Being Supermarket-Savvy when you’re Environmentally-Aware

If you’re looking to save money, try and buy staples from the bulk bins in your supermarket. This works particularly well for nuts. Compare the per KG price for packaged and bulk nuts and you’ll be pleasantly surprised!

Try to purchase items that are packaged simply, using recycled or unbleached cardboard if possible. Most health-food stores stock flour in old-fashioned calico bags which are much better for the taste of the flour than plastic or bleached, printed cardboard.

DON’T buy frozen meals! Nutritionally, they’re not as good as fresh food and per KG, you’re paying a lot more for food that’s not that appealing anyway and is often full or preservatives. Preservatives can cause havoc with your body, particularly if you have an allergic constitution – kids are particularly vulnerable. Preservative 282 (Calcium Propionate) in bread products is an example. It’s used as a mould inhibitor in bread. This chemical has been linked to migraine and headaches; gastro-intestinal symptoms including stomach aches, irritable bowel, diarrhoea, urinary urgency, bedwetting; eczema and other itchy skin rashes; nasal congestion (stuffy or runny nose); depression, unexplained tiredness, impairment of memory and concentration, speech delay; tachycardia (fast heart beat); growing pains, loud voice (no volume control); irritability, restlessness, inattention, difficulty settling to sleep, night waking. Now thankfully, lots of bakeries are refusing to use it in their products.

2. Use unbleached, recycled toilet paper.

There are many brands on the market today, such as SAFE, and now Wondersoft (in Australia). It’s important to use unbleached paper. Bleached paper products are bleached with chlorine and the processing of these products produces toxic dioxins. Dioxins have been proven to be highly toxic to humans and the environment and are banned in some countries. Support the world-wide movement to ban these chemicals and buy unbleached recycled products.

3. Buy unbleached, organic flour.

Again, the same toxic process used to bleach toilet paper is also applied to flour! The wheat grains are bleached before grinding just because the manufacturers think we need pure white, unnatural-looking flour!

In a recent price test that I carried out at my local supermarket, 1kg of unbleached, organic flour cost $1.97 – only 5 cents more than comparable sizes of other unbleached, non-organic brands. 5 cents is a small price to pay for your health and the environment’s!

4. Avoid too many chemicals – buy enviro-friendly cleaning products.

There are environmentally-friendly choices out there – you just have to know where to look!

In Australia, Earth’s Choice is a reputable brand and by far the best eco-friendly supermarket washing powder is Planet Ark – unfragranced and chemical-free!

However, not all eco-brands are created equal. Many of them still contain toxic chemicals such as Sodium Lauryl/Laureth Sulphate and harsh artificial fragrances and colours. They may be slightly better for the environment, but not by much. Reputable US brand Seventh Generation make a range of petro-chemical and fragrance-free cleaning products as do Ecover from Belgium.

Finally, the important things to keep in mind when trawling those aisles is to:

(a) keep packaging to a minimum

(b) buy in bulk when possible

(c) avoid chemicals

(d) stock your cupboards with the basics and cook from scratch

Ultimately you’ll save money, your health and the environment too!