Why should I buy organic?!?
Replies
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Because I want to support local farmers.
Because I want produce that's not covered in pesticides, preservatives, E-numbers, food colouring.
Because I don't want meat containing antibiotics and hormones.
Because I don't support GMOs.
Because the meat I buy comes from RSPCA approved premises.
Because it matters to me that the eggs I eat come from hens that have a decent life.
Because on the whole it's better produce.
Thanks!! All reasons I'll look into. Thanks for taking the time to reply
Just a disclaimer, I'm in the UK, so there may well be different rules to the US about which pesticides are permitted etc.
http://www.soilassociation.org/whatisorganic0 -
I buy organic because
I want to support my local farmers / economy
I want vegetables I know are fresh and picked within a relatively close proximity to when I bought it without having it sit in the back of the grocery store in the freezer. (been back there, its gross)
I like how long the produce lasts when I buy organic (bought organic - local - grassfed milk and it lasted way beyond the expiration date, and I had no issues....same was with some veggies I bought that lasted double to triple the amount of time the generic store bought ones lasted)
I don't overbuy because of the price tag. I tend to shop more frequently and buy smaller amounts to guarentee I have fresh produce each time.
I buy organic eggs because (1) they're f@cking cool and (2) my friend owns a chicken farm and i get a really good price on them.0 -
If you're buying organic to support local farmers, then do it. If you're doing it because you think nutritional value is higher and it's "safer", then you're just spending more money for nothing.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition yep! 0 -
LOL-A "normal" lif like eating out, running to the convenient store when I am in a hurry, etc.0
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Because if it is not organic- its not food, it's more plastic, or something else that doesn't have carbon molecules in it. :P - Please do not call it organic vs. non organic because it is all organic. ( not in the sense you are talking about, but through the eyes of Chemistry)
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Buying fair trade and local is more important to me than organic.
I belong to an organic buyers club. I get a box of locally grown fruits and veggies every other week. It's like Christmas every time I open the box. I love it because I like supporting the local growers and because it's a great way to try things that I might other wise pass up on in the grocery store. This week for instance I got purple bell peppers which I've never seen before, rainbow carrots and heirloom tomatoes. I also get a dozen eggs and occasioaly a case of grass fed beef. It's nice to know where your food is coming from.
^Jealoussss. That sounds awesome.0 -
i'd do whatever you want. organic, not organic. just make sure you're always washing everything well. i don't stress over organic - there's so many toxins everywhere that i figure something else will get me first0
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I buy organic for things like strawberries, apples, peppers (the dirty dozen as someone mentioned) to avoid added pesticides. I also don't like to feed my kids GMO food, just in case. My MIL keeps chickens and rabbits and they pack and butcher meat from hunters so we have frequent access to that. Most of our other meat is pasture fed, again for my kids. I don't know if it's a big waste of money or not, but I'd rather not take the chance with my kids. I eat a fair bit of crap outside the home but I like to keep only the staples at our home. A lot of our veggies in the summer come from my MILs garden - it's insane what that woman can do! I'm not anal about it, but it's not impactin my life very much and I could think of worse things to waste a few bucks on
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I pay $50.00 for my bi-weekly share which I split with my niece since I live alone and can't eat it fast enough. I don't think $25.00 a week on fresh produce is really that expensive. I do have to supplement with things from the farmer's market or the grocery store but not usually all that much. I do pay more for the eggs and grass fed beef but it's just me so a dozen eggs lasts me 2 weeks. I do buy a carton of egg whites at the grocery so that makes the eggs stretch. Sometimes local produce from the farmer's market is less expensive because you're not paying for it to be shipped from Chili or somewhere else. It really just depends on where you live and what you have available to you.
