Make 1 of every 10 items in your cart organic, and you’ll help organic grow.
You’re looking over red bell peppers in the store, when you realize both organic and nonorganic peppers are available. Both the nonorganic and organic peppers look fresh, beautiful and free of bruises and scrapes. You notice that the organic peppers cost a bit more. Which do you choose?
Tight budgets and the limited availability of organic food keep most of us from choosing all organic all the time. But you don’t have to buy organic all the time to make a healthy difference and support organic agriculture.
If you make just 1 of every 10 items in your cart organic, you’ll create demand for more organic food, more organic choices in our stores and more organic farms and farmers in the world.
About 4% of foods and drinks sold in the US are organic. So choosing organic 10% of the time (1 of every 10 items in your cart), helps boost demand.
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We buy local, from sources we know. The organic label has been compromised by the USDA board. So we check the ingredients and when we see ingredients like lactic acid or natural flavor we investigate further.
Thirty-five years ago food made up 16 percent of the family budget. Medicines were at 6 %, or so. Now it’s inverted. WHICH would YOU rather spend your money on? Most of us prefer health over cheap foods (which often taste cheap). I buy organic when I can (and I look to the Dirty Dozen for assistance). I try to buy organic apples, raspberries, strawberries. But not so much with Bananas, Brocholli, and other cruciferous vegetables.
Milk, half & half, cream and eggs are always organic. Vegetables when they are available. Ground beef and chicken always. Used to be able to get buffalo but the store discontinued it. I liked that better than the ground beef. Chicken sausage always when I can find it. I do make my own bread just to be free of the additives and preservatives.
I only buy or grow organic.I always hear the statement I cant afford to buy organic .You just have to be aware and really check prices. Some of the big box sell organic at lower prices. It may take a little work but being healthy and strong is worth it to me. I have so much gratitude to all our organic farmers dairy or earth for having the fortitude to love this divine creation and to work with the earth not against it.
For me it’s all about affordability. I would buy all organic if I could afford to. I have to admit, though, the more I learn about non-organic foods, the more money I budget for better quality and safer organic foods. It really is worth it to try and buy or make as much organic food (aka, “real” food, like my grandparents grew)
We buy organic about 80% of the time. I would like to make it to 100% but I have to be realistic about what we can afford. Things like bananas I don’t bother with. It’s a gradual process. We are in a CSA and have a garden. I make our bread now because it is cheaper to make our organic bread than it is to buy it, my next goal is making our own yogurt. Sorry Stonyfield!
The higher up the food chain you go, and the more fat content, the more important it is to buy organic. All of my dairy products and eggs are organic, as is most of the meat (especially beef) that I consume. These are the things that concentrate things like pesticides the most, and in the case of beef products, carry intentional toxins (hormones and anti-biotics. Some products are not completely organic, but at least do not use the hormones or antibiotics, and their animals are fed special vegetarian feed. This is a good second choice, but I’d still rather be buying organic, as long as merchants don’t try to capitalize and gouge me on the prices.
I lean heavily toward organic even though my husband pooh-poohs it and complains about prices. But I do feel torn when much of the organic produce at the grocery store is shipped here (Eastern NC) all the way from Mexico, when I am also trying to support local agricuture. I wish there were more organic farmers at our farmers market. I am considering an organic CSA for next year.
I buy organic whenever possible keeping in mind the products which carry the biggest risk to our health.
I decided I would rather spend my money on healthy food than at the doctor’s office or hospital!
I LOVE organic. I ALWAYS buy it when available which is the main reason I shop at our local organic health food store, Mustard Seed Market and Cafe in Akron, OH. It tastes better too. However, I wish you would start making organic dairy products from goat’s and sheep’s milk, so I could buy your roducts too.
My hubby is hard core organic. I can’t stand it when the price is almost double for something organic vs non-organic. I feel like some of those in the organic industry are really taking advantage of people’s fear. I want what is best for my kids, but i don’t like being robbed at the grocery either. If I buy something on the “dirty dozen” list that is non-organic, then my husband will not eat it, and doesn’t want the kids to eat it either. I guess the thinking is that if everybody supports the organic industry, then more companies will go organic, and the prices will come down. I hope that happens before I go into the poor house. Meanwhile, I clip coupons where I can find them, and keep saving my Stonyfield points.
Always, always always Organic. Get cancer and you’ll pay the little extra – unless you have a death wish or your claim to fame is being ill.
Local CSAs are a good value for organic products. Then, you only have to figure out your veggies in the off season!
Usually organic is more expensive. But buying non-organic is false economy, and I choose to put a premium on what I put into my body. By paying more I support small and local farmers, a lot of the time I know where my food is coming from (I’m able to buy almost all my meat and eggs local/certified organic), and I help the planet. I don’t ask others to subsidize my cheap “food” by dealing with effluent from CAFOs, pesticide and herbicide residues, and unemployment (farmers put out of business by big ag).
I am somewhere between hard-core and casual. Dairy items are always organic and I buy as many organic snacks and meats as I can. I also stick to 7th Generation, Method or good old baking soda and vinegar for household cleaning and weed killing. My first choice would be organic but I can’t always find that option in my store and there are times that price prohibits me from making that choice.
I too use the EWG dirty dozen list to advise my clients and make my own purchases. I only purchase organic grains, pasture-raised, organic dairy, eggs, and meat, wild-caught fish and shellfish whenever possible. Eating out (or at someone’s home) are the only times I am at the mercy of others and as I do not eat fast food (other than occasionally at Chipotle) or major restaurant chains, I feel that if 10% of my meals do not adhere to my standards, that’s more than acceptable.
