Organic Food for Kids | dinner | Healthy foods
Why my family eats pesticide-sprayed, foreign-grown food.
I don’t buy organic, at least not as a rule. There are occasions – when there are no “non-organic” bananas left that aren’t browned and smushed and my daughter is begging for bananas – I might be convinced to make the buy. But our mattresses are not organic. Our clothes are, by and large, not organic. Needless to say, our milk is not organic. So a New York Times article on a mother fretting over just how organic the mattress her baby boy is sleeping on should have made me feel bad, right?
Not really. Because for all the maternal guilt I can muster over things I have and haven’t done for my daughter, I have enough other pressing things to worry about: The hole in the ozone layer. The mortgage. The reason the cat has started turning up her tail at the litter box instead of inside of it.
I’m also still grappling with the exact moment when “organic” became interchangeable with “good for us” in the United States. Arsenic, after all, is organic.
Dressing my daughter in one hundred percent cotton denim or mixing up a stir-fry of non-organic vegetables and run-of-the-mill brown rice doesn’t quite cut it according to the green-baby parenting books. But whoever said organic and green were the same thing?
Researchers in the Department of Rural Economy at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada, found the greenhouse gas emitted when organic produce is transported from great distances mitigates the environmental benefits of growing the food organically. And organically fed cows, which produce organic beef and organic milk, emit the same methane gases as their antibiotic-treated counterparts, which in turn contribute to global warming (the EPA estimates all our livestock – organically-fed included – produce twenty percent of our nation’s methane emissions). So if I can’t buy organic for the environment, surely I’d do it for my child’s health, right?
Sure – if you could tell me that buying organic and only organic was the best thing for my daughter.
Except, no one can.
Not the USDA. They oversee organic labeling, but they’ve remained mum on putting their own seal of approval on the O word.
Not a lot of scientists either. They say it’s good for you – don’t get me wrong. But better for you than anything else could possibly be? Not yet.
A study by the Danish government’s International Centre for Research in Organic Food Systems last summer found no differences in the nutrients present in the crops after harvest; nor was there any evidence that lab rats retained different levels of the nutrients depending on how the foodstuffs were grown. And no matter how many organic ingredients get piled into the mixing bowl, if you’re making a cake, you’re still not making health food.
The truth? I can’t afford it. It’s all compelling evidence. And yet, none of it represents the real reason I’m apathetic about organic. The truth? I can’t afford it.
What I can afford are cotton jeans that breathe versus polyblends that don’t. I can afford healthy foods for my daughter – the whole grains, the fresh vegetables straight from the farmers’ market in the summer and the grocery store in the winter. The more money I save by not buying organic, the more I have left to spend on broccoli and sweet peas – foods that actually fall on the Environmental Working Groups (EWG) list of the dozen “consistently clean” foods they say you can feel pretty safe purchasing, even when they’re not organic.
In case you haven’t heard, the economy is having a few problems at the moment. And considering the Organics Consumer Association itself puts the prices of organic products anywhere from fifty to one hundred percent higher than non-organics, I have had to make some tough choices along the way. As long as buying pesticide-free means making nursery school tuition harder to pay this month, or my daughter needs a new pair of shoes, I’m okay with buying that non-organic bunch of bananas.
I remember when I finally hit the wall on the organic thing; I was in Whole Foods and went to buy some organic apples. Not only were they three times the price of traditional apples they were from NEW ZEALAND. Uh. So I’m paying (and spending energy, fuel, etc) to transport my fruit all the way around the world instead of the 500 orchards in my own state. Nope. Done.
I’m all about buying local versus buying organic. We grow a bunch of food in our garden in the summer and we frequent our local farmer’s market all summer. They just started opening a few times in the winter and it’s been great to get some local goods off-season. We love the taste of the locally grown stuff better. Buying a share in a CSA or supporting local farmers is a great way to introduce children to fresh food and to be more green (not spending money on food that has been driven from miles away.)
I agree with others. We try to go locally grown over organic. The best thing I think we could have ever done is join our local CSA. We get locally grown fruits and veggies straight from a farm about 10 minutes away. We spend about $18 a week to belong and it’s worth every penny! We try foods we never would have bought at the grocery store and have an actual relationship with the people who plant, grow, and harvest some of our food. My understanding is that a lot of small, local farmers can’t afford to be labeled organic. Apparently the process is pretty expensive. Amen, I’m with you, picking fruit before it’s peak so it can be shipped half way across the world when there are so many local farmers where I live makes no sense to me!
You should know that generally the farmers that sell at farmer’s
markets do grow things organically. It is just really expensive to get
that label in the U.S., hence mostly big companies having it.
And one of the big concerns about the antibiotic drenched cows is not
that they are producing less methane (anyone that thinks that is
stupid). The concern is how it affects antibiotics efficiency when it
is injected into birds and bovine that are perfectly healthy.
Antibiotic resistant bacteria is starting to become a big problem.
I buy organic, but not everything. I never thought that organic would
somehow be healthier in the sense of being less fattening or having
more nutrients. I was more concerned about what chemicals are
contained in the potato chip bag and what went into producing it. For
me buying the organic bananas means spending $0.99/lb rather than
$0.69/lb. But really it is about avoiding thin skinned stuff like
peppers and apples.
And you should know with the cotton denim, the amount of chemicals on
that stuff is amazing. Trust me, I designed girls’ and juniors’ denim
for six years of my life. The horrendous smell that comes from opening
that fresh bag of denim samples from China is suffocating. I know a
few people that have had nerve damage dealing with that stuff. (You
should really wash your jeans before wearing them.) Unfortunately
there are no real affordable alternatves right now for the average
family. I do think that bamboo will be the wave of the future
considering how easy it is to grow and how well it mimics cotton.
And last thing. Famine in the world is not really created by a lack of
food in the world. There is loads of food in the world. It is created
mostly by politics. Look at Zimbabwe. That was the bread basket of
Africa and the current political issues there have lead to great famine
all over the country. I remember hearing an interview on NPR where
the person (can’t remember her name) mentioned that you could feed the
world twice over with the amount of food that is thrown away in the
U.S. everyday. And the organic market has really turned Kenya’s
economy around. Hopefully that is all not being reversed with the
crisis there last year.
Well, now I feel like a really bad parent, after reading the comments above. We don’t even buy local, let alone organic. I’ll “do what I can”, I guess, to save the earth, but with 2 kids and a third on the way and massive student loan debts without enough salary to support them, we don’t even own a car. Maybe I’ll take the bus or train to the fancy-schmancy farmer’s market this summer (which, by the way, are usually held on Sundays, when we’re in church), but I think that I’d rather take that time and see a friend or go to a museum or something. I certainly don’t consider myself “poor”, but considering that I generally fetch all of our groceries on foot with two kids in tow, I get whatever is easiest, closest and cheapest, regardless of where it’s from. I use the fruit wash at home and call it good. The kids’s clothes are generally hand-me-downs or gifts from friends, and I’m not about to ask if they’re organic.
