To eat organic or not?

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  • Lalouse
    Lalouse Posts: 221 Member
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    I don't buy organic though. If you drink milk or eat alot of dairy, maybe you should consider getting those organic (or just drinking almond milk!), but otherwise, I think the fruits and veggies are probably fine. If there is a difference, it's probably not big enough -- at least not for me -- to cover the more expensive cost.
  • linnaeus
    linnaeus Posts: 36 Member
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    It tastes different to me. I buy organic when I can, but when I can't find what I want organic or don't have that much to spend on produce, I don't sweat it. Non-organic produce is always a million times better than a bag of chips!

    And the other poster is right, certain veggies like celery and fruits where you eat the skin are more important to buy organic than say avocados or bananas.

    Even better than organic is produce from your local farmer's market. Most expensive, but most delicious. Learn to know what's in season, and then you'll also be buying produce at its annually lowest price point.
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
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    As for the health benefits . . . you're going to get a lot of mixed opinion on that but I don't believe there's a dramatic difference in the amount of nutrients an organic item has over an inorganic item.

    This is not a matter of opinion, it's been tested. Organic items are no higher in nutrients than non-organic. They are equivalent.
  • pohlcm08
    pohlcm08 Posts: 61
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    I've been thinking about it lately too. Plus I'd way rather give my money to local farmers than corporations that spray our food with chemicals proven to do major harm to our bodies. I just found this article on yahoo yesterday and found it pretty interesting..

    http://health.yahoo.net/articles/nutrition/photos/14-foods-you-should-cut-your-diet?fb_action_ids=10200144464875327&fb_action_types=og.recommends&fb_source=timeline_og&action_object_map={"10200144464875327":139215042903675}&action_type_map={"10200144464875327":"og.recommends"}&action_ref_map=[]#0

    Also I wonder if we all started buying local and/or organic, if the prices might start coming down. The reason the prices are so high is probably because the non-organic produce looks so much more appealing and lasts longer because of the genetic enhancements and chemical preservatives added to them, so most people buy these instead of the organic and local options.
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
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    Also I wonder if we all started buying local and/or organic, if the prices might start coming down.

    That's not how economics works. Higher demand results in higher prices.

    Organic stuff is more expensive than regular because it spoils faster. This causes a reduction in supply, which is the other way prices go up. They have to charge more for each item that DID survive to the store.
  • j75j75
    j75j75 Posts: 854 Member
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    If you have the space just grow your own food. You know exactly what went into it and it's cheap
  • breeshabebe
    breeshabebe Posts: 580
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    Hmm... if the greatest problem was that we were eating non organic FRUITS AND VEGGIES then I wouldn't see the huge difference. It really is what you eat. Basically anything thats in a box or the freezer aisle should be avoided... Just read the labels.. Man... what the HECK is this stuff!?
    When I lived in Peru, I dropped 50lbs without even trying because everything I ate was fresh and because I had to walk around the city. I
  • EatClean_WashUrNuts
    EatClean_WashUrNuts Posts: 1,590 Member
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    If you have the money, eat the non organic and send the left over change to me
  • Eskimopie
    Eskimopie Posts: 235 Member
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    Organic. Whether or not its healthier is up for debate, but its healthier for the planet. I will only buy organic eggs and dairy, and do my best with produce. Sometimes with bananas and stuff I won't if the non-organic are fresher.

    Buy local and seasonal too if you can...that's probably even more important than organic.
  • PetulantOne
    PetulantOne Posts: 2,131 Member
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    I never buy anything from a store just because it's labeled organic. I love farmers markets though. I grew up in the country eating just picked vegetables and fruit, and fresh meat and milk. It's amazing how much better a tomato from a vegetable stand tastes.
  • nornas42
    nornas42 Posts: 73 Member
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    If you can afford it, eat organically! The amount of pesticides, etc that are put on food and grown into food is alarmingly high. Strawberries are grown with a ton of bad things, and the residue is in your food. Yuck.

    here are two articles on a dozen or so fruits/veggies you should eat organic if at all possible.
    http://www.eatingwell.com/food_news_origins/organic_natural/dirty_dozen_plus_14_foods_you_should_buy_organic
    http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/eat-safe/dirty-dozen-foods#slide-1

    Organic food also supports a lot of family-owned farms who have to work really hard to farm organically and get their food labelled as organic.
  • Topher1978
    Topher1978 Posts: 975 Member
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    When it is affordable to do so, I buy organic. Not organic apples, though, they always seem to have been frozen and thawed. Nasty.
  • nornas42
    nornas42 Posts: 73 Member
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    Also I wonder if we all started buying local and/or organic, if the prices might start coming down.

    That's not how economics works. Higher demand results in higher prices.

    Organic stuff is more expensive than regular because it spoils faster. This causes a reduction in supply, which is the other way prices go up. They have to charge more for each item that DID survive to the store.

    Higher demand --> higher output/production = lower prices...
  • AlongCame_Molly
    AlongCame_Molly Posts: 2,835 Member
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    Personally, I don't feel it is worth it.

    Eating seasonal and local is probably a better way to be than organic. Produce always seems richer and more flavorful when it is actually in season.

    This. Organic JUST for the sake of organic means very little to me. Costs too much, anyway.
  • WickedGarden
    WickedGarden Posts: 944 Member
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    Also I wonder if we all started buying local and/or organic, if the prices might start coming down.

    That's not how economics works. Higher demand results in higher prices.

    Organic stuff is more expensive than regular because it spoils faster. This causes a reduction in supply, which is the other way prices go up. They have to charge more for each item that DID survive to the store.

    sorry, but that is wrong. maybe organic produce spoils faster, but go compare the 'sell by' date on organic milk versus regular milk. Organic milk keeps for up to 3 weeks longer, at least in my experience in buying milk.

    Also, if 'regular' foods 'last longer' what kind of preservatives and/or chemicals are they spraying or treating the produce with to make those items last longer? What are those preservatives or chemicals going to do to me?

    Just saw the movie 'FoodMatters' and they said, it can take 30 years to fully see the side effects of what pesticides and chemicals do to humans. Think about it, they take a 'study' of a few thousand people, and then present the results of the side effects on just those few hundred people. Then when they get the green light, release the product to MILLIONS of people.

    Just because something seems to be 'fine' for a few hundred people does NOT mean it is safe for 'everybody'. As it has been said, everybody is different, everybody reacts differently to different things. Vioxx anybody?
  • AuntieMC
    AuntieMC Posts: 346 Member
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    bump
  • quirkytizzy
    quirkytizzy Posts: 4,052 Member
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    Can you afford it? Do you like it?

    Eat accordingly.

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