I began eating organically-produced food in the late 1970s, initially, a little at a time. I’ve been eating totally organically (or at least, in the upper 90% since, unfortunately, government standards allow some non-organic ingredients even in foods advertised as “certified organic”) since at least the early 1980s. It’s the way God intended both for growth and consumption for all living things. I’ve been blessed that my health has reflected the benefits of such a commitment to God’s way with no doctor bills (apart from dentists and ophthalmologists for routine dental and eye care), hospital bills, or drug costs since the early 1980s. Because of my commitment, I consume only organic foods, purchasing them locally, nationally, online, or even learning to live without particular foods.
I live in Rochester, NY and am excited that there is a Trader Joe’s on it’s way in to one of our plazas. Ohio was the closest here. I am looking forward to being able to get more organic there. Wegmans carries organic but it is expensive. We have a family of four. I buy organic as I can and am mindful of what I’m feeding my family. Reading this is the first time I’m hearing of EWG’s Dirty Dozen. I’ll look it up. Thanks!
Organic is what I buy as much as possible. I live in area where organic is harder to find. I buy all organic dairy, salad greens, veggies when I can find them and read ALL labels on canned goods, etc. What I cannot find organic locally, I’ve taken to buying from organic suppliers online. I don’t eat meat, though I’m not a strict vegetarian. I have a hard time buying organic eggs that are trustworthy in my area. It really pleases me that the Wal Mart where I shop does carry Stoneyfield milk & yogurts, but they do not carry other Stoneyfield products. I’ve asked & asked for more organic foods, to no avail, mainly I suppose because there are so few organic buyers in this area. I also tried a totally organic garden this year, my first time ever to garden. It was a flop due to extreme drought, and extreme hot weather we had, even though I watered faithfully. Also bugs destroyed mature crops. Next year I will be better prepared with organic bug sprays, etc. I am getting so I don’t want to buy anything that isn’t organic due to GMO’s. Thank you.
I purchase organic milk-always, and as much of the dirty dozen (13) that I can afford. I purchase “regular” cheese, greek yogurt, and sprouted grain breads. I use 7th generation cleaning products, and try to recycle bags, etc. That’s about it.
I am in line with Kristi–using the sprouted grain breads, greek yogurt, organic milk (no longer needing to purchase lactose free since I do not have a stomach problem with organic milk). I do purchase only the organic celery, apples, blueberries, and peppers–always mindful of the dirty dozen. Our grocer (HyVee) has a 10% discount on Wednesdays on all organic–that is when I shop.
I wonder how many other people have allergies to milk which would go away if they drank Organics. It’s not necessarily the Lactose to which they are intolerant, it may be residuals in the milk from the chemicals introduced by the farmers (pesticides in grains, pharmaceuticals, and growth hormones).
I use the EWG’s Dirty Dozen list as a guide and buy organic produce on that list most of the time. All of my dairy is organic. I wish I could afford all organic foods and drinks but I cannot.
I go to the organic displays first to see what’s available, next criteria is “product of USA”. I wish the stores would offer more organic products of all kinds!
I am also a “Cindy”- my reply is exactly the same as Cindy’s above…. organic and USA a priority with regard to my purchases (safest, best taste, environment friendly- win/win!). I also USE Dirty Dozen list as a reference.
my toooooo
I use the EWG’s Dirty Dozen list as a guide and buy organic produce on that list about 99% of the time. I want all of my children’s dairy to be organic(like Stonyfield), and I wish I could always afford for meats we buy to be raised with organic standards. Organic and local are important features in our food, and I would buy more things with organic labels if our household could afford it.
I follow the dirty dozen list when buying organic and the clean 15 non-organic. I do buy organic milk and sometimes beef when I can’t find grass fed local.
I buy organic whenever I can afford it and I also grow my own vegetables – it’s the only way.
Everyone should see the movie “Food Inc.” and it will change our eating habits to more healthy selections and stay away from processed foods.
Like Kathy, if the price is equal, or at least pretty close, to non-organic, I’ll choose organic every time. Unfortunately, the price is often WAY higher, and my budget won’t allow for that indulgence. If I could, I’d buy everything possible organic!
I view buying organic as the only healthy option, not just for me and my family, but for the planet. I do not mind spending the extra $’s knowing that it is my way of voting; we all vote with our $’s. And, as an added bonus, it never gets casually thrown away; there is always a plan for what I purchase, especially when it is fresh produce. If you cannot find it in your store, ask for it. The store owners know that for every one person who asks, there are approximatly 100 others who did not ask, but would buy it if it was available.
If the price is equal to non organic I will buy it.
Buying and growing/raising organic is just “doing food” the way nature intended – for the last many millions of years. Non-organic is the recent trend, a fad that turned out to be unhealthy and unpleasant. So let’s drop it, like we dropped other fads and practices that turned out to be sour (hairsprayed and teased hairdos, lead paint, mercury in clothing).
To me organic is like, as we say in Maine (it’s the state slogan): “The way life should be.” Yet it’s even more than that…it’s not the way food *should* be, it’s the way food IS. When we spray and alter it, it’s the way we make it. Let’s keep it the way it IS.
Milk and I buy the “dirty dozen” organic when I can find it, a challenge for me. The good news is between the CSA we belong to and what we grow we are able to do organic for our selves!