I loved being able to talk to the local honey guy who helped me decide which honey to buy, how much to use, how to slowly increase the amount, etc... Yeah, I paid more for the local, pollen infused honey he sold me but to me, it was worth it. It worked great on my spring allergies. Here's hoping it works this fall when the oak trees start to pollinate!0 -
I buy organic, not because of any health benefits per se, but because I'm interested in the humane treatment of animals and sustainable agriculture, practices which tend to be more prevalent in the organic food industry than in the generic food industry. That said, I don't actually buy that much in the grocery store, I subscribe to a farm share and get all of my produce and meat from local farmers!0
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If you're buying organic to support local farmers, then do it. If you're doing it because you think nutritional value is higher and it's "safer", then you're just spending more money for nothing.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
This would be my contribution. Nutritionally, there seems to be little difference. But buying organic is a great way to support local businesses, if you can do it.0 -
If you haven't done so, you should read "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollin. He does a great job looking into conventional vs. organic vs. locally produced food sourcing.
Personally, I think buying local is a lot more important than buying organic, for a lot of reasons. One, you're reducing your carbon footprint since locally produced foods don't have to be trucked to hell and back between the farm and your plate. There aren't very many differences between Big Ag and Big Organic in that regard. Two, local agriculture is up against a lot of odds put there by Big Ag and the USDA, who have been misusing your tax dollars for decades. Local farmers won't survive without people actively seeking them out and buying from them. Three, locally produced produce is often much higher quality, and comes without the compromises that are necessary for storage and shipping in the Big Ag sphere. If you want a real tomato, for example, find one grown near your house - if you don't grow it yourself. It is really sad how many people out there have no idea how a tomato is supposed to taste.
I DO have a dog in that hunt as I am a grass-finished beef rancher, so you can take that with a grain of salt if you'd like. Personally, I'll take mine home grown, dry aged, and seasoned with fresh ground pepper, home-grown garlic and a pinch of kosher salt. YMMV.
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I buy organic because
I want to support my local farmers / economy
I want vegetables I know are fresh and picked within a relatively close proximity to when I bought it without having it sit in the back of the grocery store in the freezer. (been back there, its gross)
I like how long the produce lasts when I buy organic (bought organic - local - grassfed milk and it lasted way beyond the expiration date, and I had no issues....same was with some veggies I bought that lasted double to triple the amount of time the generic store bought ones lasted)
I don't overbuy because of the price tag. I tend to shop more frequently and buy smaller amounts to guarantee I have fresh produce each time.
I buy organic eggs because (1) they're f@cking cool and (2) my friend owns a chicken farm and i get a really good price on them.
Hahaha the #1 reason for buying those eggs seems good enough for me!!0 -
For a long time my budget did not allow me to eat organic, nor was I educated enough about the topic to be interested in it. It started, for me, when I read an article in the New York Times by Michael Pollan about when he purchased his own cow to follow its' life span from birth to slaughter.
Anyway, I don't buy organic because I believe it has more nutrients. I buy it because I personally believe that all of the man-made chemicals, pesticides, and genetic modifications being made for/to our food is bad for me. I also don't want to feed this food to my children. I don't want my daughter to start her period when she is 8 because I've been feeding her cheese and milk full of hormones. I also think that meat and cheese that is full of growth hormones causes people to get fatter (because those same hormones are what made the animal fatter grow and gain weight faster).
Not only are you ingesting those pesticides and chemicals, they are also washing off into our groundwater. They are killing off beneficial components of our ecosystem (namely bees - and this is starting to become a major problem).
The animals that are raised in such close quarters are being fed and injected constantly with antibiotics which is causing strains of bacteria that are antibiotic resistant. 70% of the antibiotics used in the US are for agriculture. Eventually there is going to be a superbug that will kill a lot of people, and industrial farming will likely be the cause.
Basically, it comes down to whether you think food should be grown naturally, the way it has been for hundreds of years, or if you think it doesn't matter how your food is grown or where it comes from.
By the way, I don't know where you live, but there is a food co-op offered in some locations called Bountiful Baskets (www.bountifulbaskets.org) where you can get a big box full of organic produce every week for $25. It is a really good deal, and a fun way to try new produce you've never had before.0 -
Because I want to support local farmers.
Because I want produce that's not covered in pesticides, preservatives, E-numbers, food colouring.
