Are Organic Foods Worth It???

Let me post that as an answer or extension of what you wrote:

I grew up on a Farm in Austria, Europe. We grew our fruits and veggies ourselves (no chemicals, nothing, all natural), we slaughtered our own animals to have meat (sounds cruel, but knowing that those had a great life so far, were treated really well, had awesome food and good animal friends is way better than knowing how the average chicken/cow/pig gets raised and then made into meat), we grew our own herbs etc. So it was as natural as it can get. (Not saying that you can't get overweight from natural foods - I did, because I simply ate too much and didn't move enough).

Anyway, then I moved to Vienna (the capital) and lived there for 8 years. I started to eat (European) supermarket food (which is in generall way less processed than what's in the average American shopping cart in my opinion). I felt the difference, but it was not too bad.

But then, a year ago, I moved to Miami, Florida. I started eating the average American diet: lot's of processed foods - the heck, almost only processed food. I hardly ate anything that hadn't been touched by an industrial cook before (except for some fruits and veggies). The fruits and veggies I ate were also mostly not organic. And believe me: The taste of them does not even COMPARE to what a real, natural fruit tastes like. Not even close. Especially with things like berries, tomatoes, everything that contains a lot of water (don't know if water is the reason for that, but that's my personal experience). My skin changed when I moved here, but that could have many reasons besides organic food.

But, a few months back I started to buy my fruits and veggies organic - here in Miami, Florida. Let me tell you: They still don't compare to what we grew in our home garden, what was pure nature without anything unnatural in it. It just doesn't taste the same because those fruits and veggies, even if they are organic, are industrially produced and "organic" in the US is not the same as "organic" in Europe or in two different European countries. The laws vary so much, in some countries you can label things as organic that aren't in another country. I don't know the exact US laws for organic produce, but they must be different from where I grew up.

Anyway: I am absolutely certain that there is a difference! How come that berries that grew in the woods or on my family farm get bad within 12-24 hours from being picked, even if kept in the refrigerator? How come organic berries can still be kept for like 5 days here? They HAVE to be treated with something. Do we really want to eat that?
How come non-organic berries can be kept for 2 weeks and still taste the same after that? Do we want to eat that?

Hope that helped in some way...

Last year I went organic when I was living on my own (before DH added into the mix haha) and saw a complete 180 with my health. I felt better, my skin looked better, and it tasted soooo good. I was a student, and dropped maybe $150 a month on organic foods and did fine. It doesn't have to be extremely expensive. I got a few things like eggs, chicken, fruit, snacks and fish and pita bread and loved it. We live on base and there are a few organic places I've heard of but I think they are further away. It's tempting to drop $200 at the commissary a month for two people because we don't have taxes but I'd really like to go back to eating organically 80% of the time.

I agree about the eggs. We buy organic brown eggs and they're yummy. Cage free baby!

Why does the color of the egg make any difference? (I've heard people say that before, that we should only buy brown eggs... We used to have them from our own hens and when the hens were brown, the eggs were brown. When the hens were white, the eggs were white. So what's the difference? Or does industrial production make a difference?

If you are going to spend the money on Organic foods ensure you do your research.

Organic doesn't always mean 100% pesticide free. Research your area's guidelines and research local organic farms. Just because it says "ORGANIC" on the label doesn't always mean it has come into contact with chemicals and such.

Once you have done your research buy organic for things (fruits and veggies) that you eat the skin of (apples, pears, oranges if you zest them, etc). Those that you don't eat of the skin of or have thick skins that are cut off are fine as long as you wash them properly before cutting them. Wash things like bananas and oranges before eating them.

And I wouldn't fully believe things that Yahoo news reports... do your own research. They aren't always know for having 110% true and informative news articles.

Organic food is definitely better for you. Don't listen to yahoo, they are idiots who are just being paid to tell you that.

Why Buy Organic?

1. It's healthy. Organic food tends to contain higher levels of
vitamin C, cancer-fighting antioxidants, and essential minerals such as
calcium, magnesium, iron and chromium.

2. No nasty additives. Organic food doesn't contain food additives
that can cause health problems such as heart disease, osteoporosis,
migraines and hyperactivity.

