***Cloth diaper status check: 2 weeks in. Cloth diapering rocks my world. Babydoll's butt has never looked cuter. BD still not on board...but coming around. I hope. Continue to send good vibes, friends.***
So, since I had put off writing about the wonders of vinegar and baking soda in order to write about disposable diapers, I was planning on covering that topic this week. Fate has intervened yet again, my friends. A random discussion in my Mommy Group (every Mommy needs a group, and mine is freakin' awesome) revealed this comment: "There isn't much difference in organic food, it's just pricier."Whoa. My mission was clear: educate the masses (or, my 8 followers) about why organic foods are so much better for you and your family.
I've been making organic food choices for a few years now, and I've recently stepped up my game. Pretty much all the produce coming into our home now is organic, and we only eat organic eggs and chicken. You know by now about our meat choices, and when we eat pasta, it's organic whole wheat noodles on our plates.
In terms of food, here is the definition of "organic:" pertaining to, involving, or grown with fertilizers or pesticides of animal or vegetable origin, as distinguished from manufactured chemicals. And that's it in a nutshell. Organic simply means no chemicals, no hormones, no antibiotics, no funk. I'm going to abandon my favored list style and go with a myth/truth format today. You don't mind, right?
Myth: There's no difference between organic food and conventionally grown food. Can I stop right here for a second, and address that label? The irony in that phrase f'ing kills me. "Conventionally grown" now means that the food was grown or produced with the use of chemicals ("conventional," meaning widespread use or acceptance). 100 years ago, "conventional" meant...well, basically "organic."
Truth: There IS a difference. Pesticide residue on produce, in particular, is difficult to remove even with a good washing. Pesticide consumption, even in small amounts, has been shown to weaken immune systems ("Why is my kid ALWAYS sick?"), contribute to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ("Why is my kid ALWAYS bouncing off the walls?"), encourage malignant cell growth (that's cancer, dude), and inhibit the body's natural defense against cancer cells. Want more? Pesticide exposure, either inhaled or ingested, can be highly toxic to small children and pregnant women. Long-term exposure to pesticides can lead to nervous system disorders or failure. And that's kind of a big deal.
Myth: Organic food is expensive.
Truth: Well, I won't bullshit you. Organic food IS more expensive than conventionally grown food. But here's the thing: if you shop for produce that's in season, it's going to cost less than if you're trying to get strawberries in December. Organic pasta is cheap. Organic canned beans cost only $0.75 more than their non-organic counterparts. Organic dairy would require me to take out a loan, so for now we settle for milk with no artificial growth hormone, and when Babydoll comes of milk-drinking age, we'll make the switch for her (I don't drink milk - BD does). I went to Whole Foods today to do my weekly shopping and look at the prices I found in the produce section:
The bag of potatoes had a whole lot of them in there, and so did the $1.89 bag of onions. The $1.99 Fuji apples come 5 to a bag, which is perfect for me to pack in my lunch every day (of course I brown-bag it! You had to ask?). Whole Foods had organic strawberries at $5.99 a pound. That price drops in the summertime, when berries are in season, to about $2.99 a pound. Do you see what I'm getting at here?
Here are some other things to consider when you make the decision whether to purchase organic or not:
- Organic farms have healthier workers. Think about it. Would you be down with poison exposure?
- Organic is better for the environment. Fewer pesticides on the farms equal fewer pesticides in the air, water, and soil.
- Organic crops are frequently rotated. This keeps soil healthy. Yep, soil can become unhealthy. Soil that is healthy produces food with more nutritional value. Seriously.
- Organic farms are small farms. I'm all about supporting the little guy and saying "F off" to the big corporations. Organic farming is a much more concentrated effort than factory farms; it takes a lot more work to hand tend crops instead of doing a fly-by dusting of pesticides.
- Organic is GMO-free. I encourage you to look into genetically modified food. Google "Monsanto."
- Look for local Farmer's Markets. Often, you'll find fresh, organic, locally grown produce at a fraction of the cost you'd pay in a grocery store. And you support the little guy! I heart the little guy! Look, I live in the freakin' desert and we have Farmer's Markets (yes, that is plural).
I try to buy organically as often as possible. Here is a short list of what I *always* purchase organically:
- Chicken and eggs
- Berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries...all the berries!)
- Apples
- Potatoes
- Peaches
- Celery
- Fresh herbs
- Peppers (bell - all colors, jalapenos)
- Greens (spinach, lettuce, kale, chard)
- Carrots
- Tomatoes
Basically, if I'm going to eat the skin of something, I make sure it's organic. Do your own research. The impact of pesticides on our bodies and the environment is monumental, yet they're out there, everywhere.
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