Well, I have to start somewhere. So I'm starting with my favorite: food! If you know me, then you already know I really have a thing for good food. To me, food has come to mean family and conversation, as well as the pleasure derived from our sense of taste. When my kids were younger, we always had a sit down dinner, even when one of them didn't get home from soccer practice until after 9pm. It was also important to me to cook a meal from scratch with fresh ingredients.
I've always envied people who can create a weekly menu and stick to it. That would have simplified my life greatly. Instead, I used to go to Publix supermarket at 6:00 and try to figure out what I wanted to eat. Thankfully, I've gotten better, but not to the point of always knowing what we are eating for dinner that night.
Most of my shopping is now done at Whole Foods or (preferably) our local farmers' market or local organic vendors. I also frequent Trader Joes's and occasionally find some organics at great prices at Aldi's (which is the parent company of Trader Joe's, in case you didn't know). Most people can't understand why I am willing to pay more for organic meat, produce and processed goods (such as corn chips). And I'm willing to pay even more if it's local organic. (Hopefully, the graph found below will help explain. Results from study done by researchers at Washington State University and Newcastle University.)
What may be surprising to many people is that all organics are not equal. This is why I do my best to buy locally sourced organics. If you have ever eaten an organic egg from the store, you may not notice much difference between it and the conventionally farmed egg. This is because a large organic farm is going to feed their birds organic grain. That's the only difference. Even if the packaging states "Free Range" don't believe it. This just means there's a pet door at one end of the industrial-sized barn for all of the uber intelligent chickens who figure out that they can go outside. (In case you didn't know, chickens aren't very bright--bless their hearts!) Eggs from a local organic farm, where the chickens feed in sun-filled organic pastures, are far superior in flavor, texture and nutrients. And the yolks are nearly orange--not that sickly pale yellow.
The best way to get nutrients is from whole, clean food. But all food is not created equal. Organic produce is more nutritious. And of course, it isn't from GM (genetically modified) seed and hasn't been doused with synthetic or chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides. It should be noted that many of these chemicals that are routinely used on conventional crops have been found to cause cancer, neurological disorders, and hormone disrupters. Organic meat has no antibiotics, no growth hormones and has been fed an organic diet. When it comes to your health, you pay now or you pay later. You are what you eat, so for me the choice is easy.
Benefits of buying organic:
- Only organic seeds used (No GMOs)
- No synthetic or chemical fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides
- Meats contain no antibiotics, no growth hormones, and were raised on organic diet
- Organic products are minimally processed
- Organic products contain no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives
- Small, local organic produce and meats are environmentally friendly (crop and pasture rotation)