Questions for Organic Moms

Unfortunately, the junk is usually the stuff that's on sale or less expensive. Google the list Dirty Dozen. It will give you an idea of what's best to buy organic and what you don't need to spend extra money on for organic.

One of the things that I do because I can't afford to buy everthing organic is to wash my fruit and veggies in an apple cider vinegar bath. It helps to neutrilize the chemicals. It's better than just washing the fruit.

Reading food labels is so important. It's a great way to get started down a healthier road!

Good luck

Lots of good suggestions here! I'd also like to add that Trader Joes carries lots of organic products, and is super-affordable as far as other foods and produce. And someone JUST told me that the Blaine SuperTarget (perhaps all of them?) carries reasonably-priced CAFO-free mean (in other words, it doesn't come from feedlots).

Hi Cheri,

I've found that by eating organically, you get more nutrition and you feel satisfied earlier in a meal than when not eating organically. I found that the more we got into organic foods, our budget really didn't change all that much. My husband would eat a 16 oz steak before and now he's absolutely satisfied with 4 oz. One reason is it tastes better and he eats slower......

It's my understanding that the state standards in Oregon and Washington state meet US organic standards. If I can't buy organic produce I try to stay with those two states.

My daughter actually told me to skip the ice cream at one of our favorite places....(don't know if you have Jason's Deli where you are but they have mostly organic food. Their salad bar is great)....my 14 YEAR OLD daughter told me that she didn't want any and I didn't need any and she meant it! I've accomplished something :D

Regards,

M.

http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/eat-safe/Dirt...

This lists the Environmental Working Group's "Dirty Dozen" and gives a link to the 12 foods you *don't* need to buy organic. Peanuts are no longer on the "dirty dozen" list, but I have seen in other places that peanuts are very susceptible to fungus and so they use a lot of chemicals on those, too. Organic peanut butter is really easy to find. Trader Joe's is tasty and inexpensive.

Excellent, easy-to-read, FUNNY book:

http://www.amazon.com/Food-Rules-Eaters-Michael-Pollan/dp...

It's a shorter, simpler version of "In Defense of Food", his book which created the motto : "Eat Food. Not too much. Mostly plants." Gives you lots of simple, practical ideas of small ways to change how you buy food, cook it, and eat it - small ways that add up.

If you have the space, think about starting a garden. If you're inexperienced, start small: tomatoes, sugar snap peas, beans . . . and go from there!

Good luck! I know it can seem overwhelming, but there are simple ways to make big changes. Enjoy your food!

Hi Cheri, Good for You! My family has been making the switch for a few months now, and I am finally getting the hand of it, and the expense down . You would be surprised how much info is on a label. Just beware of things labeled all natural, it means nothing. Look for things with the organic seal and do some research to find out the must use items that are best to switch right away. I think they call them the dirty dozen. Any little bit you do helps. If you eat something everyday or a lot of it, thats a good way to start. Dairy, Meats ect.

I'm very happy to hear you've watched the film, I've been telling everyone I know about it, very eye-opening, isn't it?! I personally do not think Yoplait yogurt is okay. Sure, it's better than buying one that contains HFCS, but it's still mass-produced, therefore has lots of added ingredients (chemicals). It would boost about coming from grass-fed cows on the label if that were the case. We buy yogurt from the farmer's market, and it's incredible! Made from grass-fed cows, and has just the few ingredients in it needed to make yogurt. I love knowing where our food comes from, these guys are making yogurt in their backyard, ha! I would definitely seek out your local farmer's market, that's were we get all our staples, like eggs, milk, butter and grass-fed pastured meats. We live in WI so the produce has been slim pickings all winter. We do our regular shopping at a place called The Outpost, it carries all organic, local ingredients. I realize going 100% organic is a really big shift. And definitely more costly! But, the way I look at it is you're going to pay for it somewhere, spend more up front now to insure better health for you and your family later. We have always been very into cooking, so it's pushed us to make more from scratch. For example, our son loves waffles for breakfast. So, we started making a big batch of whole wheat waffles (even sneak some ground flax seed into them) and freeze them, we just pull them out and toast them as needed. We've saved money by doing it this way, although it requires some extra time. My husband has even started baking his own bread. Be sure to check out books by Michael Pollan (he was featured in Food Inc), he's an incredible writer and goes much deeper into all this stuff. "The Omnivore's Dilemma" will blow your mind. Another thing you should look into is subscribing to a CSA (community supported agriculture). You sign up with a local farm and pick up a fresh box of produce each week, you'll enjoy the most beautiful fresh produce all summer/fall. Fun to get the kids involved too!

A huge thing to watch is the high fructose corn syrup and corn syrup. We tend to buy Stoneyfield Organic yogurt because I know that is good. If you are going with some natural products you still need to watch what they are using. Watch for the sugars, msg, etc.

A good company to buy from is Azurestandard.com. Go to their website and set up an account to see their prices. CALL them and ask if they have any trucks that deliver in your area. It is too expensive to ship it ups and then you can't ship cold stuff. If you get lucky, you will find a buying club that gets the Azure company AND others! (Ours gets 3 trucks to deliver. Azure, United- which both carry close to the same products- and then also a fresh produce truck!) It is way cheaper than buying the stuff from the stores! It's hard to get lined up with these groups. I know ours is full (a little too far West of you anyway........) and we have a waiting list.

Farmers markets CAN be a good way to go. BUT most of the time it's not organic. And I've had the experience where they want MORE for their produce than what I pay for organic off the Roots and Fruits truck!

