLY healthy.  Peanut butter is healthy, but peanut butter not made with high fructose corn syrup is REALLY healthy.

RanaAurora Jan. 8, 2009 at 4:47 PM

I find that when we wing it or wait till the last minute to decide what to have for dinner each night, rather than planning specific recipes or meals for each night of the week, our grocery bill is so much higher! So now I use an online recipe service that I love that's really helped a lot. It features simple recipes with very healthy, available ingredients. It costs about $21 for a three month supply of recipes, which may sound like a lot, but in the end it really saves us big.

Cafe Cynthia Jan. 8, 2009 at 5:15 PM

I am very picky about what i buy and i will buy fruits and veggies before anything else...if something has to be cut  it will be bread or processed foods. I love to cook and i plan out meals for the week using fresh ingredients and only shop for that week

girl_in_the_D Jan. 8, 2009 at 7:01 PM

YES, YES, YES....IT'S HORRIBLY EXPENSIVE TO EAT ORGANIC.  It's not...however...as expensive to eat "healthy."  Of course, I would rather eat all organic but it's not possible.  We do not have enough money to eat all organic.  I still don't understand why something costs more with less ingredients I.e. high fructose corn syrup.  You would think it would cost less once you take out unnecessary ingredients.  grrr.....

madetobeamom Jan. 8, 2009 at 10:46 PM

I would agree it is expensive to feed your family a healthy diet, but in turn, I found it cheaper to make my child her baby food rather than purchase it in the jar. Not only did I not have to pay for a glass that I was just going to get rid of, but I knew that I was not feeding her any additives, somthing that I did not want to have in her system until it was a little more mature and able to handle additives and preservatives better. I do not know the savings from this once the price of food went up, but when my sis-in-law calculated it up for her babies the year before, she was saving over $500 a month by making her own baby food! 

alexmagoo Jan. 9, 2009 at 4:12 PM

I feed my family of four a very healthy, varied diet of natural foods for less than $40 a week.  It is NOT expensive to buy healthy foods, but the processed food industry sure has done a good job of convincing people of it. 

There are a few things that help keep our grocery bills low:
1. I like to cook.  Buying whole foods instead of convenience foods saves a lot.
2. We eat a plant-based diet.
3.  I buy an annual share to a local, organic farm.  We get a box of fresh produce weekly during the growing season.  We eat as many veggies as we want and I can freeze what we won't be able to use and it lasts through most of the winter, especially with the extra box of storage veggies we get in the fall.
4.  WE DON'T BUY JUNK FOOD.  Or any processed foods, really.

EmeraldsMommy Jan. 9, 2009 at 8:05 PM

Getting soda or ANYTHING made with natural sugar instead of high-fructose corn syrup alone could change a $30 bill into $60, easily.  It's ridiculous.

RanaAurora Jan. 8, 2009 at 3:36 PM

Yes, that's true.  But soda isn't healthy, regardless of the type of sweetener used.  The HEALTHY option is a lot cheaper--skip the soda and drink water!

EmeraldsMommy Jan. 9, 2009 at 8:12 PM