Because I don't want meat containing antibiotics and hormones.
Because I don't support GMOs.
Because the meat I buy comes from RSPCA approved premises.
Because it matters to me that the eggs I eat come from hens that have a decent life.
Because on the whole it's better produce.
Thanks!! All reasons I'll look into. Thanks for taking the time to reply
Just a disclaimer, I'm in the UK, so there may well be different rules to the US about which pesticides are permitted etc.
http://www.soilassociation.org/whatisorganic
Thanks!!0 -
But buying organic is a great way to support local businesses, if you can do it.
Not necessarily. If you buy organic stuff from a grocery store, there's little chance that it was locally sourced. It was likely trucked in from Timbuktu just like everything else they sell. If you want to buy from a local producer, seek out local farms and ranches as well as farmers' markets.
There are some exceptions to that. Whole Foods, for example, puts some effort into buying meats and produce that was produced within a few hundred miles of their stores, so while it's not local it's at least coming from closer. But your best bet for supporting local businesses is to buy direct from the producer.
Also re: Bountiful Baskets - again, you're not talking about buying from small producers, or even necessarily organic. In order for a farmer to sell to Bountiful Baskets, he/she needs to be able to produce a truck full of his/her produce weekly. That's well beyond the production capacity of a lot of mom and pop farmers.0 -
For a long time my budget did not allow me to eat organic, nor was I educated enough about the topic to be interested in it. It started, for me, when I read an article in the New York Times by Michael Pollan about when he purchased his own cow to follow its' life span from birth to slaughter.
Anyway, I don't buy organic because I believe it has more nutrients. I buy it because I personally believe that all of the man-made chemicals, pesticides, and genetic modifications being made for/to our food is bad for me. I also don't want to feed this food to my children. I don't want my daughter to start her period when she is 8 because I've been feeding her cheese and milk full of hormones. I also think that meat and cheese that is full of growth hormones causes people to get fatter (because those same hormones are what made the animal fatter grow and gain weight faster).
Not only are you ingesting those pesticides and chemicals, they are also washing off into our groundwater. They are killing off beneficial components of our ecosystem (namely bees - and this is starting to become a major problem).
The animals that are raised in such close quarters are being fed and injected constantly with antibiotics which is causing strains of bacteria that are antibiotic resistant. 70% of the antibiotics used in the US are for agriculture. Eventually there is going to be a superbug that will kill a lot of people, and industrial farming will likely be the cause.
Basically, it comes down to whether you think food should be grown naturally, the way it has been for hundreds of years, or if you think it doesn't matter how your food is grown or where it comes from.
By the way, I don't know where you live, but there is a food co-op offered in some locations called Bountiful Baskets (www.bountifulbaskets.org) where you can get a big box full of organic produce every week for $25. It is a really good deal, and a fun way to try new produce you've never had before.
Great share. I had never heard about it being more nutritious (or that people believed that) until looking at links in this post.
I wish we had bountiful baskets, I have actually heard of them. I live in the northeast and it isn't available here at this point. I am desperately interested in finding a place in my area that provides something similar.0 -
But buying organic is a great way to support local businesses, if you can do it.
Not necessarily. If you buy organic stuff from a grocery store, there's little chance that it was locally sourced. It was likely trucked in from Timbuktu just like everything else they sell. If you want to buy from a local producer, seek out local farms and ranches as well as farmers' markets.
There are some exceptions to that. Whole Foods, for example, puts some effort into buying meats and produce that was produced within a few hundred miles of their stores, so while it's not local it's at least coming from closer. But your best bet for supporting local businesses is to buy direct from the producer.
Great point. I wish we had a whole foods around here, but the closest is over an hour drive (Although there are talks of one opening in my city, but who knows if/when that will happen).0 -
If you haven't done so, you should read "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollin. He does a great job looking into conventional vs. organic vs. locally produced food sourcing.
