Organic food was never really on my radar. I would shop occasionally at Whole Foods and pick up foods to try here and there because I liked to try new things, not because I was in support of a certain type of farming or food processing. Then, I got pregnant with G. Knowing that I would be in charge of the health and upbringing of this little person made me look at the issue a bit more. I will be the first to tell you, we are not an organic household. Like many of you, we have a budget and don't have a ton of expendable income to fund a complete organic kitchen. But, as I read more about the important points, two things of importance kept coming up.
1) Buy organic for certain fruits and veggies. Try to avoid the "dirty dozen". The 12 on the left are far more likely to be saturated with pesticides for either the thin skin or growing practices.
2) Organic milk is better, especially for a little one consuming 24+ ounces each day. It's higher in vitamins and Omega-3 fatty acids and contains no synthetic hormones or pesticides.
So the budget issue. Yes, organic produce and milk are more expensive but, for me, the cost is worth the benefits in these two areas. Organic milk is about $1.00 more per gallon than regular. Right now, it seems like a decent hit to our grocery budget but, G won't always be drinking this much milk. This is a justifiable expense in the short term. Organic milk also has a longer fridge life than regular so, none goes to waste.
Starting on Christmas, G discovered his love of whole apples and now eats one apple every.single.day. Organic apples by the pound are very pricey. But, our grocery store also sells bags of apples. The organic bags contain 10 apples and are only $1.00 more than the equivalent size bag of regular. For 10 cents more a piece, it's not a huge cost factor but, could be making a difference in the health of my rapidly growing, apple-loving toddler.
And, really, isn't this happy face worth a buck every 10 days? I think so! I don't know if these small changes will yield a huge benefit in the long run but, it certainly won't do any harm.
Please share - what are your thoughts on organic eating?
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5 comments:
I think it's great that you've done some reserach on this. There's a lot of info out there, and it's important to know what's best for you and your family!
I hate to "plug" my own blog, but I just did a recent post on a lot of questions about milk that may be interesting to you or your readers.
http://cowspotsandtales.wordpress.com/2011/01/06/got-milk-got-questions/
And just for the record - NO milk contains pesticides and all milk contains hormones, so those 2 things won't be any different whether you buy organic or non-organic.
I would imagine your organic milk is fortified with extra vitamins and omega threes - an interesting thing I hadn't seen before!
G looks so sweet in that photo. You have a such a great eye with your camera :-)
Hard scientific data generated at places like UC Berkely and Texas A&M has demonstrated beyond any doubt that pesticide residue in the typical American diet poses no health threat what-so-ever. Google Dr. Bruce Ames or Dr. Norman Borlaug for more info.
I grow apples in NH. 75% of the chemical residue on an apple is captan. Captan is one of the safest pesticides ever developed. If you wanted to commit suicide with it you would need to drink a cup, which, when mixed, is enough to spray about 5,000 apples. The amount of captan the average american gets through residue on the apple is the equivalent of 1/100,000,000th the amount that caused mutations in lab rats. AND, 95% of the pesticide residue on an apple is down where the stem comes out. Do you eat that?
My point is this: billions of dollars are being made by convincing people that organic is somehow safer or better -- it isn't. Don't be a sucker.
Dear Anonymous,
If you are so passionate about this issue that you felt the need to comment on my blog, why not reveal yourself? Perhaps you are in the pesticide industry?
I may consume some organic foods but, I definitely don't eat SPAM.
Organic wasn't given much attention when my girl was a baby, though it was available, my knowledge at that time wasn't strong, so I didn't purchase Organic. Knowing the things we know now I would definitely buy Organic whenever possible if I were raising a little one. My daughter buys Organic on her own now, and whenever I shop and think about it I try to make better choices as well. I figure as long as it isn't going to hurt us, why not do it just for safety sake. Your little guy is growing so fast, I think your choices are wise Jen. Keep us the great mothering job ... G will thank you for it someday.
Excellent information sharing about Organic products in the world so you never have to compromise with the health. Organic bags also are perfect for carrying your cosmetics.....
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