All you “local-ites” above still sound pretty smug to me.
In light of its decision to plant a 6-acre organic garden on the National Mall, it seems difficult to argue that the USDA has remained mum about its feelings toward organic. The Peoples Garden, which will feature organic herbs and vegetables, will act as a center of sustainability, according to longtime organic advocate Kathleen Merrigan, who was confirmed as Deputy Secretary of Agriculture earlier this month.
In addition, the garden will serve as a tool to educate the public about organic agriculture. As Merrigan described it in an April 22, 2009 New York Times article, A lot of people are still trying to figure out what organic means. Heres the front lawn we can use to talk about what the standard is and how they can follow through.
Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack, who pushed for the Peoples Garden, agrees. The garden will help to explain to the public how small things they can do at home, at their business or on their farm or ranch, can promote sustainability, conserve the nations natural resources, and make America a leader in combating climate change.
Given both its words and actions, USDA is sending a clear message that they believe organic is worth it. http://www.organicitsworthit.com
Chi-Laura: dressing your kids in hand-me-downs is actually very hip and eco-cool these days!
In general, I think people have to rid themselves of the notion that organic always means “healthy” and “eco-friendly”. Organic can be healthier, but not necessarily. (Organic mac and cheese still can’t rightly be called health food!) It can be better for the earth, but not necessarily (especially if it has to be flown in from the other side of the world). It just means that the food was raised without the use of pesticides/GMOs. Sometimes it’s worth it, sometimes it’s not. It depends on the food, how far it had to travel to get to you, and how much it costs. Personally, I would like to reduce the amount of pesticide residue my family is exposed to, so I buy mostly organic dairy products and olive oil (pesticides are fat-soluble and therefore foods with a higher fat content tend to contain more pesticide residue.) I also buy the “important” organic fruits and veggies: (for instance: strawberries, because they’re sprayed heavily and hard to scrub) but not bananas, avocados, oranges, because you peel them before eating anyway. When organic is too hard to find or too expensive, I buy domestic and scrub it well with water and a squirt of dish soap. Organic foods are more expensive and we have to make financial sacrifices in other areas to afford it. But I also think that buying the best quality food we can afford is important to my family’s health. And I’m totally at peace with the notion that we can’t afford to buy everything organic: i.e. organic clothing, mattresses, etc are totally beyond our means. That said, there are certainly ways to get organic cheaply: when it’s on sale, I stock up! Cheese and milk can be frozen and I can’t detect any deterioration in the flavor. (I don’t know about freezing milk in the plastic jugs, though–I’ve only frozen it in the carton.) You can even freeze eggs if you separate them first. And for the first time in my life, last summer we grew a garden. Everything was organic and everything was (very) local. Not to mention ridiculously cheap! I have a totally brown thumb, but we managed to grow tomatoes, cucumbers, summer squash, string beans, beets, radishes, carrots and lettuce all from seed and all in a tiny 4 foot by 4 foot plot. It actually took surprisingly little effort. I also have a friend that’s in the category that Agreed & Shana described: she’s a mom who grows organic food, raises goats for their milk and chickens for their eggs for her own family (they have 7 kids) but doesn’t bother with the hard-to-get, expensive, organic label. Whatever she doesn’t need for her own family, she sells at the local farmer’s market. But I trust a mom who grows food for her own family more than an organic seal from a faraway unknown farm anyway!
Great article! Really, the whole organic thing is really just for the upper-classes. People in poorer neighborhoods don’t have access to fresh produce period. These people work so much that you can’t possibly tell them they need to plant a garden. I am amazed at how much effort people take to push the whole organic thing, when I think a better cause for overall public health would be to get easier access to fresh food to the inner cities. (Admittedly, I am not one to talk, as I am not volunteering for either cause.)I have actually been scolded a few times by some “sanctimommies” for giving my child non-organic fruit. This always amazes me. I am giving him fruit and veggies, and I am being scolded? One time one of these mommies then took out a bag of “organic” potato chips to give to her child. Huh? That is better than a regular piece of fruit?Our priorities have gotten so out of whack.
I think that “organic” caught on because it’s simple and easy to market. People feel like they can pick up the organic cheezy poofs and they are being healthy. No one (it seems) wants to put in the effort to look at what is in their food, or where it comes from. So, when they see a stamp on it that says organic, whether its beef, broccoli or cereal, they feel l like they have made the right choice without having to do any extra work. And the higher price reinforces this attitude (higher price MUST equal higher quality). It is the same laziness that makes people think in absolute dichotomies.
Organic is probably a good thing, I think there isn’t a sane person out there that will tell you that we tend to over fertilize our crops and the perils of pesticide are well documented, but is buying the organic head of lettuce make you a better person? no. just buy good food. if you can ride your second hand bicycle to the farmer’s market to buy local, organic produce and artisian breads that’s great. But so long as you buy REAL food (i.e. fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and occasionally lean meat, poultry, fish, and dairy) than I wouldn’t worry about whether or not it’s 100% organic.
And as far as clothing and home goods, just buy something that won’t end up in a landfill in a year. buy quality.
I guess that should be the rule, if you buy quality things, organic or not, you are probably doing fine. The trick is to take the time to figure out what represents true quality.
Wonderful article. Buying local sounds nice, and I enjoy a summer farmer’s market as much as the next gal. But I live in Chicago, and the reality is that the only thing that grows here November through April is corn and potatoes– not exactly a balanced diet. I suppose I could buy local produce in the summer and then can and pickle them for the winter like the pilgrims did, or I can shrug and give in to the Jolly Green Giant. Again, I really enjoyed this piece.
Chi-Laura, what is smug about wanting to support local farmers? I didn’t have any idea that going to the farmer’s market was considered “fancy” or hip. For us it’s just a nice way to spend the day outside. You sound pretty hostile.
I agree with Lavinia… Chi-Laura, you sounds awfully defensive. I don’t know where you live, but here in New Hampshire considering a farmer’s market “fancy-schmancy” is laughable. It’s just local farmers selling their harvest. It’s FAR cheaper than the grocery store and a great way to spend a warm summer morning with my family. In fact, it’s become a bit of a family tradition to spend Saturday mornings there. We always come home with fresh-cut wildflowers and bags of fruit and veggies fresh from the farm for less than $20. What’s smug about that? I don’t think any of the posters above were saying you HAVE to buy local, just that it’s been a good option for their families.
Funny – I never though of buying organic food as more nutritious than conventionally grown food. It’s just knowing we aren’t ingesting pesticides that keeps me buying more expensive produce, shopping at farmer’s markets, etc. Unfortunately pesticides and herbicides are not things that can just be washed off of our fruits and veggies, and are inherent to the produce. It is really good reading if you are interested to read about how we went from an organically based agricultural system to chemical based in just a couple of decades. Organic farming is not new – it is the way things were for hundreds of years until chemical companies came up with a clever marketing scheme.
