In Checkout Line, Lou Bendrick cooks up answers to reader questions about how to green their food choices and other diet-related quandaries. Lettuce know what food worries keep you up at night.

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Dear Lou,

With the economic crunch, how is it going to be possible to afford healthy foods for my family, especially organics? It’s not like I can go foraging in the medians of the major roadways.

Karl from Southern California

Dear Karl,

I’m not going to lie to you: Sticking to your budget while eating organically is going to take some work. But I can already tell that you are up for the task. You not only have the good sense to want high-quality food for your family, but you also know enough to stay out of the rubble and shell casings of Southern California’s freeway medians.

I have a good feeling about you, Karl. Together, we can circumnavigate the perverse food system that is making many good Americans fall prey to the so-called recession diet, which amounts to buying off-brand marshmallow cereal. (Sigj.)

Full story: http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2009/1/29/103949/273?source=daily