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hey all. i was wondering if everyone eats organic?im struggling with being able to afford everything organic, i try:( . i worry ill never get better if i dont. would like to hear what others do,thanks!
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organic
Torey,I do not think that everything you put on or in your body had to be organic. I don't buy buy everything organic and I'm getting better! I do when I can but the majority of the time I'm doing well to just afford my food, appts. and medicines. I mean I think its wise to strive to include quality products but I have heard Matia say that you can still get well and get healthy even if your diet is not 100% organic. Its also a a bit frustrating for consumers to even know exactly what "organic" means anyway as that label is often misused by food manufacturers and farmers. I think if you are on a budget its wise to stick to hormone free - (my grovery store offers thier budget version of a "greener" or less processed budget organic style meat and maybe some other stores do as opposed to the gold standard mega organic 13.00 dollar beef you know)? meats and worry less about your fruits and veggies being organic. if your local helath food store does this sometimes they team up with small organic farms and offer boxes of seasonal organic produce for about 150.00 a season?. You can go in on this with others and you'll have tons of fresh local fruit and veggies to cook with and you pick this box up usually every week. Call around for local organic farms that might offer this deal.the only downside really is you may wind up with whatever is in season- and you may or may not can eat that vegetable of fruit. Farmers market! I mean I think its just about doing the best you can with what you can afford. I means sure organic might be the greatest choice sometimes but you are still going to get well. I think its more important to eat fresh whole foods rather than processed or foods out of box or frozen. Think local and explore the idea of organic gardening! you can grow alot of food in a very small space. I'm not the greenest thumb but I want to learn more and grow my own food! hope this is helpful. Mary
Greener meats
Honeybee, I love your ideas! How much do you pay for "greener" meats? I am mostly interested in hormone/antibiotic free meats. For example, how much is a pound of chicken breasts or ground beef? thanks.
Eating Organic
Our local grocery store (Giant) has a section of organic meats. Sometimes they are high priced, but they do put some of them on sale each week. I usually buy what is on sale. I have found that for the most part the sale meats are comparable in price to the regular meats. I always use organic butter even though it is higher in price since the hormones they feed regular beef are stored in the fats. Same with milk, if you use it. When I can't get organic meats or they are too expensive, I use regular and don't worry about it. As for produce, I buy organic most of the time if I can afford to. You can find lists of produce that have higher use of pesticides on line. I buy the organic versions of the ones high in pesticides, like apples, even though they do cost more. Bell peppers, if you tolerate them, are another one that is best bought organic as they are high in pesticides too. The bottom line is to buy organic if it is available and if you can afford it. If you can't, just try to eat healthy and don't worry about it. That's my philosophy.
Priorities
I think Matia said in one of the support group calls that she prioritizes milk and blueberries if the budget won't cover everything. Can someone confirm that?
I live in the Bahamas, and
I live in the Bahamas, and organic is just not always available. I buy it when I can, but I don't worry too much. And I am getting better!!
To reiterate what Honeybee said
Matia has said on multiple occaions that you can still get well even if you're not eating (all) organic. So do not despair!!
organic
Torey- You should seriously read The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan, I swear it's one of the best books ever...SO much information on food/organic/etc. I majored in environmental studies in college and I feel like this should have been required reading! My tips would be:1. Buy local first! If it's coming from somewhere smaller that's close by then most likely they use better practices than big companies, even organic ones! Plus, you're reducing carbon emissions and oil use by buying closer to home.2. Splurge on grass fed meats when possible (no hormones/antibiotics, etc.). Grass fed is the best you can get! Cows will eventually die on a grain diet because it destroys their livers, gives them ulcers, etc... hence the reason we end up giving them antibiotics and all that crap. They are meant to eat GRASS! Actually, just never eat grain fed again, it's bad for cows, your body, and the environment. I have found a local family farm that sells grass fed beef and lamb and it's amazing, plus you can visit the farm and see what they're doing there any time you want! We should be able to see how animals are treated and processed into what we eat.3. Don't buy farm-raised fish. I had a marine bio class and work with fish currently and believe me, farm raised is generally terrible (I find hatchery fish in the river with extra fins on a regular basis). Fish like salmon bioaccumulate carcinogens/toxins and if you eat it regularly it will really harm you. They are also raising fish to eat grain now too, which is totally absurd. It alters the omega 6/omega 3 ratio and it actually ends up being bad for your heartSorry, totally went off on a rant. I am so passionate about the food topic because I think it is hands down the underlying cause of most all environmental problems and thus most all chronic illnesses/cancers. All in all, I guess my point is organic isn't necessarily better. Big organic companies are just slightly better than big non-organic ones, so don't worry too much about it, especially if it has a thick skin or a skin you don't eat. Things like berries that soak up those pesticides are probably worth the organic price. All in all, think small. Seek out local sources of food :)-Whitney
Fish
Whitney, What types of fish do you eat?
Fish
Whitney;I saw a documentary on TV about farm raised salmon. You are right on with what you said about the fish. I think on the documentary they even said they were feeding the farm raised fish antibiotics. The food industry has gone crazy!
fooood
the food industry is SO crazy. we try and do all these crazy things to make food "healthier" when in reality nature provides everything we need for healthy food- we have totally disrupted natural cycles. it doesn't take a genius to understand the more nutrient-rich the soil, the more nutrient-rich the things that grow in it. and that you are what your food eats too (which these days is a whole lot of corn!) we try to break things down so much into tiny components, adding vitamins into a packaged food that you could get from a whole food. it all boggles my mind, truly. i wish we could simplify and shift back to older times when there was no need for "organic" because everything was organic!Sharon- To be honest, I don't really. When I'm at home in Oregon I can find wild caught salmon and halibut so I will buy it then, but here in Utah there isn't anything but frozen. I'm trying to use as many local resources for food as I can. I'd like to catch fish out of the river but unfortunately they stock rivers with hatchery fish (we love to control nature, don't we?). Sometimes I will buy wild caught alaskan salmon in a can, which may have it's own issues, but is much better than the other options. I only buy one brand that also has a certification on the label regarding sustainable fisheries. I eat this when i get sick of other things and need some protein in my lunches.