a comparison...

Shopping and preparing foods free from artificial additives is not as hard as it might sound. The learning curve was steep the first few weeks as I read through ingredients and tried by myself to find foods that would work. My job got much easier when I joined the Feingold Association and received their food guide: a list of foods carefully researched and known to be free from artificial ingredients or preservatives. I also received a recipe book with some wonderful help in making homemade items that are otherwise pricey or hard to find.

I've noticed the following changes in my shopping habits and bills. Some items are more expensive, some (especially those things I can make myself) are quite a bit cheaper. My grocery bill is higher than it used to be, but it keeps dropping as I locate more foods and buy things on sale. I do have to shop more food stores now, but am learning to stock up as I go so I can make less trips. Stocking up is one reason why my initial bills are higher. Another is because I have to re-purchase staples, but then once they are replenished, they will last for a long time.

Here is a snapshot of what we used to eat, followed by what we eat now. Most foods are very brand-specific, but since the Feingold food guide is copyrighted, I am trying to share just a few brands to give an idea of what the changes are like. I put a dollar sign next to those foods that are more expensive to buy. As you can see, there's a lot of variation in what was more expensive before vs. after switching to Feingold (FG).

Breakfast

Before FG:

Honey Nut Cheerios, store brand frozen waffles ($)
imitation maple syrup, bagels with cream cheese, instant oatmeal, Juicy Juice or orange juice

After FG:

Grape Nuts cereal, homemade waffles, Natural Ovens Brainy bagels with Kraft cream cheese, real maple syrup, homemade oatmeal, pear or pineapple juice

Lunch

Before FG:

Peanut butter sandwich on store-bought bread ($), Campbell’s soups, grilled cheese made with Kraft American cheese slices, Oscar Mayer deli meats, Spaghettios, Tyson’s chicken nuggets and OreIda French Fries, Kraft macaroni and cheese, Lowfat store brand milk

After FG:

Peanut butter sandwich on homemade bread, Amy’s soups ($--homemade will be cheaper but these are very yummy and quick), grilled cheese made with Land O Lakes white American cheese ($), tortilla wrap made with Azteca tortilla, Boar’s Head ($) or Hormel Naturals lunch meats; Ian’s chicken nuggets and Alphatots ($), Annie's Macaroni and Cheese ($-but I found it on sale at Target for $1 a box!), Organic milk ($), we found a cheaper non-organic brand of lowfat that is free of additives, but noticed Josiah may react to it

Supper

Before FG:

Casseroles made with processed ingredients such as canned soups; frozen pizza, cornflake chicken, tacos, spaghetti with homemade spaghetti sauce

After FG:

Casseroles made with fresh ingredients, white pizza with whole wheat crust, chicken made with panko breadcrumbs or Grape Nuts Flakes, tacos, plain spaghetti with butter or spaghetti with white sauce or homemade sauce when we reintroduce tomatoes

Snacks

Before FG:

Goldfish crackers, Cheetos, Ritz crackers with hummus, store bought granola bars ($), marshmallows, store bought cereal bars

After FG:

Annie’s crackers, Cheetos White Cheddar Cheese Puffs, Kashi crackers with peanut butter, homemade granola bars, homemade marshmallows, homemade cereal bars

Fruits

Before FG:

Grapes, strawberries, raspberries, oranges, peaches, apples

After FG:

Pears (canned or fresh), watermelon, cantaloupe, mango (found some frozen!), kiwi, banana

Other

This gives a glimpse of how easy it is to simply switch brands and find a similar food!

Before FG:

Store brand margarine
Smart Balance tub margarine
Store brand chicken tenders
Pillsbury pull-apart cookies ($)
Kraft shredded cheeses made with 2% milk
M and M’s, other candy bars, Dum Dum lollipops,Nestle chocolate chips, imitation vanilla

After FG:

Butter or Willow Run margarine ($-but not bad!)
Earth Balance tub margarine ($)
Fresh or frozen chicken breasts with no added broth
Homemade cookies
Sargento 4 Cheese Mexican blend
Yummy Earth Lollipops ($), Ghirardelli chocolate bars (if we could do chocolate!), Ghirardelli chocolate chips, real vanilla

And a few things haven't changed a bit:
Frozen roll brand, taco shell brand (we already make homemade seasoning), eggs, lite canned or frozen fruit/veggies, animal crackers, pancake mix, hot dog brand, most chips, several clear sodas or colas, Honey Teddy Grahams, brand of bacon (although I’m anxious to try Hormel Naturals with no added nitrates), peanut butter brand (although I’ve switched to Smuckers Naturals for most things we eat--a dietician told us that food companies replace natural peanut oil with things like sugar or other less healthy oils), things like flour, sugar, most spices

A few things we've noticed with our diet: more whole grains are being included because of the homemade breads and snacks. We're eating more veggies and still keeping up our fruit consumption though for now the choices are more limited. We do use more organic simply because those foods tend to be less processed with fewer additives. After hearing the recent research on the link between ADHD and pesticides, we may also try to buy more organic fresh produce. (I'm not quite there yet.) Almost all of the new foods are more delicious (I love the Boar's Head products, carried by our Kroger)! I may be paying a bit more, but this is real food. The health and behavior trade-offs are well worth it. We eat out less, although I do have a national restaurant guide with some really great choices when we are ready to start testing out restaurant food.

The air is getting cooler, a reminder that the holiday season is not far off. I'm already thinking about how to handle Halloween candy, Thanksgiving dinner, and Christmas cookies. Watch for posts to come!

A side note: yesterday I broke my chocolate fast when I ate a small Krackle candy bar my son brought home from Sunday School. I used to love these but this time, I thought it tasted horrible.