Personally, I think buying local is a lot more important than buying organic, for a lot of reasons. One, you're reducing your carbon footprint since locally produced foods don't have to be trucked to hell and back between the farm and your plate. There aren't very many differences between Big Ag and Big Organic in that regard. Two, local agriculture is up against a lot of odds put there by Big Ag and the USDA, who have been misusing your tax dollars for decades. Local farmers won't survive without people actively seeking them out and buying from them. Three, locally produced produce is often much higher quality, and comes without the compromises that are necessary for storage and shipping in the Big Ag sphere. If you want a real tomato, for example, find one grown near your house - if you don't grow it yourself. It is really sad how many people out there have no idea how a tomato is supposed to taste.
I DO have a dog in that hunt as I am a grass-finished beef rancher, so you can take that with a grain of salt if you'd like. Personally, I'll take mine home grown, dry aged, and seasoned with fresh ground pepper, home-grown garlic and a pinch of kosher salt. YMMV.
Appreciate the share. I will definitely look into that book/more about the topic.
I am able to have a small garden, but it doesn't produce nearly the amount of food we need. More of a very small hobby. Love my own vine ripened tomatoes.0 -
Because you want to pay a lot of extra money to fit in with the rich neighbors who shop at Farm Fresh.
Honestly, I'd go organic if it was a reasonably priced option. However, the health benefits of eating organic do not outweigh the cost. Don't let green peace and your "everything causes cancer" conspiracy theorists tell you otherwise.
Just stay away from processed foods, and you will be fine.0 -
Because you want to pay a lot of extra money to fit in with the rich neighbors who shop at Farm Fresh.
Honestly, I'd go organic if it was a reasonably priced option. However, the health benefits of eating organic do not outweigh the cost. Don't let green peace and your "everything causes cancer" conspiracy theorists tell you otherwise.
Just stay away from processed foods, and you will be fine.
I appreciate your post, and definitely agree about the processed foods.
I won't take any opinions on here to heart until I decide my own opinion through research. Sometimes its just nice to take some information here and there to see where other people stand. Plus there have been some links to some interesting articles/posts (some not super valid, but still appreciated).
Thanks for taking the time to weigh in 0 -
If you haven't done so, you should read "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollin. He does a great job looking into conventional vs. organic vs. locally produced food sourcing.
Personally, I think buying local is a lot more important than buying organic, for a lot of reasons. One, you're reducing your carbon footprint since locally produced foods don't have to be trucked to hell and back between the farm and your plate. There aren't very many differences between Big Ag and Big Organic in that regard. Two, local agriculture is up against a lot of odds put there by Big Ag and the USDA, who have been misusing your tax dollars for decades. Local farmers won't survive without people actively seeking them out and buying from them. Three, locally produced produce is often much higher quality, and comes without the compromises that are necessary for storage and shipping in the Big Ag sphere. If you want a real tomato, for example, find one grown near your house - if you don't grow it yourself. It is really sad how many people out there have no idea how a tomato is supposed to taste.
I DO have a dog in that hunt as I am a grass-finished beef rancher, so you can take that with a grain of salt if you'd like. Personally, I'll take mine home grown, dry aged, and seasoned with fresh ground pepper, home-grown garlic and a pinch of kosher salt. YMMV.
Appreciate the share. I will definitely look into that book/more about the topic.
I am able to have a small garden, but it doesn't produce nearly the amount of food we need. More of a very small hobby. Love my own vine ripened tomatoes.
Mother Earth News did a big write-up a while back about a gal with a 10' x 10' garden that produced hundreds of dollars worth of veggies for her. You'd be amazed what you can accomplish with some creativity and ingenuity in a very small space.
Here: http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/edible-landscaping-zmaz09djzraw.aspx#axzz2bsEWa1oJ0 -
I appreciate your post, and definitely agree about the processed foods.
I won't take any opinions on here to heart until I decide my own opinion through research. Sometimes its just nice to take some information here and there to see where other people stand. Plus there have been some links to some interesting articles/posts (some not super valid, but still appreciated).