And the stuff just tastes better!! Non-organic strawberries taste like bleach to me. Yuck!
With regards to the mattress, I read some scary articles about conventional flame-retardant mattresses that scared the bejeesus out of me. I pinched my pennies buying stuff for our son off craigslist and the like so I could justify buying him a new organic mattress. The depleting ozone layer way up there is very worrisome, but more so is the air space my son occupies for 15 hours a day.
I don’t think that the wanting to support local farmers in principle is smug, but I do think that some of the posters sounds like, “Well, we don’t spend the money on organic either, but AT LEAST we buy local at the farmers’ market. Mmmm-hmmm.” As I said in my original post, I have 2 kids and am pregnant and I have no car; as much as I might like to go to the farmer’s market (and, by the way, the really good one is located in the fancy-schmancy part of the city), the whole ordeal of trucking 45 minutes one way on the bus with two kids just to buy local sounds exhausting and like it would just leave me feeling ticked off at being “eco-consicous.” And if I have a free Saturday morning, I can think of plenty of other ways I’d rather spend it than doing the chore of grocery shopping. The best I can do right now is to go to our local produce mart (where the prices are as cheap as if not cheaper than the farmers’ market, though, admittedly, I’m not sure about the taste of the produce) and to ALDI and buy whole foods from there. As some posters above pointed out, isn’t the whole foods thing conceivably what’s most important for our kids’ health, perhaps more so than where the food came from or how it’s grown? I’m not saying that it’s THE healthiest, but it’s the best I can do. I do think that there is a bit of a “sancti-mommy” tone to the, “Well, it’s not organic, but it’s definitely local” attitude.
My intent wasn’t to be hostile. I was pointing out that on the hierarchy of “Organic-Local-Produce Mart/Grocery Store”, I fall pretty low because my main concerns are CHEAP and EASY.
You are what you eat.
As someone from “NEW ZEALAND” whose family is the fruit growing business, I heartily commend Jeanne’s comments. In the first instance, organic certification is a complex and not necessarily meaningful thing: it’s expensive to get; it’s got to do with soil conditions and your neighbours’ soil conditions as much as farming practises; blah blah blah etc etc. Essentially, just because something is certified organic does not mean it comes from a nice, happy, good-working-conditions, locally-owned farm (and that has been discussed in this site before. Frankly, some of the large-scale American farming set-ups scare me). Of course, while I agree with the buy-local principle, it does have its limitations – and not only for my family’s and my nation’s economic stability! For instance, if you live in a temperate zone with cold winters, you better like potatoes, turnips, parsnips and cabbage in winter, because that’s what you’ll be eating. What’s more, you won’t be eating any apples in the summer and you might start liking those exported ones from the southern hemisphere.
More importantly, food miles (as it’s trendy to refer to them) are another complex equation: no one is really sure as yet what the environmental impact is, but in the New Zealand context our farming practices + shipping to the northern hemisphere seems to result in less of a carbon footprint than some produce from North American/European farms that are driven across the state or country.
Basically, if you’re worried, do what you can, and always be suspicious of labels – whether organic or otherwise.
P.S. Jeanne’s right about some food being a lot cleaner than others. For instance, most greenhouse grown food (at least here) doesn’t really need or get pesticides at all. Furthermore, in the UK, where the organic/local movement has taken hold very successfully, many growers are giving up on organic certification because it’s a pain in the arse and doesn’t necessarily reflect their growing methods.
P.P.S. And yes, our beef and lamb really is free-range as a matter of course. Wasting time, money and energy growing crops for animals who eat grass – really and truly, you Americans are crazy!
You are my hero! I couldn’t have said it better myself. So many parents seem to love organic–organic crackers, cheese, cookies, and juice. They’re food costs more and their kids are not actually eating healthy. They’re just eating more expensive junk food.
ChiLaura, I was certainly not trying to be smug. You have to do what’s right for your situation. If I was in your shoes, being pregnant with two kids and no car, I’d have to say I’d do EXACTLY the same thing you’re doing. As it is, I’m pregnant with 1 kid, and as such I salute you!
I managed to luck out by being in southern California, with a year round CSA about 25 miles away that delivers to a location just a few blocks away from where I live (among other locations). The cost is actually CHEAPER than produce at most of the grocery stores around here – around $2.50/lb, although I don’t get to choose WHAT I get each week. And I most definitely DON’T live in a hoity toity area. We’re “keeping it real” over here.
Having come from a rural area of Colorado where there are a lot of family farmers, I do like to help the community out when I can. But that’s a personal thing. I’d say don’t worry or get defensive about what you’re doing. Do what works for you. Don’t let what other people say or do bring you down!
Fascinating discussion here, thank you for giving me so much to think about! I am pro-organic, pro-local, pro-whole foods, when reasonable, of course. I am not yet a parent, but I always try to do what’s best for my body and my health, and know I’d like to learn more before bringing a child into this world. I’m continually amazed at the range of attention this subject gets from one set of parents to the next. With one set of friends, it’s nearly too “hot-button” an issue to discuss over drinks, with other couples it’s not something that gets any thought at all. So thanks again, for the cyber-discussion!
Real healthy, genuinely easy recipes here: http://girlbert.com.
Funny, no one has mentioned the reason I try to buy organic produce – it actually TASTES BETTER.
I would never buy dairy produced with hormones or antibiotics. How do I afford it? I use coupons. I can buy a gallon of store brand organic milk or use a coupon and get better tasting, hormone free milk cheaper than regular milk. I dont waste my money on organic produce though except the “dirty dozen”. As for the rest I try to grow my own in my teensy garden. If I want organic bread I use my breadmaker. Only the wealthy can afford all organic these days.
Yes, not all organic = automatically good, but this article is a willful misunderstanding of organic farming and it’s benefits. For example, while yes, it’s a fact that organically raised cows emit the same methane gases as non-organic cows, pasture-raised cows are significantly less polluting than feedlot raised animals, are not overexposed to anti-biotics (which breeds drug-resistant diseases), and are treated less cruelly.Your pesticide-laden food may indeed be just as healthy as “organic” cheetos, but is that really the standard you want to aspire to? How about trying to eat actual healthy organic food? Sheesh.
ChiLaura, check out http://www.localharvest.org/. It is a great way to
find out about CSAs in your area. Which will mean cheaper food for
your family and helping local farmers in your area. I do recommend you take your kids to the farmer’s market one of these days though. It is a great way to get your kids a little closer to where their food comes from and you can usually find stuff that would normally totally unaffordable at a good price. Like home made jams, interesting cheeses and meats (I don’t eat the stuff, but my husband says they are great). I know that next year I will be buying the Christmas turkey there, because it is cheaper and better quality.
