Non organic meats

[imacheesehead4]

Has anyone been doing the Whole30 w/ "regular" lean meats instead of organic/grassfed?

My husband & I just finished week 1 using only organic/grass fed, and we cannot sustain the cost long-term. I was thinking of doing some meals with organic and others with regular meats, alternating.

Has anyone else done this?

 

[GFChris]

Yup.  I'm on day 26 of my Whole30 and all my proteins have been non-organic.  All organic is not a cost we can take on at the moment. 

[missmary]

CF Chris is right, you can do a whole30 with all conventional meat and produce and have great results. That said, the more I learn about meat, the more I make grass-fed red meat a priority. If it is possible for you, I might choose conventional produce (washed well) to save money and go out of my way to source better quality meat as economically as possible.

 

To cut costs on the meat itself you might slow cook cheaper cuts or buy ground meat (usually cheaper). Often it is less money to get direct from a farmer, so check out farmers markets in your area. Bonus, then you have access to great (inexpensive too!) organ meat and bones.

 

Again, not a requirement for whole30, just my opinion on priorities.

[carolinaBlue]

I can't always afford organic/grassfed meat either, so I do the best I can. Occasionally, I see groupons or living social deals for grassfed beef which save me about 50%.

 

Contact your local Cooperative Extension and ask them about local 4-H livestock clubs. Many of the kids sell their project animals (market lambs, steers, chickens, hogs & goats) at the end of the summer. Plus, the kids sometimes raise additional animals that they sell to consumers in order to support their herds.You can check with local high schools to see if they have FFA programs (FFA is similar to 4-H). These kids are really proud of producing high quality meat and the overall cost is very reasonable.

 

Since it's summertime, you can try going to some county fairs & talking to the livestock exhibitors to see if they can provide you with quality meat for decent prices.

[imacheesehead4]

thanks everyone! good to know

[Juice06870]

At the end of the day if you are basing your diet around real food such as beef or chicken, even if it's non-organic or grass fed, you are still doing your body good compared to someone who is basing their diet around pizza or pop tarts, or any processed foods for that matter that contain a bunch of ingredients you can't pronounce.