How to Shop for Affordable Organic Food in Portland 

(ARA) - Providing Portland families with nutritious, well-balanced meals is hard enough for busy consumers, but in today’s changing economy, affordability is also a factor. While it may seem like the cost of everything from gas to groceries is on the rise in Oregon, the good news is that you can feed your entire family organic and natural foods at a lower cost without having to make an extra trip to a specialty health food store. Now you can find a variety of organic and natural products at your local supermarket, for a lot less than you might expect.

Many grocery shoppers are seeking ways to lead healthier lifestyles but also want foods that offer value, selection and convenience. Research shows that they prefer organic and natural foods -- the demand for these foods has grown 10 to 15 percent annually over the past 15 years as shoppers have become more mindful of the ingredients in foods they buy.

The increase in demand for organic and natural foods is partly attributed to parents who see the value in feeding their families food that is free of artificial colors, flavors and preservatives. Others eat organic and natural foods because they believe they taste better since they have not come in contact with pesticides.

Eat well, live well
The secret to eating well and living well can be as simple as choosing organic and natural foods from the wide array of privately branded supermarket foods. These store brands are often as good or better quality than their national brand counterparts, and are priced lower. And, because of recent demand, shoppers can now expect to find all their favorite foods in an organic or natural variety.

For example, the Wild Harvest brand of organic and natural foods, available nationally at SUPERVALU stores including Acme, Albertsons, Jewel-Osco, Cub Foods, Shaw’s and others, offers 250 organic and natural products, all priced at approximately 15 percent lower than national-brand organic and natural foods.

Products include mealtime staples like milk, eggs, meat and fresh produce, and other foods like pastas, sauces, cookies, crackers, cereal and juice. Recently the Wild Harvest brand expanded to include more family favorites, including pizza, kids’ juice pouches, ready-to-drink tea, fresh herbs, artisan bread and muffins and organic baby food.

Food experts have long known the appeal of fresh and organic foods. Among them is Chef Bill Telepan of New York City’s highly acclaimed Telepan restaurant and author of the cookbook, “Inspired by Ingredients.” Telepan has been using fresh, natural and organic foods for more than 15 years, cooking for his family and customers alike. “Today’s families, like my own, want affordable, natural and delicious foods -- I feel the impact of this trend through the requests I receive from customers for these types of foods in my restaurant. Wild Harvest organic foods address the need for a good selection of fresh and healthy foods that are convenient and a good value,” says Telepan.

Defining “organic” and “natural”
It’s important to check labels as you grocery shop for healthy and nutritious foods. When foods are labeled “organic” it means they were produced by avoiding exposure to potentially harmful additives such as chemical pesticides, fertilizers and preservatives, which are also environmentally harmful as they can end up in the ground, air, water or food supply. Shoppers concerned about these additives can read ingredient statements and avoid products containing unpronounceable ingredients, as well as look for the U.S. Department of Agriculture organic seal on packaging. Products that are labeled “100 percent organic” contain only organically grown ingredients.

When a product is labeled “natural” it means that the food or the ingredients in the product have been minimally processed, contain no chemical or artificial ingredients, and remain as close as possible to their original and natural state.

Five easy tips for “going organic”
With today’s supermarket products, it’s easy to incorporate wholesome and nutritious organic foods into your family’s daily diet:
1. Tuck organic juice pouches, organic applesauce cups and organic animal crackers into the kids’ backpacks.
2. Serve organic pizza at your teen’s slumber party or after sports events.
3. Set the table with a healthy breakfast assortment: cage-free eggs, Wild Harvest Banana Walnut Granola, organic yogurt and vibrant fresh berries.
4. Marinate all-natural chicken breasts using bottled organic marinade. Choose an interesting flavor, such as roasted garlic balsamic vinaigrette.
5. Give your baby a nutritional head start with organic baby foods.

With the variety of choices available at today’s supermarkets, one-stop shopping for affordable organic and natural foods is now a reality.

Visit www.wildharvestorganic.com for more information on where you can find SUPERVALU’s Wild Harvest organic and natural foods and for printable recipes and coupons.

Courtesy of ARAcontent