All organic, nothing processed, or who cares...

CARNAT22

I wish I had the time and money to shop only for organic, locally grown produce. But I don't so I have to compromise..

Also I work full time, commute an hour each way so sometimes need a cheat (potato croquettes, oven chips and M&S ready meals are my staple 'cheats' - they are all pretty low in calories and help me out when time is of the essence!)

ajbeans

I try to stay away from processed foods, but where I live organic is hard to come by. Small town, small grocery store, and I don't feel the need to drive an hour to the city to shop at Whole Foods. I think organic is better, but I'm not willing to spend the extra money and effort for it. Right now, staying away from processed foods is good enough for me.

backinthenines

I'm more particular about some things than others.

I always buy good lean meat, never the cheap processed stuff like cheap sausages etc.
I don't buy eggs from battery hens and also buy free range chicken.
I buy mainly in season... but sometimes I succumb to having raspberries in the middle of winter, but then feel guilty about the thousands of miles they were flown to my supermarket.
I'm 50:50 about organic vegetables. If they are offered at a similar price or at least not too inflated I will prefer organic.
I try to support local business to the best of my ability and prefer to buy from farmers markets, local fruit & veg stalls etc instead of large supermarkets, but sometimes time is a factor.

Oh, and I haven't set a foot in something like Mc Donalds or Burger King in over 20 years.

Nigel99

I don't buy the organic fruits and veggies, but I do go for the fresh stuff whenever possible. Though I still eat processed food, I eat a lot less of it than I once did. We usually have a lot of food on hand as we stocked up during sales, and have lots of easy-to-fix foods (that aren't really in my new food plan any more). I still mix some of those in every so often as we have to use it sometime, and the gf still wants to eat what we have.

I do try to go for fresher/un-processed foods most of the time, and limit how much processed food I'm eating.

yoghurtand

I'm bad enough with calorie counting - I don't need to add another obsessive thing into my life. I'm not really fussed about where my food comes from. Maybe it's because I'm young and don't get to buy my own. I'll probably care when I'm older.

melsinct

I mainly avoid processed foods and eat organic where it matters, e.g. the fruits and vegetables that really "suck in" pesticides. These include peaches, celery, potatoes, spinach and bell peppers. Peaches and celery I know have tested highest in pesticide residue. Organic doesn't mean "healthier" as in less fat and more nutrients, but it does mean less man-made bug and weed killing chemicals being ingested by me.

I know I am fortunate that I live in an area and have the means to buy just about anything I want in organic form. I also cook a lot of food from scratch, including bread, which pares down the grocery bill.

PNCTink

I try not to eat processed foods, but I don't obsess over it either. We do buy some local produce, but we have a really strict budget so it's not often. Not to mention my husband is a produce manager in a local supermarket so we try to keep his job by supporting where he works. If organic is on sale then we buy it, but if not we don't. This summer I will be having a garden so I won't have to worry about it.

Val_from_OH

I buy organic when the price is about the same. I don't think there is too much of a health benefit difference, but I do believe that persistent pesticides are generally harmful to the earth, so I prefer to give my money to the farmers who make better choices. I try to go for non-processed foods, but this is not a strength of mine. Clif bars are quick for breakfast, and deli-meat makes a great lunch. Dinners are mostly unprocessed, but we do eat bread, pasta, butter, etc.

Grokette

So I am curious, how many people care about something being organic verses non-processed, or do some of you not care. I am currently trying to not buy fast food and all processed foods while adding some organic items at times. I find it much easier in the warmer months when the farmer’s markets and veggie stands are plentiful. So what are your thoughts? Organic, non-processed, or whatever is easy and cheap?

Unprocessed Whole foods for me. Some organic and most not organic.

In fact, in the winter time the only organics I buy are thin skinned fruits and veggies that I would eat the skin on. Grapes, bell peppers - things on the "dirty dozen" list that are most contaminated by herbicides and pesticides.