Consider the diet of the average American.  It is not loaded with fresh ingredients, fruits and vegetables are not in abundance,  and dairy is hard to find.  We spend our money on diet foods that have less calories or convenience foods.  We eat out often and cook home less.  The main problem is not organic, it is balance. 

1.  Add in come more fruits and vegetables.
2.  Find foods with fresh ingredients and less additives.
3.  Stop skipping meals.
4.  Eat vegetarian at least once a week.
5.  Cook at home 1-2x more per week.
6.  Look at how often you eat out and decide if it is often enough to order healthier options half the time.
7.  Try to increase your calcium intake with low fat dairy or green leafy vegetables.
8.  Have fish once a week.

Start with the structure of your diet before you jump to organic.  After all, an organic cookie is still a cookie and should be eaten mindfully .  So is the answer organic?  No.  I support it but do not think it is the right place to start if you have other basic changes to make.  So if you cannot afford organic, you can still make other changes to positively effect your health.  If you want to buy some fruit and vegetables organic, pick from the “dirty dozen” list that is said to have the highest amount of pesticide residue and for the rest buy what is on sale.

1.  Do you eat cream cheese?  Switch to whipped.  It takes the same but 1 Tbsp has half the fat compared to regular cream cheese.
2.  Spray your pan with cooking spray and saute with half the oil as usual.  I bet you will not notice the difference.
3.  Add 1/2 cup puree vegetable to cakes or muffins when baking.  It will add extra vitamins and fiber with minimal change in flavor.
4.  Try a fruity vinagrette or salad dressing from Trader Joe’s.  They are delicious and flavorful with more heart healthy fats.
5.  Bake with half white and half wheat flour.  Switching to all wheat can make a product dry, but half and half will likely not be noticable.
6.  Eat vegetarian 1-2 times a week.  It is good for your heart, health, and your wallet.
7.  Start planning your “once in awhile” meals at home not when out to eat.  Often times we overeat at restaurants if we feel it is a splurge and should enjoy it while we have it.
8.  Find at least one unsweetened beverage that satisfies you.
9. Use fresh herbs more often, you won’t miss the salt.  In fact the food tastes better without too much salt.
10.  Try to find a cereal with 5 grams of fiber per serving that you enjoy.

Can you think of one thing in your usual eating pattern that would be simple to change and hardly missed?