K Brooks, I totally understand. I live in Brooklyn and not too far away from the water so it gets bitterly cold here, not Chicago cold I’m sure, but it is a lot colder than I remember Toledo being when I was a kid. I grow stuff on my fire escape. I took up companion planting which means a lot less space for a lot more stuff that help each other and my husband and I recently installed several windowboxes and plan to put one in the baby room for strawberry plants. Gardening is hard, especially gardening as a person that lives in an apartment. There are things that you can grow in the winter, like potatoes, garlic and winter squash. And there is canning and pickling. My husband wants me to start doing that because we always end up with more tomatoes and hot peppers than we need which I give away to friends. No one can be expected to just grow everything though. I wish I could, but I do not have the space.
I kind of envy my mother though, she lives in Southeast Texas and has some really nice tropical fruit trees (many of which she got as presents from me) and they are all growing beautifully and fruiting. It is great for her as a Trinidadian now being able to get affordable organic fruit that she grew up with in her country that costs loads of money at the grocery store organic or not.
@JessciaMama, I used to agree with you (that organic tastes better). Lately, though, I am finding the exact opposite. I can get delicious conventional produce (not from everywhere, mostly from my local market), where often the organic produce tastes awful. I am wondering if this has to do with big agriculture taking doing more “organic” labeled produce, for marketing purposed. I swear, I stopped buying produce from Whole Foods because it was almost always terrible.
This article was annoying. The cow methane comment was too much. What
really matters is grassfed versus grainfed meats when you’re discussing
fossil fuel impacts (of growing and transporting the corn) or free
range versus feedlot if you’re discussing the animal
cruelty/antibiotics abuse issues. Anyone who thinks it’s humane or healthy to live in all of your own and your neighbors feces, please I’d like to read that diary. Cows are built to digest grass not
seed (corn). They do particularly poorly on a seed diet, and get sick
quite often. They are ruminants and are not equipped to digest seed. It
also makes sense that we are not equipped to digest ruminants that eat
seed. Many of these links between red meat and poor health are actually links between seed fed meat and poor health. Aboriginal tribes that eat wild meats do not have near the heart disease rates that we do.
The comment section was great. Especially the New Zealander that poked fun at our insane system of growing corn to feed to animals that can and are meant to eat naturally growing wild grasses. Let me join him/her in that sentiment and also poke our corn-mutation industry. Archers Daniels Midland one of the 30 largest companies in the world spends all their time trying to get as many exports of the Rube Goldberg corn machine into the human (and our pets, cars) diet. That’s corn syrups, and emulsifiers, binders and whatever else they can manufacture from industrial nearly inedible corn.
Sure organics isn’t a catchall for all the qualities that we look for in food, from humane, to healthy, to local, to green. My rule of thumb, if you don’t know what it is, don’t eat it. And as a disclaimer to avoid the haters, the #1 rule is you do the best you can. This is a socio-economic issue, but it doesn’t always have to be. The reason that these chemical foods are successful (the low low price) shouldn’t also be a reason to demonize those of us that want to avoid chemical pesticides and fertilizers.
@lavidalocavore – could you clarify the definition of “free range”. From what I have read, it just means the animal has access to the outside for a certain portion of the day. They still live pent up (and possibly in their own feces) most of the time.If I am mistaken, please let me know. I think one thing people have a problem with is the definition of these types of things, and what they really mean.
Good call, there are all types of different meanings to the words free range. When I think of it, I’m thinking about animals that have enough space so they can move around to spots that aren’t covered in feces. I’m sure this isn’t the technical definition. You’re right these words are taken advantage of. Like cage free, which can be just as inhumane as caged animals if they are densely packed. I can point you towards my definition of free range http://www.lavidalocavore.org/diary/1341/you-are-what-you-eat-my-tour-of-morris-grassfed-beef. These cows have the acreage to move from spot to spot fertilizing and spreading seeds while not overgrazing. It’s a pretty cool cycle from the sun to the grass to the cows and back. The only fossil fuel used is in the transport from farm to market. The article would have worked better for me if it just described the economic reasons about why organics are too expensive for many budgets especially in a recession.
Thanks!
Yep, free-range is another term bandied around that doesn’t always mean the same thing, and in New Zealand I admit there are terrible discrepancies in the treatment of pigs and chickens, but when it comes to cows and sheep, we just do not use feedlots, house animals or anything. They live outside all year round – even in the high country of the South Island. But let’s not get too hung up on what’s natural and what’s not, because we all know that thousands of years of farming and horticultural have rendered most of the stuff we eat, animal, vegetable, organic or processed, a dim reminder of its original form.
Right, better get off the computer and go stew up some fruit and veges for the baby food I’ve been meaning to make for the last couple of days. That’s my method for a cost-effective way of making sure I have some idea what my daughter is eating – but fear not, I buy stuff from the supermarket too.
By the way, if you’re thinking and worrying about all this, you are probably already doing right by your kids when it comes to food.
P.S. Jeanne, I love the arsenic comment. I use cyanide as my standard comeback to “but it’s natural.”
Shana, thanks for the CSA resource. There are, it seems, some close enough to us that we might be able to participate this summer, and, yes, it seems like it could save us a fair amount of money. And, yes, after complaining above, I realized that if I plan things right, an outing to the farmers’ market would probably be a fun outing with the kiddos this summer. Thanks for the encouragement.
honestly, i’m annoyed with the “well-i-have-__-number-of-kids-and-i’m-too-exhausted-and-i-can’t-really-afford-buying-organic/local-food-anyway” parents and tone of this article. if you can’t financially or emotionally afford to properly care for your children and the environment that they’ll be living in both now and in the future, you shouldn’t procreate.
sbrosangela–I agree. I mean, if you can’t afford $6 a gallon milk and $5 a pound hamburger meat, what kind of horrible loser-parent are you? It’s like these people who actually shop for bargains and don’t spend $50 on infant sweaters. Think about the lifelong damage they’re causing their children (and the earth!). It should be required that anyone who has a child either have a Ph.D. or earn at least $100,000 a year. If a poor or middle-class person becomes pregnant, the government should forcibly remove said child from poor/middle-class person’s care. The child could then be given to an upper-middle class family (preferrably with Ph.D.’s) who will assure that the child is only fed organic box macaroni and organic teddy-bear shaped crackers. I’m sick of all these “normal” (i.e. horrible loser-parents) who, instead of spending their money on wholesome, organic frozen pizza and sorbet, spend their money on mortgages, college savings accounts, car payments, daycare, etc. Man, what is this? A free country? It’s time the government cracked down. Only organic-eating, earth-loving, big-city and/or east-coast-living women should be allowed to reproduce!
ihaveaphddoyou: Yay for best use of sarcasm ever. I heart you!
