Perhaps the number one complaint I hear about organic food is that it is too expensive.
I always respond with the oft used health counselor line- “Yes, but you either pay for the quality, non-toxic food now, or pay doctor and hospital bills in the future.”
This is truly the way my family eats and lives, and we shop with wild abandon at a store many people call “whole paycheck.” Maybe we’ve been spoiled by the 365 brand or their amazing Friday sales, but I don’t find Whole Foods to be more expensive than conventional grocery stores- I will say they offer such a great assortment of clothing, cosmetics, books, toys, and food that it’s easy to spend your whole paycheck there, but not because of the price of food alone.
It is one thing when you really can’t afford real food. And yes, it can be expensive to buy the best quality available. But I have a hard time understanding how people spend their money freely in other areas of their lives, but just because they can get cheap food, they do. It reminds me of those who can afford pretty much anything but will only go to doctors covered by their insurance, even if another provider would be a better option. Priorities, people, priorities!
But I digress.
The other day, I found I needed a bit of course correction myself. As I was perusing the delicious produce section, in search of some new fruits and veggies to offer my baby, I came upon my all time favorite. Papaya. And this wasn’t just any papaya. This was organic papaya from Hawaii- the best of the best.
But then I saw the price.

FIVE DOLLARS each? No thanks! I promptly texted a pic to my sister who recently moved from Hawaii with the caption-
“WHATEVER! $5 for a papaya?”
She responds- “oooh Sunrise- those are the best!”
“I know, but on principle I am not spending $5 on one papaya!”
“They’re expensive in Hawaii, too.”
“I know, but not FIVE DOLLARS!”
“True…” She texts, realizing I won’t back down.
So I put it back, shopped some more, spent more than I had planned to anyway, and left.
Next stop… Starbucks!
Can someone please hit me over the head? Never mind- I get it. I have no problem spending close to five dollars on a latte, or macchiato, or whatever I fancy in the moment, but I wouldn’t spend $5 on a juicy piece of fruit grown in the Hawaiian sunshine, bursting with flavor, vitamin C, vitamin A, folate, potassium, fiber, digestive enzymes, vitamin E and vitamin K. Not to mention my absolute favorite, first thing I eat when we go to Hawaii, nothing compares to them, favorite.
And something I would gladly share with my baby- unlike the sugar, milk, decaf and flavor syrup of the latte.
So I rushed back to the store as fast as I could, truly worried at this point that there would be a “run on Whole Foods” and all of my glorious papaya would be gone.
Thankfully, not the case.
Aaahhh. Now I have a fresh perspective, zero judgement, renewed priorities, and a fabulous piece of fruit.