Can’t afford to buy all organic groceries? Designer Vivienne Westwood has a solution for you: just eat less.The Independent reports that Westwood was delivering a petition concerning the use of genetically modified foods to UK officials when a BBC Radio reporter challenged her with the obvious truth that not everyone can afford to eat organic. Westwood’s sage, yet nutritionally unsound, advice: “Eat less.”Her reasoning: “You’ve got all these processed foods, which is the main reason people are getting fat. They’re not actually good for you – they don’t give you strength, they give you weight.”Westwood continued to explain that she doesn’t eat meat, beause of how bad it is for her and for the animals. OK, fine. And then, she suggested that “if there was a movement to produce more organic food and less of the horrible food, then organic food would obviously be a good value price, wouldn’t it?” That’s a bold statement to make, without knowing the ins and outs of the food industry, farming techniques and what goes into certifying a farm as “organic.”She’s right that some processed foods end up filled with unhealthy ingredients, contributing to poor health and the rise of type 2 diabetes and obesity. However, just because the lettuce you buy isn’t organic doesn’t make it bad for you; it’s simply lettuce that wasn’t grown organically and non-organic is not synonymous with processed. If Westwood had said “eat less junk food,” she would be giving good advice. But suggesting people just simply eat less if they can’t afford the best quality food is a damaging sentiment, and completely ignores the real solution, which is to provide better nutritional education to those who can’t afford high-end groceries and offer ways to eat healthfully on a budget.Nutrition is about eating smart and right, not less. If you want to do your own research on more healthful eating, our Nutrition Expert Kristin Kirkpatrick, R.D., breaks down a detailed plan for eating organic on a budget here. Additionally, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics provides valuable information for determining what is processed and how to read labels to decipher whether or not unhealthy ingredients were added during that process.Related Articles:Healthy Food Choices Don’t Have to Be ExpensiveOrganic Food Myths Debunked

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