We switched to organic dairy and meat products when my skinny, skinny, skinny 5 year old daughter starting sprouting breast buds. Before that, I never believed that it was all that important to consume organic. However, within 3 weeks of switching to organic dairy & meat – she was flat as a board again. That is why I happily pay more (even when it is a pain) for those products, or do without. A great resource for those who cannot pay big bucks to go totally organic is this article:http://www.wikihow.com/Choose-the-Most-Important-Organic-Foods
ihaveaphddoyou – awesome. I was going to write something, but I can’t possibly do as well as you did. Some people are just so out of touch with how the majority of this country lives.
i certainly didn’t mean to offend anyone to the point where they felt the need to get all proletariat on me. my point was that by purchasing products which are full of pesticides, or tested on animals or are not fair trade or local, consumers essentially okay the addition of dangerous chemicals to foods or for gross human rights violations to occur by large corporations. as consumers we hold a lot of power, including the power to be more respectful to the environment and one another if only we, en masse, would be more thoughtful, educated and responsible.
sbrosangela – please, your comments were begging for an angered response. Also, I hope you have never taken any kind of medication (otc or prescription) or needed any surgery, or else you have bought products that have been tested on animals.
Chi-Laura–I have 3 kids now, and no car. It can be a real hassle to make it to the farmer’s market, I definitely understand. But it’s doesn’t have to be as much a chore as you think it is. We usually bus to the market, trying to get there early before it’s too crowded–best selection of food, easier to keep an eye on the kids. We definitely have to plan ahead though–my 6 y/o can handle a bag of produce on the way home, but the 4 y/o, not so much, and frankly, the baby is useless as far as transporting groceries, but he’s cute, so we keep him around.
Unless my husband has the day off, we can’t transport enough produce for a week of eating. So what I usually do is let the kids pick out some fruits they want to eat during the week (they love getting to pick, and they’ll eat more fruits/veggies if they pick them out, as opposed to me just handing them an apple or whatever), and then maybe I’ll get some veggies that I know for sure we’ll eat (tomatoes, lettuces, whatnot).
When I was tired and pregnant, going to the farmer’s market definitely seemed a huge imposition, but I am one of those “smug” mom’s who prefers local produce, so I would force myself to do it. What really helped though, was instead of thinking of the trip as grocery shopping, I started thinking of it as our “outing” for the day–a bus adventure, some fresh air, free samples from the vendors. Now I don’t try to rush through the market, I let the kids go at their own pace, and instead of trying to squeeze in a trip to the playground after the farmers market, we go home and make some sort of fruit dessert from scratch (not healthy, but a delicious and fun way to spend the day with the kiddos).
Just for laughs, did anyone see “Baby Momma” with Amy Poehler and Tina Fey. Tina Fey mentions that she should be eating organic during the pregnancy and Amy Poehler said, “that stuff is for rich people who hate themselves.”
I thought it was hilarious and just thought I’d share!
I think if you can get your kids to eat fresh fruit and veggies, you are on the right track!
I thought the list that babble posted last week of which f & g’s are “safe” to buy was helpful.
Oh, and ChiLaura, look around for organic delivery. I know it sounds expensive, but if you purchase enough usually, what you’d buy for a growing family of your size, it’s usually free. So, you may not end up spending much more or any more at all.
I am very fortunate to live in a “hippy dippy” city, and we have several of these, mostly because we have so many local farms. Most of the farms are organic, some have the stamp, but like others said, most can’t afford it. I have 3 little one’s under age 3, and my husband and I share a car, so I usually walk to the store too (Its good excercise for me!). Having our fruit and veggies delivered has been a great help. We priced all of the ones in the area and found one that had free delivery for what we normally spend at the grocery–I think its $20 per/week.
also a great tip is to buy whats in season and plan meals around that. In season is always cheapest. Waste not, want not–you can can or freeze some in season stuff so you can have it in winter–fresh summer tomotoe sauce in January over $10 tomotoes at the store? I’ll take it!
Good luck!
This article is so frustrating and full of myths! We eat organic food and I work in a healthfood store that sells organic food because it is better. It is better for our health because the pesticides being sprayed on our plants are neurotoxins and hormone disruptors some of which have been banned by other countries. The nutrient content of organic food can be higher (which some studies have shown) because organic food is picked when it is ripe, instead of being let to ripen in artifical ways and is not irratitated to get rid of possible bacteria. Even the so called “safe” foods are filled with pesticides and chemicals that are absorbed as they grow, the “safe” foods just contain less (but certainly some as once again other studies have shown) pesticide residue on the skin. When it comes to the planet our current method of argiculture has caused a serious decline in bee and frog species worldwide, dead zones in the gulf of Mexico, diseases in plants that actually threaten our global food supply and an increase in green house gases over organics because convential argiculture uses petroleium based fertlizers and reduction of wildlife habitat. Studies have shown that biodynamic organic farms can actually create more food, just think about it only 2% of farms are organic yet produce enough food to keep hundreds of Wholefoods stores in business. Before the 1940s all food was produced organically. When it comes to organic food prices the reason why they are higher is because conventional argiculture is subsitidised by the government, meaning we pay for it with our tax dollars. I also don’t agree with the arguement however that organic food is always more expensive. CSAs are much cheaper then buying food at the grocery store, organic produce is usually only a few cents more expensive at health food stores and co-ops then conventially grown. We are also paying less for food that at any other point in history.
I also noticed someone mentioned lack of produce in urban areas. Once again organic food is helping to fix this problem. Organic CSAs are distributing to communities in urban areas (in my area Sproutwood farm is distributing to Balitmore) and community gardens in urban areas are starting to tackle this problem as well.
What I don’t understand is how people can protest against the war in Iraq or global warming or go throw tea bags at the White House while ignoring the link between those issues and our food. The chemicals uses to keep our food free of bugs are made by the same chemical companies who sell chemical weapons, the conventional food system relyes heavily on petroleum products for every stage of production, we pay taxes to support the production of corn and soybeans, far beyond what we could ever consume.
Thanks for this article! Loved the way it (and the commenters here) put into perspective the marketing ploys used on Americans. There is just too much crap, and you have to do some research and reading to muddle thru it all. Books I have found helpful, but were also good reads along the way are Omnivore’s Dilemma and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle (this book by Barbara Kingsolver also has tons of websites, recipes,etc). Farmer’s markets (if you have access) are way cheaper and offer a good way to meet the face of your food. They also cut “research” time to almost nothing, as the farmers will tell you anything you want to know about their products. They almost always produce “organic” stuff, but can’t afford the certification and other hoops it requires to get the label. Plus the treatment of their animals is way more humane.
As consumers, the more we seek out and the more we buy products good
for ourselves and the earth, then the louder will be our collective
voice and our demands will be satisfied. The almighty dollar wields a
lot of power.
One more thing for those of you in Central North Carolina…
Just a quick shout out for good milk! At many major grocery stores (Harris Teeter, some Kroger’s, Whole Foods) there exists a locally produced, hormone and antibiotic-free milk from cows who graze on grass. The dairy is Maple View Farms and they make all types of milk. It was a more traditional dairy farm that saw the “wave of the future” and changed their business practices while the other nearby dairies were failing. They package it in glass bottles, and once you return the bottle to the grocery store you get a $1.50 credit. So the cost of the milk is less than 3 bucks a gallon–which is cheaper than the other stuff. And it tastes better.
