More and more pregnant women are starting to realize the chemicals conventional farmers use to raise meats and produce are not fit for human consumption. The best way to keep chemical-laden foods from entering your body and harming your unborn babys health is to opt for an organic pregnancy diet.

Organic foods cost more than regular foods because natural farmers have to contend with higher overhead. When livestock and produce are grown naturally, everything from fertilizer, to pest management techniques, to maintaining regulations cost more.

When people compare the prices of conventional foods to those of organic foods, they automatically assume they can not afford to switch to an organic pregnancy diet. However, if you shop smart and make a few adjustments, you can probably afford more organic food than you think.

Buy Organic Foods That Are on Sale and Grow Some of Your Own

Just like regular grocery stores, health food stores have regular sales because they want to get rid of overstock or draw in more customers. Keep an eye out for these kinds of sales so you can stock up on a few items. Meats that are on sale can be frozen for later use, and sale-priced produce can be eaten over a few days' time.

Vegetables such as radishes, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, beans and herbs are easy to grow. All you need is a small space in your yard or a few pots on the patio to grow these items. Growing a few of your own veggies will help you save money so you can buy more organic foods.

Control Portions and Reduce Waste

Most people eat more than they actually need. Stretch your organic food budget and reduce waste by managing portion sizes and using leftovers for meals the next day. If you are not going to eat the leftovers within a couple of days, freeze them to use later down the line.

Buy Organic Foods Selectively and Eliminate Processed Junk

Buying all of your meats, poultry and eggs organic is important because every toxic chemical used to raise conventional livestock gets into the animal products. However, you can be a bit more selective with your vegetables and fruit.

Produce with thick skins such as melons and bananas resist pesticide penetration. So you do not have to buy these types of foods organic. Pesticides can easily penetrate fruits and vegetables with thin or edible skin, so buy these types of produce items organic.

The Environmental Working Groups list of the most pesticide-contaminated fruits and vegetables include:

apples
celery
blueberries
potatoes
strawberries
peaches
nectarines
cherries
grapes
kale
bell peppers
spinach

For the price of one box of cereal, protein or power bars, you can buy a dozen organic eggs, a few pieces of organic fruit or some organic poultry. If you buy several boxes of processed bars each week, you can easily buy enough organic food to prepare several meals.

Other processed foods you can eliminate to find more money in your grocery budget for organic foods include:

frozen dinners
frozen fish sticks and chicken tenders
pasta
canned food
baked goods
fast food
pasta sauces and gravies
crackers
lunch meats and hotdogs
frozen vegetables
instant rice
pancake mix

When you buy selectively, garden, take advantage of sales, control portion sizes, reduce waste, and stop buying processed foods, you can find more money in your budget to buy the organic items you need to protect your unborn baby from the chemicals in conventional foods.