Conventional meats, eggs, poultry, fruits and vegetables are filled with chemicals that can cross the placenta and put your unborn baby at risk for developmental delays, birth defects, nervous system damage and other health problems.
If you want to reduce the risk of damage to your baby's health, organic foods are best.
Here are some tips to help you afford an organic pregnancy diet.
Avoid Buying Processed Snacks Processed snacks like cereal bars, granola bars, gummy bears, cookies, etc.
are expensive.
If you stop buying these items at the grocery store, you can use the money you save to buy organic foods.
Think about it.
The four dollars you spend on a box of granola bars can buy a dozen organic eggs or some organic produce.
When you're pregnant, you should avoid processed snacks because they're full of unhealthy ingredients like sugar, salt, preservatives, trans-fats and chemical additives.
These types of ingredients increase your risk of unnecessary weight gain, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer and hypertension.
Grow Some of Your Own Produce and Buy From Local Farmers Markets Starting a small garden in your yard or on your patio is a great way to save money.
Even if you only plant tomatoes, cucumbers and a few of your favorite herbs, you can save on your organic grocery bill.
Tomatoes and cucumbers are easy to grow and they can be used for salads, sandwiches, or eaten alone as nutritious snacks.
When you buy fresh herbs from the store, you often buy more than you can use.
When you grow your own herbs at home you can pick only what you need to season your meals, and dry the rest for future use.
Before you head to the store to buy your organic produce, stop by the local farmer's market to see what they have to offer.
The fruits and vegetables found at local farmer's markets are always fresh and in season.
The fruits and veggies at farmer's markets are grown locally, so they straight from the farm to you.
Since the produce doesn't have to be trucked across the country and placed in a pricey grocery store, it reduces your costs.
Buy Organic Foods Selectively Health food stores, just like other grocery stores sometimes order too much inventory and they need to reduce the price to get rid of it.
When you see organic fruits and vegetables marked down, buy them.
Also, buy organic meats when they are on sale.
If you are not going to eat the meat immediately, freeze it until you are ready to prepare it.
Buy fruits and vegetables that are in season.
When produce is in season, it is plentiful and not as expensive as out of season foods.
For instance, if strawberries are too pricey, buy bananas or pears instead.
If your budget is really limited, buy your fruits and vegetables selectively.
Some kinds of produce contain higher levels of pesticide residue than others; these are the types of fruits and veggies you should buy organic.
Here is a list compiled by the Environmental Working Group of the fruits and vegetables that contain the highest levels of pesticide residue.
1.
apples 2.
strawberries 3.
nectarines 4.
blueberries 5.
bell peppers 6.
spinach 7.
peaches 8.
celery 9.
kale 10.
potatoes 11.
cherries 12.
grapes No amount of washing or peeling can remove the pesticides from the fruits and vegetables on this list because the thin skins allow the pesticides to penetrate the produce.
Eating organic foods when you're pregnant is important for the health of your unborn baby.
By growing your own produce, shopping at local farmer's markets, and eliminating processed foods and buying selectively, having an organic pregnancy diet can be more affordable.