How Eating Clean Can Save You Money

Chicago (CBS) -- Recent stories including the romaine lettuce recall and finding the chemical Roundup in some popular foods have a lot of us rethinking food safety.

Erin Kennedy recently spoke with a health and wellness educator on eating clean and how doing that can save you money.

Annemarie Sampson prepares dinner, using veggies purchased from a nearby organic farm in Libertyville.

"It is probably worth it to source organic," Sampson said.

Her belief parallels a recent study in JAMA Internal Medicine finding people who frequently eat organic foods have a lower risk of developing cancer.

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma alone drops 73 percent.

Researchers say a possible explanation is less exposure to pesticides in your diet.

"The amount of preservatives that are going into products today is significantly higher than it was before because products have to stay shelf stable," she said. "They can legally have a 7-year shelf life."

Sampson shared other insights into clean eating.

"The further something gets from the source, the less nutrient value it has for you," she said.

Most of the food in Sampson's refrigerator is sourced from local farmers, her co-op, or things that were growing. Costco also has a "pretty large" amount of organic foods, according to Sampson.

The fewer ingredients on the label, the better. "Eat as close to the source as possible," she recommends.

For other fruits often scarce during the winter, Sampson co-ops oranges and grapefruits from Florida or buys frozen fruits instead. "When you buy an apple in a store, it is months old," she said.

As for cooking, Sampson's suggestion is cast iron pots to avoid toxins."You oil them, you season them, you never have to wash them.

Also try making your own food. It is cheaper to buy raw ingredients with less packaging costs.

"It is way more affordable to buy a canister of oatmeal than it is to buy those individual packets," said Sampson.