Organic Foods

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TimBikes @ Jan 24 2007, 05:53 PM) [snapback]380293[/snapback]</div>

I have been slowly entering into the organic foods realm. It started with shade grown coffee and organic tea about a year ago, but now includes all of my fruits and vegetables and a lot of dry goods such as speghetti and speghetti sauce. Still, my meat is standard hormone injected week old supermarket meat. I suggest to my non organic friends to start with something small, such as organic bananas which are only 10 cents a pounds more expensive (and bananas are cheap anyways), and then the next shopping trip, look for some other organic replacement such as coffee, and so on. Just start with one item and expand and soon enough, half of your groceries might be organic. It especially helps that most supermarkets carry a lot of organic foods now, it makes it all less threatening.

 

When I can, and it makes sense.

All organic foods are NOT created equal, of course. I buy LOCAL organic product. Not the Wal*Mart variety. Most of what I eat is grown within a bicycle's ride away from my home.

 

I buy Organic milk, not for the organic side of it but instead because organic is the only type I have found that is Ultra-Pasteurized so that it lasts longer. Since I travel a lot on short notice, the extra cost is easily made up by not having to throw out milk constantly. And it also means I go to the store for milk less often.

 

We make an effort to grow, buy and consume locally. This means our own large organic garden and organic produce from local growers. NOT the big box Wal-mart types. Every effort is made to minimize our carbon footprint.

 

I purchase organic, over conventional, any time it's offered. I support Whole Foods Market and Trader Joe's with my organic purchases. I've been trying to locate a vendor that's both reliable and local but haven't yet been successful.

 

I buy organic, free-range eggs because they taste noticeably better than factory-farm eggs. I buy local produce whenever possible (the farmers where I live have a great system to let you know which produce is local).

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TimBikes @ Jan 24 2007, 03:33 PM) [snapback]380347[/snapback]</div>

We have a farmer's market 2x week, plus we are members of a grocery Co-op that labels the origin of all produce. If you buy organic from small stores, it is FAR more likely to be local than from Safeway or Wal*mart.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(darelldd @ Jan 24 2007, 02:35 PM) [snapback]380312[/snapback]</div>

That is usually how I look at it. Sometimes I just have to buy whatever Trader Joes has on hand because we need something now and I don't have time to drive out to the markets. Thankfully we have 3 fruit and vegitable stands within about 5miles of my house and a farmers market every week.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Stev0 @ Jan 24 2007, 07:40 PM) [snapback]380349[/snapback]</div>

Thank you. I don't think they cut the beaks off of free range birds. A nice plus. They have to be happier too. I think there's a difference between free range and cage free. Free range have access to the outdoors and cage free are stilled housed in indoor, smaller spaces.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TimBikes @ Jan 24 2007, 06:33 PM) [snapback]380347[/snapback]</div>

This is one person's opinion:

Those that are commonly heavily treated, such as strawberries and animals;
Those where you consume the parts that are sprayed, as in leafy greens or broccoli;
Those that you consume frequently, whereby you'll get higher accumulated exposure over time, as in apples or bananas

http://www.elsonhaas.com/articles/article_02.htmlr

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(efusco @ Jan 25 2007, 07:02 AM) [snapback]380623[/snapback]</div>

I agree with you here. My wife is an entomologist who does field trails to re-register pesticides for use on crops and EPA approval. It's hard to find produce that is truly free of ever being sprayed even if it's sold that way. You have no way of knowing for sure. Many small farms spray and probably over spray, large farms are more regulated and tend to comply more. Many crops need to be sprayed for pests to make them financially viable.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(efusco @ Jan 25 2007, 01:02 PM) [snapback]380623[/snapback]</div>

Gasp! You're a doctor! Why do you not believe organic is better? Are you skeptical that there are enough controls to ensure that the produce is grown w/out pesticides and herbicides are is your position that these chemicals aren't bad for living organisms.

 

I buy only organic, free range milk and organic, free range eggs. Oh--and organic sugar.

On occasion, I'll buy other organic things, too. I wish our local supermarkets had more products in stock. Instead, our organic section is usually about a quarter of an aisle, and stuffed with "health" foods (wheat germ, et al.) that I won't eat.

I also would prefer to buy free range chicken, as I have a crisis of conscience every time a Perdue truck passes me with it's stacks of cages...two chickens per approx. 1' X 3' cage or thereabouts. This happens about once a week. However, there's only one grocery store in Richmond that I've found to carry free-range meats...and it ain't close! Okay, now I'm talking myself into going.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(bluejay @ Jan 25 2007, 12:58 PM) [snapback]380620[/snapback]</div>

Add to this list any fatty substances like nut butters, nuts or oils. I've heard that pesticides and herbicides adhere more readily to fatty substances and if one is going to absorb the increased cost for organic, these are organic foods to invest in. You're right on about strawberries. They require very heavy dosing.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TimBikes @ Jan 24 2007, 06:33 PM) [snapback]380347[/snapback]</div>

On the front page of http://www.foodnews.org/ there's a list of 43 fruits & veggies ranked from highest pesticide load to lowest. There are also links to their testing methodology & the full data set.

 

We shop at our locally grown farmer's market every week and mostly stick to organically grown. I also shop at Trader Joes which offers lots of 'organic' prepared and frozen foods. My feeling about the subject is since I am over 50, my body is well preserved with additives, but by supporting the fledgling 'organic' industry I am opening up choices for future generations. Just like driving a Prius, it's not about me, it's about the future.

I specifically won't buy Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) food, fauna or flora, as it is untested with long term studies and was fast tracked to market. Also, companies like Monsanto have corrupted our grains then had the nerve to sue farmers who's crops were cross fertilized with Monsanto's junk, thereby placing small farmers in even more of a danger of going out of business. Like mono culture crops, genetically altered animals open the whole business up to be wiped out through rampant disease. It is my personal feeling that genetically diversified food is more resistant to disease and crop disintegration.

As stated above, I personally believe it is especially important to eat organic foods high in fat as fat stores so much harmful junk, and animals high on the food chain accumulate the harmful junk eaten by critters all the way up the chain. I perfectly well understand that I have choices not available to others who do not live in a climate in which growing is not a year-round option. I'm not a purist, and when visiting others I eat what they do, knowing that when I return home I return to my definition of 'healthier' eating.

 

I buy organic because it makes my wife happy. I did get her to study a little and find out that some produce (bananas for example) the organic label means nothing.

I fear some of the "green label" industry is simply making it a marketing tool. FOr those of you who always buy organic, regardless of cost, try looking into it a little deeper. The money you save could be used in more effective ways.

For those who answered "I just buy local", local does not equate to organic.

Anybody know about flaxseed? It is a dollar more a bag for the same companies "organic" flax.