I feel like this article jumbles several different issues together and comes to some fairly ignorant conclusions as a result. It’s true that the organic food at the supermarket tends to be shipped from somewhere far away, particularly if one lives in a colder area. However, the food one buys through a CSA or farmer’s market is often produced organically (as mentioned in another post, the “organic” label must be purchased through the government at a high price, so many small farmers aren’t able to use it and instead call their methods “natural” or “sustainable.” Because the “middle man” is cut out of the process when one buys from a farmer’s market, the produce is often of similar price to “conventional” produce at the supermarket. We live in a city and do most of our travel on public transportation, so I usually pick up vegetables at the farmer’s market near work and bring them home on the train with me in the evening.
In addition, you don’t have to break the bank on organic food — Environmental Working Group has a “dirty dozen” list (http://www.foodnews.org/walletguide.php) of the most (and least) pesticide-laden fruits and vegetables. We use it for our produce shopping, and it’s very helpful. For instance, we splurge on organic apples but save on “conventional” broccoli. Because of the high levels of hormones and antibiotics in dairy, we buy only organic milk, cheese, yogurt, and ice cream. And we eat only naturally-raised animals, which is, of course, super expensive, but we subscribe to the Michael Pollen redux: eat food — mostly vegetables. Meat isn’t a big part of our diet and we view it as a once-in-a-while treat. We eat almost no processed foods, which are actually pretty expensive and also not very good for you.
We’re not a hippie family or anything, but we figure that it’s our responsibility to give our daughter a healthy start and do at least a little bit to hand over a world with drinkable water, swimmable oceans, and breathable air.
Seems like you’ve made a good, logical, choice Jeanne. I will say, three times as much? No way. Not where I shop, anyhow. In my national chain grocery store last night I picked up a bunch of organic bananas at .99/lb. The conventional were .79/lb. Although bananas are not on the list of organic produce “musts” I figured what the heck. It wasn’t even a whole pound I bought, so it was less than a .20 difference.
I also consider the effects of pesticide exposure on farm families when I buy organic. Even if the environmental benefit post-importation is a wash and even if pesticide exposure to my kids from eating conventional is negligiable (but I’m not convinced it is), the exposure to pesticides and other chemicals in farm kids is really, really dangerous. Much higher rates of cancer etc. So that’s another factor to take into consideration.
Folks who think of organic as elitist or smug might consider how choosing organic and/or local (which is often organic or close to it) helps working families and protects their kids from over-exposure to dangerous toxins.
I have actually heard that in some cases, organic foods can be less safe, because groups are so keen to put “all natural” and “organic” on the label that they skip steps like food irradiation or pasteurization, which help keep foods safe. I’d prefer we process and raise food so we don’t need irradiation, for example – but right now, I have the choice between irradiated food and salmonella, and I know what I’m picking!
if you plant your own garden you can save way more and still consume more organic veggies. I think most have to pick and choose. Just do the best you can, I say. We do quite a bit with recycling and making our cleaning products, etc., but we can’t buy all of the hip “green” or “eco” gear, so we compromise. To me, eating fresh local or organic produce is important, so I try to get most of our produce that way. I don’t feel badly if I can’t and I don’t feel smug when I can. I second purchasing second-hand clothing. Eco-friendly and cheap and finding awesome things is quite a thrill!
Once again irradiation and pasteurization are products of the industrial agricultural farming system and completely unnecessary to make our food “safe”. Organic food by definition is never irradiated, which kills or changes the molecular structure of food which can cause our body to have a very strong immune system response, overworking our bodies. It also kills the good bacteria that create vitamin b 12 and pro-biotic bacteria that strengthen our immune system. Pasteurization of dairy products was invented before refrigeration so that diary products could have a longer shelf life, but also so that they were consistent in color. This process actually makes the milk have less calcium and destroys the good pro-biotic bacteria, it can also cause lactose intolerance. But organic and unpasteurized are not always combined. Pasteurized organic dairy products can be purchased, but often at a higher price then the non-pasteurized products.
The dangers of the chemicals in our food, known carcinogens and toxins, when it comes to herbicides that are know to turn genetically male frogs into egg laying female frogs and chemicals that we know cause birth defects in humans, are much greater then the small chance of organic food having a disease such as salmonella. Besides which food borne illnesses are equally as likely among both organic and non-organic food because they come from food being handled improperly (unfortunately organic food and non-organic food are often processed in the same factories), not due to lack of antibiotics or other protections.
It is important to buy many things grown organically, like bananas. Workers who pick non-organic bananas are sprayed with pesticides constantly, and it has devastating effects on them. It is really important to buy organic milk; we do not need to ingest growth hormones and anti-biotics, and especially not at the rate that kids drink milk. Growing your own food is the cheapest way to eat, and preserving it through the winter is really not that hard. There are plots in the city if you don’t have any outdoor access.
What we put in our bodies, the how the earth is treated, how workers are treated, the politics of food is actually really, really important. This is not a class issue, this is a major health issue. I would not allow my child or my family to eat pesticide laden food, grown in toxic soil by workers who were sprayed with those pesticides. It is just not ok. We have a lot of power in what we purchase, and can change the way things are done. We demand the most healthy food, we demand that the governemnt stop stuffing us, the land and animals with toxic chamicals, and we can do that by buying organic food, local food, gardening, and making an effort to make things better. I admit that organic cheesey puffs are over priced junk food, so don’t buy them. Organics are little bit more expensive, not 3 times more expensive. Somethings are too damn important to skip corners on or be apathetic about. But there is nothing to support in your stance, and it is incredibly important to think about what you put in your body, and the politics that are involved. Yes, you are a bad parent, and encouraging others to act so irresponsably about something so important is an incredibly detrimental thing to do.
Growing one’s own food is neither cheap nor easy, and to say that “there are plots in the city” is just silly — what city? Not my city.
so, we’re all just trying to do our best (including the author)…. and no one’s perfect (especially me!) but there are a few angles omitted from the essay above.
ETHICAL CONCERNS:
Perhaps the best reason to purchase organic cotton, veggies, etc. is not for the benefit of you & yours’, but instead to safe-guard the health of the farmer who grew your baby’s bananas, and the health of his/her kids. Much (if not most) of our non-organic food is produced in 3rd world countries where laws are far laxer regarding the use/regulation of pesticides & fertilizers than here in the US. The run-off from these chemicals pollutes local drinking water. They are prohibitively expensive for small-scale farmers (giving big agri-business an unfair advantage). They wreak havoc on the local eco-system. Some even cause respiratory, skin, other problems for those who handle them (and warnings/instructions are often written in languages not read by the farmers using the chemicals).
ECO-CONCERNS:
When it comes down to choosing between locally-produced non-organic and foreign-produced organic, transportation is only one factor of many in assessing the overall carbon footprint of your food. Big agri-business (wherever it is located) is far more destructive than family farming methods. An affordable, ethically sound compromise might be to purchase produce from small-scale LOCAL farmers (regardless of organic certification) as much as possible (through local CSAs, tailgate markets, farmer road-side stands, independent grocery stores, etc).