3. It avoids pesticides. More than 400 chemical pesticides are
routinely used in conventional farming and residues are often present in
non-organic food.

4. No genetic modification. Under organic standards, genetically
modified (GM) crops and ingredients are not allowed.

5. There is not a reliance on drugs. Organic farming standards
prohibit the routine use of antibiotics and growth hormones in farm animals.

6. There are no hidden costs. As taxpayers, we pay for chemicals
to be removed from our drinking water - including the pesticide runoff from
conventional farms.

7. There are high standards. Organic food comes from trusted
sources that are inspected to ensure compliance to organic standards.

8. Organic methods provide for animals. Animal welfare is taken
very seriously under organic standards.

9. It's good for wildlife and the environment. The UK government
has said that organic farming is better for wildlife, causes lower pollution
from sprays, produces less carbon dioxide - the main global warming gas -
and less dangerous wastes.

10. It's flavorful. Many people prefer organic food because they
say it tastes better.

The metastudy demonstrated that many of the nutritional or health benefit claims about organic foods are not borne out by statistically significant differences in overall health based on short-term studies. If you're just looking for the least expensive food that provides you with nutrition, this study basically demonstrates that there is little NUTRITIONAL difference between organic and non-organic. You'll still get basically the same doses of fiber, vitamins, fat, proteins, and carbohydrates in about the same proportions. So if that's your priority, skip the extra expense of organics.

The metastudy made no claims about the health benefits (and made no long-term claims of any kind) of avoiding specific pesticides, or the environmental/sustainability issues of using more natural products and techniques to grow food. So there are still potential health benefits of organic, and there are other benefits that you won't necessarily see at the dinner table, if such considerations are priorities to you.

If you're worried about consumption of pesticides, you should probably consider buying organic alternatives of foods that are generally eaten intact like apples, celery, and broccoli and foods that are soft-skinned like strawberries or potatoes that might absorb pesticides more readily. If you're REALLY worried about consumption of pesticides even in the trace amounts that might be absorbed or processed into the fruit despite a peeled or removed skin on foods like bananas and beets, then you might want to consider organic alternatives for those as well.

If your primary concern is sustainability and ecological impact of your food, then you may have to balance buying locally (transportation impacts) with buying organic (fertilization/pesticide impacts). Of course, if you have an organic farm nearby, there's a decent option for you if this is one of your primary priorities.

In short, organics are not healthier as food than conventional. Organics may use safer fertilizers and pesticides, though conventional uses "generally recognized as safe" products. Organics may be more sustainable and less polluting, but you have to balance that with where the food comes from - shipping an organic apple from New Zealand to New England is probably a whole lot less ecologically sound than buying a sprayed apple from a farm 5 miles from your house.

So why do you buy organic? It may still be worth it. Or not.

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This was exactly what the study said.

From the USDA's website -

“‘Organic’ is a labeling term that denotes products produced under the authority of the Organic Foods Production Act. The principal guidelines for organic production are to use materials and practices that enhance the ecological balance of natural systems and that integrate the parts of the farming system into an ecological whole."

Organic farming entails:

-Use of cover crops, green manures, animal manures and crop rotations to fertilize the soil, maximize biological activity and maintain long-term soil health.

-Use of biological control, crop rotations and other techniques to manage weeds, insects and diseases.

-An emphasis on biodiversity of the agricultural system and the surrounding environment.

-Using rotational grazing and mixed forage pastures for livestock operations and alternative health care for animal wellbeing.

-Reduction of external and off-farm inputs and elimination of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers and other materials, such as hormones and antibiotics.

-A focus on renewable resources, soil and water conservation, and management practices that restore, maintain and enhance ecological balance.”

Depends what you mean by 'worth it'. A scientific study done a couple of years ago showed that people who eat organic foods do not get any health benefits from doing so. However, we all benefit from reduced levels of cancer-causing pesticides in our surroundings. So I think buying organic is worth it, if you can afford it- not for your own health necessarily, but for the benefit of all of us.

Unfortunately where I live, people are still allowed to use pesticides on their lawns, so we all get exposed to them anyway