Thanks for taking the time to weigh in
My pleasure. And you have the right idea: Do your research. But make sure you read full studies. Anything other than information straight from the source likely has an agenda, whether it is to sell magazines or support a political cause. They all cite research, but they only do it in bits and pieces that support their opinion. Go straight to the scientific and medical studies and read in context.
Also, realize that mice are not people.
Sorry for not posting specific links. I recommend JISSN and ISSN for all nutritional research.0 -
Thats awesome!! Thanks for keeping up with me on this forum, and sharing that link.0
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I wish we had bountiful baskets, I have actually heard of them. I live in the northeast and it isn't available here at this point. I am desperately interested in finding a place in my area that provides something similar.
Contact your local cooperative extension service. They'd be affiliated with your state university system. If there's an organization promoting CSAs or other entities facilitating sales and marketing of local ag products, they'd know about it.0 -
I have been trying to go all organic, but find it is next to impossible to live a normal life (for me). I have done several "tests" though to see if there is a difference-some things like fruit with rinds it has very little impact on-but try this... Buy a dozen eggs generic brand and a dozen eggs that are grass fed, certified organic. Crack one of each and look at the difference in the yolk. I found it amazing that there was such a huge difference. Generic is a light yellow with a murky white. The organic egg has a clear white and a deep yellow orange yolk.
This^ I have my own chickens and my eggs taste soooooooooooooooooooo much better. When you hold the power over what you feed and put into your animals it's a wonder how well, or ****ty, your food can taste.0 -
I appreciate your post, and definitely agree about the processed foods.
I won't take any opinions on here to heart until I decide my own opinion through research. Sometimes its just nice to take some information here and there to see where other people stand. Plus there have been some links to some interesting articles/posts (some not super valid, but still appreciated).
Thanks for taking the time to weigh in
My pleasure. And you have the right idea: Do your research. But make sure you read full studies. Anything other than information straight from the source likely has an agenda, whether it is to sell magazines or support a political cause. They all cite research, but they only do it in bits and pieces that support their opinion. Go straight to the scientific and medical studies and read in context.
Also, realize that mice are not people.
Sorry for not posting specific links. I recommend JISSN and ISSN for all nutritional research.
No need for specific links, I think your post will be helpful not only to me, but others who may search this topic in the future.
I fortunately have access to to various journals/archives/studies through my universities. When it comes down to it I will be using that information for sure before using something from a webmd site (although I think those articles can be helpful, and really help someone know where to start their research).
Thanks again!!0 -
I wish we had bountiful baskets, I have actually heard of them. I live in the northeast and it isn't available here at this point. I am desperately interested in finding a place in my area that provides something similar.
Contact your local cooperative extension service. They'd be affiliated with your state university system. If there's an organization promoting CSAs or other entities facilitating sales and marketing of local ag products, they'd know about it.
Wow , clearly this is not your first day.
I immediately was able to access a ton of information about my local area just googling my state and cooperative extension (which I never would have known existed).
Thanks!!0 -
I wish we had bountiful baskets, I have actually heard of them. I live in the northeast and it isn't available here at this point. I am desperately interested in finding a place in my area that provides something similar.
Contact your local cooperative extension service. They'd be affiliated with your state university system. If there's an organization promoting CSAs or other entities facilitating sales and marketing of local ag products, they'd know about it.
Wow , clearly this is not your first day.
I immediately was able to access a ton of information about my local area just googling my state and cooperative extension (which I never would have known existed).
Thanks!!
Like I said, I'm in local ag. Cooperative Extension is our friend.
Good luck, and glad that was helpful.0 -
Those are good 6 myths, I will say if you want watch a video about organic foods check out Penn & Teller's B.S. on organic foods.
One thing that is not in the 6 Myths is that the farmers who use new pesticides, fungicides, and herbicides normally have to use less of the chemical because the pests have not been able to build up a resistance to the chemical. Less chemicals used means less fuel burnt applying those chemicals and less residue on the food.
I can tell you this for a fact, I grew up on a farm and still help out my parents on that same farm and have seen this with my own eyes.0
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