Concerning meat/dairy/poultry, it’s certainly ideal to only eat pastured meat/dairy products (preferably organic as well, but it’s not always practical or affordable), and not too much of it. …..i know, I love a good steak, too!!! But cows do produce a lot of methane, and conventional “factory-farm” methods of raising livestock is extremely energy intensive, polluting, unhealthy for the consumer and the surrounding community at large and -yes-cruel. Not to be too idealistic, but if Americans suddenly stopped consuming all of this sub-standard meat and dairy, the industry would have a reason to switch to more sustainable methods. Managed pastured-livestock techniques are actually good for the environment (see MotherEarthNews if you’d like some details), at least in areas such as the Midwest.
FOOD SAFETY:
Every couple of months, a few dozen or a few hundred people fall sick or worse because of contaminated agri-business products. in the US in the last 5 years, this list includes ground beef, fresh spinach, pork, green onions, and peanuts. This phenomenon has never been linked to organic produce, or free-range/pastured meats. The huge differences in conventional production vs. organic/small-scale production are the reason.
Sorry for such a long post! Obviously, i care a lot about this issue, but i know it’s impossible to totally avoid big agri-business. I don’t want to turn anyone off from trying to be more responsible about their food choices by implying it is an either/or dichotomy,and it is horribly unfair that only middle and upper-class folks can afford to even have these debates. Our system favors the status quo, unfortunately.
So please, go ahead & buy your baby non-organic bananas when she’s screaming for them (hey, it’s a helluva lot better than a happy meal with a baby diet coke!), but maybe consider those locally grown strawberries, too?
Aaargh! While I enjoyed most of this article, I wanted to rip my eyes out when I read “arsenic is organic.” ARE YOU KIDDING ME? That is in no way true at all. The term organic refers to either a) a set of growing practices, or b) any chemical or biochemical compound that contains the element carbon. As an element itself, arsenic is not capable of meeting either definition of organic. For the love of all that is holy (and in my world, that’s science), if you want to make an argument, don’t make irritatingly asinine statements that undermine your own credibility by glibly displaying your ignorance of the main topic you’re attempting to discuss.
ameliabedelia: Arsenic can be defined as “organic” or “inorganic” and not by glib writers but by living breathing scientists:
http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=14947
So, nope, not kidding you!
To some of the other posters: I agree that there are a great number of concerns about food safety and the ethics of bringing in food from out of the country where workers are paid very little. To be frank, that happens too with organic foods brought in from other countries; I’m not convinced organic labeled food from outside of the country is safer than that I pick up at the farmer’s market. It’s why I make more attempts to buy local than I do to buy organic. I chat up my farmer, which helps me ensure the food is safe, and I am supporting local business rather than a farm in South America where the labor practices are abhorrent.
Thanks for the lively discussion and feedback here!
Jeanne, you make a good point about buying organic food grown outside the US. There is little to no oversight of these farms, so we cannot really know what we are getting.Ollies mama, you had a good post until the end, when said she was a bad parent. This is what turns some people off from the organic movement – the sanctimonious nature of some of its “advocates”. You are really doing nothing for your cause by insulting someone.
Ollies Mama,
Oh please… Don’t tell me what is or isn’t “actually really, really important”. Part of the fabulousness of being INDIVIDUALS is that we all get to be passionate about different issues. “Not a class issue”? B.S. it’s not. As someone who’s family has been hit extremely hard by this economic crisis, I can tell you it absolutely is a class issue. At the end of the day, after hearing my mortgage company call 6 times, the credit card companies call every hour, making arrangements with my power company so my electricity doesn’t get disconnected, watching my husband walk throught the door from his job as a restaurant server, who then tells me he made a whopping $16 during his shift, I could give a rat’s fat ass about 95% of what you are so very concerned about. Trust me, worrying yourself sick about these issues is for somenone who doesn’t actually have REALLY scary problems to worry about. And, HOW DARE YOU call someone else a bad parent? I’m surprised you were able to use your arm to type your informative speech… I would think it would be sore from all of that patting yourself on the back.
I think we should all get really, really mad now.
Tegan, please take a moment to watch this documentary:
http://www.hulu.com/the-future-of-food
We are all struggling in this economy, and there is limited time in our lives. But food safety and security is NOT a class issue. With a little effort we can get our legislatures to change the farm bill, to allow for food stamps/wic to be used at farmers markets and to get organics/local food at grocery stores. Everyone needs access to safe food. It is actually really, really important. The title of this essay is bad parent, and I am just concuring with how the auther is a bad parent in this case, and and irresponsible journalist. If we cared more about where our food comes from than having a WII or satelite TV, or other crap we might actually be able to eat safely, everyone might be able to eat safely. Food is something everyone needs to live, it is an issue that everyone needs to actually care about.
@jepea sorry, you are incorrect. The peanut paste salmonella recall earlier this year was organically-certified.
Organic, also, does not mean NO pesticides; there are several pesticides which are allowable under organic rules.
And as far as milk, “organic” cows are permitted to be treated with antibiotics when they need it too. Their milk is subject to the same tests for antibiotic residue as conventional cow milk. Cows are fed different feed, and are not permitted to have additonal hormones.
However, keep in mind that all cows milk you can buy, organic or not, has come from a pregnant cow. Milk from pregnant cows has TONS of hormones…because the cow is pregnant. The trick to get around this…is to drink skim. Hormones are lipids and are only found in the fat of the milk.
Nothing is pure now since this earth is contaminated one way or another–water, air, soil. Just do the best you can and hope for the best.
I think it’s sort of irrelevant to compare conventional fruit with organic potato chips. If a parent is trying to make informed choices about what to buy for the family, information about organic strawberries and conventional strawberries would be more important. We don’t buy all organic food for our kids, mainly because of cost. We do buy local produce in the summer, because it’s yummy, fresh, relatively cheap, and we have a lot of good farmer’s markets where we live. We buy organic or local milk and choose organic for the dirty dozen items. If money were no obstacle, I probably would be sure to avoid chemically treated fabrics and food. Like most parents, I want what’s best for my kids. Our kids wear 90% used clothes (mostly hand-me-downs), so we really don’t exercise a lot of choice there. I don’t think every mother who wants to limit her family’s exposure to chemicals when possible is smug, rich, “hippy-dippy,” or anything but a concerned parent. I am just not sure why buying local or buying organic needs to be an insult to parents who don’t.