ADDITION: Typically, the items with the FEWEST ingredients are the better ones for you.

I know some people can buy from farm stand co-ops and purchase beef directly from organic farms.

I think is was Stonyfield Farm - they have an excellent Organic milk.

I like to shop at Costco for my organics. Their meat and a lot of their products are organic. It does help to save money to buy organics in bulk. Good luck

HFCS isn't the only thing you need to look for. Any of the artificial sweeteners knock it off the edible list, too.

When it comes to prepackaged foods like pasta and chips, crackers, cookies, just look for the ones with the fewest ingredients. Don't discount store brand organics either. Coborn's Full Circle line is great and Cub has Wild Harvest (?) and Costco has a 2lb box of organic spinach for $3.49 - that's what I pay for the 9 oz box of the exact same brand at Coborn's.
Trader Joe's has a great selection as well, and the organic and free-range chicken is priced the same or cheaper than Coborn's. I still shop at Coborn's most of the time though since I can walk there and Trader Joe's and Costco are a 20 mile drive!

I see also that you live in St. Paul ~ I don't know if you have a house or apartment but one way for you to get organic produce is to grow it yourself. It's easier than you might think, once you get a place to plant.

One zucchini plant will feed a family of 4 all summer. a 12 X 12 square pot will give you lettuce all summer long.

Moving to organic eating is a long process, but go for it--It's worth it!
(Think of the financial cost this way: Even though you spend a bit more up front, you're investing in your health so that you can avoid some hefty doctor bills in the future.)

The other posters' book recomendations are good, but I prefer to listen to the "Dishing Up Nutrition" radio show that plays every Saturday morning from 8-9 am on 107.1 (repeats at 6 pm Sunday night, I think). http://mytalk1071.com/showpage.php?show=dishingup

These ladies are nutritionists and are not trying to sell anything, except maybe their classes. I started listening to this show about 5 years ago, and it has changed a lot of my habits.

If it doesn't say "organic" or "certified" organic, then it isn't. I assume that if it isn't organic or local, then the food was MASS produced and the animals were not treated humanely. I hope you have Stoneyhill (I think that is the company--they were mentioned in the movie) yogurts at your grocery store. Wonderful food and humanely treated cows. I have recently seen that movie and have totally changed what my family eats! It is costly, but who cares...

B.

What is the "dirty dozen"?

I'm not sure about your area, but during the summer in ours, our downtown has a farmers market twice a week, which is awesome. I'm not into the whole organic movement, but I am for supporting local farmers and getting cheap veggies and fruits.

I can't afford to do all organic, but I do some. I try to buy organic fruits and veggies from the "dirty dozen" and then there are some fruits and veggies that retain very little pesticide, so I don't worry about those. I do hormone free if I can't afford organic for meats and dairy. It is a compromise, not quite as bad as regular food and not as expensive as organic. I use organic yogurt in the big carton- plain unflavored. It is a lot cheaper and then I add fruit to it myself. I try to avoid foods that have a lot stuff on the label I can't read or understand.

For regular food, I just watch the labels and try not to buy things that have high fructose corn syrup. I avoid even regular sugar where I can. And another thing to avoid which is in a lot of organic and "healthier" foods is agave syrup. It was all the rage, but now they are finding out that it is just about the equal of high fructose corn syrup because it has been so processed and refined. And it is in all kinds of "healthy" foods as a sugar alternative. So avoid that if possible. If something is sweetened, I try to make sure it is sweetened with evaporated cane juice.

Since summer is coming, look for farmers markets. That is one of the best ways to get healthier foods and it supports local farmers. And if you have a Trader Joes near you, that is a less expensive store for the healthier stuff than Whole Foods.

Edit to add:

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/13737389/page/2/

The Dirty Dozen of Produce (those things that retain the most pesticides)
Apples
Cherries
Grapes, imported (Chili)
Nectarines
Peaches
Pears
Raspberries
Strawberries
Bell peppers
Celery
Potatoes
Spinach

We buy the Stoneyfield yogurt, either plain or vanilla in the large containers with the cream on top (fat isn't always the enemy!) One thing to keep in mind, chemicals are added in yogurts to keep the fruit separate from the live bacteria in the dairy. Why is that not on the label? Less than .05% and the FDA does not require disclosure of ingredients. Better to get plain and add your own fruits!

We can't afford to buy everything organic either, but I do make a point to get organic if it is a root crop, or a crop I know has been genetically engineered. It's almost growing season so get to know your local farmers. Organic certification is expensive, so just ask about their farming philosophy. Many don't use chemical fertilizers, and use integrated pest management when it comes to pesticides and may not necessarily be spraying anything unnatural.

The great thing about this right now is that the demand for organic products is increasing, so there is more available at your local grocery store, and the prices of some things are going down. I do as much shopping at Trader Joe's as possible, because they have SO MUCH organic and such great prices. They have really decent produce with a lot of organic offerings - just don't go the day the truck comes in because everything's looking pretty sad. My husband works for Target, so I go to SuperTarget pretty often, and they do have a little organic produce section, but it's not as cheap as TJ's and not always as good!

Meat, on the other hand, is a bit of a problem for me. Organic/Grass Fed type meat is SO EXPENSIVE!!! Our family eats chicken once a week, maybe fish once, and maybe beef or ground turkey. We don't eat a ton of meat, but we still can't afford to buy the organic. Maybe some day? Same with organic milk. It is usually almost twice the price as regular milk. I just can't justify that with our budget! I'm really hoping the market demand will bring prices down, so buy buy buy!! :)

Best of luck and health,
Amy K