'I lost weight by making a big food swap for just a week - I still ate sugar'

grocery shop
-Credit: (Image: MEN)


Organic food claims to hold many benefits, including better nutrients, fewer pesticides, alongside more sustainable farming practices. But what does eating organic actually do to your body?

With this month being 'Organic September', a campaign that encourages you to try an organic lifestyle, Manchester Evening News Lifestyle Editor Dianne Bourne swapped her weekly big shop to entirely organic.

"I've dabbled with trying to buy more organic foods in recent years, but I wondered just how easy it would be to do my full weekly shop with ONLY organic products - and how much extra it would cost me," she said.

One of the barriers for many people to switching to organic is the price, with organic produce tending to be more expensive, but Dianne discovered there is also a very limited range of organic goods in many supermarkets.

"With all this in mind, I decided to set out and eat a fully organic diet for a week to see how it would make me feel, and also how much it would actually cost to shop in this way. Here's how I got on."

What is organic food?

Grocery shop
Dianne Bourne swapped her weekly big shop to entirely organic -Credit:MEN

Foods and products can only be labelled as organic if they meet certain standards set by The Soil Association. These include no artificial fertilisers and pesticides used in the growing processes.

On its website the organisation describes the benefits of organic living saying: "The way we farm and eat can make a world of difference. By opting for an organic lifestyle, you're helping support a way of farming with higher animal welfare standards that is better for the planet, wildlife and people."

How easy was it to do a full organic shop?

"Well, this was my first hurdle. I tried some of the supermarkets closest to where I live to try and work out where I'd be able to do a full organic shop," said Dianne.

"I was disappointed to find only one organic item in my local Aldi - and that was a small bunch of bananas. When I went online and typed in 'organic' nothing came up either."

Dianne found Asda also had a limited selection of fruit, veg and meat, but Waitrose was the supermarket that had the biggest selection and boasts the UK's largest own-label range of organic goods, Waitrose Duchy Organic.

"Waitrose was also the best for displaying organic goods in store as well - there were clearly marked sections just for organic fruit and vegetables - with a big range of goods in both sections. They even had a special 'Organic September' fridge too, showcasing items from across their range."

How did much did the food shop cost?

organic food
The total for Dianne's organic shop was £144.35 -Credit:MEN

According to Dianne, the total came in at £144.35 - which is around £50 more than she would usually spend on her regular weekly shop.

All items are Waitrose's Duchy Organics brand unless stated.

Beef mince (500g) - £5.50

Pork steaks - £6.90

Smoked salmon slices - £8.50

Wholemeal bloomer - £2

Yeo Valley cream of tomato soup - £2.25

Bananas - £1.95

Green beans - £2.15

Carrots - £1.40

Potatoes - £1.95

Jazz apples - £2.55

Strawberries - £3.50

Little gem lettuce - £1.75

Vine tomatoes - £2.50

Raspberries - £2.85

Hipp Organic Lasagne (baby food) - £2.20

Babich Organic Sauvignon Blanc - £14.99

Clipper Organic Coffee - £6

Shortbread fingers - £2.25

Whole Milk (2 pints) - £1.65

Yeo Valley Greek yoghurt - £1.50

Buckwood Maple Syrup - £6

Stilton cheese - £3.50

Shaved parmesan cheese - £2.90

Mozzarella ball - £1.80

Kallo beef stock cubes - £2

Curry powder - £1.95

Whole-wheat penne pasta - £1.90

Salted butter - £2.60

Basmati rice - £3.40

Romano peppers - £2.30

Whole chicken - £16.36

Walnuts - £3.75

Honey roast ham - £3.75

Jar of passata - £1.50

Tomato puree - £1.40

Kikkoman soy sauce - £4.50

Large eggs - £3.50

Montezuma milk chocolate buttons - £5.20

TOTAL PRICE: £144.35

What were the benefits?

Organic food in supermarkets - pictured is Asda with empty boxes under the organic sign
Organic food in supermarkets - pictured is Asda with empty boxes under the organic sign -Credit:MEN

Dianne said: "In terms of how I felt it benefited my personal health, well, the first thing I'd say is that making a conscious effort to eat entirely organic means you're having a whole food diet. Even the items you could class as 'processed' in some way, like the shortbread fingers and chocolate buttons, had additive-free ingredient lists," said Dianne.

She added: "I was able to make a range of healthy, nutritious meals for my family from the produce I got in store, the likes of pasta Bolognese and roast chicken with veg and pork stew."

Dianne also says the new change in her diet made her lose weight, despite still being able to have treats.

She said: It was pretty satisfying then that after a week of eating purely organic foods, and being able to still have treats like the chocolate buttons and wine, when I weighed myself I'd lost two pounds.

"I had not been doing this as a 'diet' as such, but it was a great benefit that eating in a more conscious way with just organic whole food, without going hungry in any way, helped me to lose weight."

The verdict

Dianne said: "With organic methods of farming more environmentally friendly, buying organic is definitely something that I will aim to do more of in my weekly shop.

"By consciously seeking organic choices, I found some products I would never normally have picked up that I felt tasted better than non-organic alternatives - like the Clipper coffee and the Buckwood maple syrup."

She said the prices of the food, including the meat, were "terrifying", including £16 for a chicken.

"But the price of the meats was quite frankly a bit terrifying - particularly that £16 chicken. I was hoping to be totally wowed by it after cooking, but it just tasted like.... chicken," she said.

"It also seemed particularly small, and whereas my normal purchase of a £3.70 whole chicken stretches to making two family meals, this one bore only enough meat for one meal for two adults and two children.

"I simply cannot justify that kind of cost on a regular basis unfortunately. However, smaller swaps, particularly on the fruit and veg, is definitely something that I'd be happy to budget for in future.

"The fact I lost weight doing it as well as giving me a boost and encouraged me in my wider aims to ditch ultra-processed foods from my own diet."