Sure, all of this is well and good assuming you trust the FDA—the same agency that told us aspartame was safe, that touts the safety of MSG which has been shown to be a neurotoxin that contributes to any number of health conditions…..if the FDA says pesticides and hormones and antibiotics are A-Okay and you believe it, then by all means don’t buy organic. I am not so trusting.Also, to say that organic milk is no better than “regular” milk because all cows emit the same amount of methane misses the point entirely. I choose organic milk for my daughters because i KNOW that it isn’t going to mess with their health—something I cannot with certainty say about something full of artificial hormones and antibiotics. I don’t judge people for making different choices than me, but I do frown on people blindly accepting whatever a government agency says as absolute truth. Do you really think these people care about you, or your children? They care about protecting their interests, and maintaining power. Period.
ps cali mom if you are worried about feeding your family why are you paying for internet access? seems like a luxury to me.
Wow … I found this blog post to be cringeworthy.
We are a country of sheep, driven by ignorance and blind trust. Most of you “sheep” have no idea how our food is grown, raised and processed, yet become so defensive when healthy, whole, humane and chemical-free food is consumed.
It’s about priority. I choose to go without lots but will NEVER scrimp on organic, local and “whole” foods. Never. Does that make me elitist? That’s insane. Those who want to laugh at me or call me elitist are simply insecure because they are sheep: misinformed, uneducated and complacent.
Become educated and make a difference. Read Michael Pollan, go rent Food Inc., watch Deborah Koons Garcia’s “The Future of Food” – you can download the entire film on line.
But stop being sheep! Two-thirds of adults are overweight or obese. One-third of our children are overweight or obese. Every time you buy organic, the “beep” is your vote as a consumer for better food that will nourish us, as opposed to making us even sicker.
I wonder if the sanctimonious bull-shit like the kind that some of these comments are full of is considered organic fertilizer?
Also, it really hurts your credibility when you insist that you too are “struggling” in this economy to turn around and make classist and judgemental remarks. But I don’t care: we could easily afford organic but I choose not to buy it. Oh, and I also don’t care what kind of parent you think I am.
Personally, I do not think it’s an organic “issue”. Organically grown food has become relatively mainstream, and from most companies, with the intention of making big bucks. Whatever. Buying food that isn’t laced with pesticides (whenever I can) IS important to me. I do not stroll through the market looking for organic food. But I also don’t want my kid getting used to eating most of the foods that our grocery stores have to offer (just cause it’s there, doesn’t mean it should be eaten). I think we have to educate our children to eat smarter and healthier. Eating the right foods IS AS IMPORTANT as making sure your child’s car seat is properly installed, recycling, and it is all about teaching them to responsible human beings that can make a difference in their own lives!
I’m with you…sometimes you just have to settle for being a “good enough” parent….people do get very whole-foodier-than-thou” I’m impressed, they are probably right as well and in an ideal world…maybe I’m just a pessimist who thinks we’ll all have blown ourselves up before we get to ruin the earth…
You’re really cherry picking the scientific evidence on organic in order to justify your choices. Organic is healthier because it lacks pesticides. Some studies have shown higher nutrient content, some haven’t, but the bottom line is that children fed organic food have lower levels of pesticides in their blood. Good that you’re eating whole foods, fruits and grains, rather than processed foods. But don’t downplay the benefits of organic food – it’s better for you, it’s better for the planet. And bananas travel just as many miles whether they are organic or not.
The toughest choice is to make the right choice. If you are settling on quality of the food you eat? I’m very sorry for you. Well… let’s just say “you are what you eat”. Oh and have you ever heard of Pink Slime?
http://scienceblogs.com/mikethemadbiologist/2010/01/would_you_like_ammonia-laced_p.php
why would you want mass produced food in your body.. do you enjoy the pesticeds, hormones, antibiotics, and herbicides that are in your blood stream now? Some unorganic crops are fertilized with human shit because it’s cheaper. YUM.
and im sorry its gonna empty your wallet when you spend 69 cents on a lb of bananas rather than 49. i mean why jeopordize your wallet when your kid cant tell the difference.
This post makes me sad. I think this writer chose to look at certain information and not all the facts. The fact is that it hasn’t been proven that organic foods have more nutrients than their conventional counterparts BUT there is evidence that the hormones, antibiotics, and pesticides effect us in negative ways. We are, more now than ever, resistant to antibiotics because we have over exposed ourselves. Pesticides in blood are linked to diseases such as cancer, Parkinsons, heart disease and other hormonal and blood disorders. The bovine growth hormone is linked to cancer and early maturity in children. Even if we can not prove these things beyond reasonable doubt, isn’t there enough evidence to cause pause for a moment? We spend so much money in America on fancy vacations, cars, homes, etc. but we are often unwilling to spend money on the things that make us healthy. We would rather look for cheap and quick–MacDonalds, frozen meals, Shake and Bake chicken.
I am not going to claim that organic is cheap. It’s not. I buy organic and local as much as possible so I know it is not. I am also not claiming that the travel it took for that banana to get to my home caused any less pollution than the conventional banana BUT the lack of pesticides that went into the creation of that banana certainly does help out our earth. The lack of hormones and pesticides that went into that cow (and therefore, later, into our water and soil) certainly does help our earth.
I make the decision to buy organic for my family not because I feel “holier than thou” but because I value healthy food and I don’t want to turn a blind eye.
We haven’t even mentioned how animals are treated by industrial farming. Yes, industrial farms include both conventional and organic but smaller farms do often treat animals in a way they deserve to be treated. The organic label, although it isn’t perfect, does try to protect animals and give them a happy life, at the very least.
In the end it is really about knowing where you food comes from, knowing the farmer, knowing their values and how they choose to treat their animals and food. There are many fabulous local, small farms that treat animals in a respectful way, that do not use pesticides, hormones, and antibiotics in their foods. Some of these farms are not organic. Organic doesn’t trump all, it is a guideline. The most important thing is to be a conscious, educated consumer. Can we do that for our children and families?
“Arsenic, after all, is organic.” Wow. It’s your choice what to eat and what to feed your family. I would hope, however, that you don’t honestly justify it to yourself with comments such as that. Arsenic is organic due to it’s chemical composition. Organic food is organic because it is not sprayed with pesticides. Two totally different things.
Not to mention, you may make yourself feel better by insisting that “no one can prove if it’s better for you or not”, but if you look at the available scientific studies (no, Google is not a scientific journal) the evidence towards the pesticides used on non-organic crops are frequently found to be human carcinogens and endocrine disruptors. Your choice what to eat, but making ignorant and incorrect comments does not lend credibility to your article.
Obviously this person does not know what Organic means.Nobody said the nutrients in “organic” foods were higher!!!!!!!! They are not raised and soaked in chemicals that are linked to Cancer,birth defects and many other conditions and/or diseases.That’s what “organic” is all about.
While I understand some of the disagreement in the comments about the article, arguing that pesticides are the problem. Have you ever stopped to think why you never see any nasty insects and pests in your local supermarket? It is because it has been treated with pesticides to make it a clean environment for you to buy your organic food.. which totally defeats its purpose! My brother majors in food industries and he brought this point up, which makes you think if what you are really paying a premium for is worth it and really totally pesticide FREE…
food for thought?