Organic

I don't necessarily buy 100% organic foods, but I primarily shop at a local farmer's market for my produce and meat, so I have a good idea of what I'm getting. I ask questions, read labels, and keep tabs on when they have deliveries so I can get the freshest produce. Surprisingly, I haven't spent any more $$ since shopping this way than I did before. It can be done!

Farmer's markets are awesome

As someone who worked in commercial agriculture in central CA 99-2001, organic is mostly an advertising gimmick. Not that the companies w/ the USDA organic label are lying, but that it's a huge amount of effort that it's mostly done for advertising like reasons. Also, please, please, please remember that organic / natural DO NOT EQUAL safe. I buy CYANIDE to get the critters in the backyard from my ORGANIC gardening catalog. Several of the e-coli outbreaks in recent years are from organic farming. That's because the cheapest nitrogen fertilizer is COW POOP. Cow poop is an effective and safe soil enrichment option when it's handled properly, there's the catch. So go organic if you think you really think you should. but don't be deluded into thinking anything labeled organic is automatically healthy.

^^ Agree... just because it has an "organic" label on it doesn't mean it's healthy.

One thing I have learned is that some things are not worth the extra money to buy organic. If you wash them properly the actual food part of the plant is fine without being organic. Things that have thicker skins are what you don't really need to buy organically.

If organic was cheaper I would be buying more of it however with the cost of things a lot of people can't.

I don't buy organic because I think it's "heathier" (ie more nutrients, etc)< but more because I don't want the added chemicals. I specifically try to buy produce and meats/dairy that is organic because I also don't want the added hormones and antibiotics and also HFCS/GMO. When the Farmer's market starts up in my town I shop there weekly for my fresh produce this way I know where it's coming from.

Google "the dirty dozen" which will tell you which foods you're better off having organic.

Here's the catch with organic. Organic doesn't mean it doesn't contain chemicals, additives, or toxins of any kind, it just means that the chemicals the foods are grown with are certified organic. Organic fruits and vegetables can be treated with just as many nasty pesticides (for example) as non-organic foods, they just happen to be certified organic pesticides (like cyanide that a previous poster mentioned.) It's mostly a marketing gimmick to get people to spend more money.

try this site to find local farmer (organic or other) in your area. http://www.localharvest.org/

and I am not bashing organic, but it is not the end all to be all. I eat a mix of precessed food and fresh foods. I;ve lost weight and my doctor tells me that I am "ridiculously healthy". But the site I pointed you to will help you find farm fresh foods in your area.

only thing im really funny about being organic is milk, and soft fruits where you eat the skin.

if an organic item is available and the price difference is negligible i will buy it, simply because it usually looks less like a carbon copy veg/fruit.

whats wrong with wonky carrots?!

Yes, local Farmers' MArket is the way to go! But if I can't go, I also reach for mainly organic foods; as little processed as possible and with sustainable packaging. Also, NO CORN SYROUP!

Recently I've also become pescatarian. There is a great documentary about how what you eat affects you (esp meat and dairy poducts). The movie is called Forks over Knives, I highly recommend it. I changed my diet after watching it and at first I deciced to do it for only a month, just to check it it really would make me feel better, and yes! It really does change things; i have more energy now and I generally feel "lighter". IT's something definitely worth trying.

Check your organic food IQ http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/eat-safe/food-iq-quiz-44101001

I buy some but not a lot of organic foods because they are outrageously expensive where I live. You can buy organic processed foods, but I stear clear of most processed foods in general. I do still buy some, but I love to cook so I just buy raw ingredients most of the time.

Yes! I'm trying to stay away from anything processed (this is going to be very dificult for me).
Did you know that almost ALL processed food has some sort of corn product in it? I didn't, after checking I learned that my Kashi bar contains SIX corn products. I also learned that corn is NOT a vegetable, I honestly never knew that.

What's wrong with corn?

Organic as a label is pointless.

Thanks for you American-centric answer.

If you live in Canada or the UK, organic as a label is not pointless.

There is very little independent research to show that organic produce contains more nutrients or that it tastes better. Often the improved taste is due to different varieties of vegetable / breed of animal being used.

However, there is a LOT of evidence to show that organic produce is extremely good for the environment, so that is why I strongly support the ethos and purchase it whenever I can. Unfortunately due to financial constraints, while I try to purchase food from local suppliers, I cannot afford to give organic production the custom it deserves.

Since I guess I left it off on my earlier post, and I guess most people don't understand. organic DOES NOT EQUAL CHEMICAL-FREE.

In America.

In the UK, farms have to be chemical free for, I believe, three years before they can apply for organic status for their produce.

EDITED TO ADD: There is a chemical that can be used on certified organic ground, glyphosate which is permitted because it quickly becomes inert if not absorbed by leaves. It's so safe, it's the only one allowed to be used by the environment agency on river banks, bridge structures and on land immediately adjacent to watercourses. I've used it myself quite happily on my wholly
organic allotment.

Organic as a label is pointless.

Thanks for you American-centric answer.

OP is from the US, so America-centric is a perfectly logical way to respond. If they were from the UK, you'd have a point.