CEDAR FALLS - Macaroni and cheese is a childhood staple in many American homes, but the preferred blue-box brand comes replete with an enriched wheat macaroni product and yellow No. 5 and 6.

Jim O'Loughlin, a Cedar Falls father of three, isn't a huge fan of enriched flours or artificial ingredients. The macaroni and cheese in his family's kitchen cupboards is a little more natural with ingredients like organic semolina macaroni from durum wheat and annatto extract for color. But, mac and cheese isn't the only organic product in the family's cupboards.

For the most part, the O'Loughlins spend their grocery dollars on organic or locally-grown items.

"We have introduced lots of options and our kids like a lot of them," said Jim O'Loughlin. "They love organic cauliflower and I know I never ate cauliflower as a kid. Personally, I live for the beginning of asparagus season."

But splurging on organic foods is an added expense many families find hard to justify given their shrinking grocery budgets and growing bills.

Donna Prizgintas, a board member of the Iowa Organic Association, said the answer is simple - leave some of the processed food you would normally buy at the store and spend that money on fresh fruits, vegetables, meats and milk. And if you have to start somewhere, the best place to look is a list called the "Dirty Dozen." (see box)

"Obesity and poverty have been linked to people eating more junk foods because they are less expensive. Think about eating less processed foods, less white flours and white sugar," she said. "There is a reason cheap food is cheap. Stopping or diminishing purchases of non-nutritive foods is a great way to cut down on costs."

Prizgintas recommends buying as much food as possible from local sources. Even if the farms aren't certified organic, buyers can develop relationships with local farmers to determine just how the produce is grown or the animals are raised. And local foods can sometimes cost less because transportation costs aren't factored into the final price.

While some purchase organic as a way of being eco-friendly, those who are simply seeking foods free of pesticides and antibodies can find some wiggle room in their budgets by purchasing all-natural food items instead of certified organic. This especially holds true at the meat counter, said Rob Stanley, owner of Roots Market.

"All-natural meat is a nice mid-price range. The animals aren't given growth hormones or antibiotics, but the farmers also haven't gone through the process of becoming certified organic," Stanley said.

The good news for those who can't justify the extra expense: research shows that organically produced food items are not necessarily any more nutritious than their traditionally produced counterparts.

"There are so many factors that go into how a food is made and its nutritional values. You have to look at the soil it was grown in, the weather conditions, when it was picked relative to when it should be fully ripe," said Ruth Litchfield, a nutrition extension specialist for Iowa State University. "You have organic foods that are still being transported, so to say that when you walk into a grocery store that an organic food is nutritionally superior, we can't say that."

Contact Emily Christensen at

(319) 291-1570 or

emily.christensen@wcfcourier.com.