During the college years, it’s often true that many aspects of healthy living fall by the wayside. Pulling all nighters, late-night snacking, and being exposed to your roommate’s germs may be inevitable, but contrary to popular belief, it is possible to eat healthily on a college budget.

Several grocery stores in Greensboro offer local, organic, and natural foods for affordable prices, making it easy to keep pesticides and additives out of your body and lessen your environmental impact.

Harris Teeter

3330 W Friendly Ave

Pros

Harris Teeter is within walking distance from campus, open 24 hours and provides great discounts for customers with VIC cards. Local and organic foods are clearly labeled both in the produce section and on the shelves with color-coded tags. Also, the produce section now carries produce from North Carolina Organic Farmer’s Markets.

Cons

Teeter usually only carries one or two organic brands of any given item, and these brands are often two to three dollars more expensive than conventional brands. Because Teeter is not a natural foods store, some brands that claim to be “natural” may not be organic or all natural.

Breakdown of Prices

Organic farmer’s market grapes $2.49/ lb

Organic Farmer’s market tomatoes $2.79/lb

Conventional 2 lb baby carrot bag $3.99

Organic yellow bananas $.99/lb

Organic sweet potato $.99/lb

Organic onions (red or sweet) $1.49/lb

HT organic peanut butter $3.79 (.237)

Organic Honey $3.99 (.333)

Green Lentils $2.49 (.156)

Organic Brown rice $5.99 (.187)

Natures path cereals $4.59 (.399)

Natures path organic oatmeal $3.69 (.264)

Cage Free eggs $3.99/dz

Earth Fare

965 Battleground Ave.

Overview

Earth Fare is an Asheville, N.C.-based supermarket chain that specializes in organic and healthy foods.

Its food philosophy, displayed around the store and on their Web site, promises that they do not carry products with hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup, artificial colors, flavors or sweeteners, antibiotics, synthetic growth hormones, or bleached flour. They also don’t carry dairy meat or eggs that are produced under inhumane conditions.

Their Web site includes a complete, six-page list of all those difficult-to-pronounce ingredients, often found on food labels, that are banned from Earth Fare. In the store, the produce section boasts large, color-coded labels designating what is local, what is organic and what is conventional.

Pros

At Earth Fare, you know that you are supporting food that is fair trade and ethically produced. Of the three stores, Earth Fare has the largest selection of organic and local produce, as well as the largest selection of natural brands in general.

The store always has free samples, which makes shopping more enjoyable, and on Wednesdays, student customers receive a discount.

Cons

Earth Fare’s prices can be steep and its location on Battleground is inconvenient for most campus residents.

Breakdown of Prices

Organic grapes $2.67/lb.

Organic strawberries $4.99/ container

Avocados 2 for $4.00

Organic red bell pepper $3.69 each

Local green bell pepper $.89

Yellow banana $.84/lb

3 lb. bag Organic Gala apple $4.99 each

Organic white onion $1.99/lb

Local sweet potatoes $1.29/lb

Local sweet yellow onion $1.47/lb

Organic red tomato $1.89/lb

Organic Spaghetti- $2.49/ box

Eden organic black beans $1.99

Organic Annie’s Mac N Cheese $2.49

Earth Fare Organic Mac N Cheese $1.99

Earth Fare brand granola $4.89

Cinnamon Harvest cereal $3.99

Arrowhead Mill’s oatmeal $3.49

Deep Roots Market

3728 Spring Garden Street

Overview

Deep Roots Market began in the basement of Mary Hobbs during the early 1970s as a student-run natural-foods buying club.

In 1976, the business was able to afford to move into a storefront on Spring Garden Street, just down the street from the present location, which is, to this day, the only natural foods cooperative in Greensboro. Deeps Roots has a commitment to supporting products that are fair trade, use minimal packaging, and treat animals ethically.

Like Earth Fare, Deep Roots does not carry products that contain artificial colors or sweeteners, high fructose corn syrup, trans-fats, synthetic growth hormones, or genetically engineered ingredients.

Pros

Deep Roots is a community-owned business, which means that only one share of stock is allowed per member so there is equal representation within the corporation. The store has a bag-your-own dry foods section, which includes over 100 medicinal and culinary herbs and spices, so you can save money by buying in bulk.

Deep Roots practices environmental conservation by not using plastic bags at the checkout, and by composting veggie scraps rather than dumping them. For those with food allergies, Deep Roots carries many wheat-, gluten-, sugar-, dairy-, and soy-free foods.

Deep Roots also has a huge selection of natural vitamins and supplements, homeopathic remedies, and natural beauty products and toiletries.

Cons

Deep Roots is very small compared to the other two stores, so selection for certain items is limited. Since all of the items in the store are organic, prices at Deep Roots are higher than at Earth Fare or Teeter. Like Earth Fare, Deep Roots is not near campus.