Speaking of Organic Foods, there is a great article

[Melanie]

in this month's Consumer Reports on buying Organic. It covers what it means, labeling and mis-labeling, laws, what foods you really should buy Organic, which ones are not necessarily a good use of money, tips on saving money on Organic.

It was really thorough.

[mudder17]

Could you e-mail me the article? Or does one need a subscription?

Eileen

http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/candle.gif for Leah
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http://tickers.baby-gaga.com/t/catcatcvi20040222_4_Kaya+is.png
Kaya's a cousin! 10/1/05, 5lb13oz

[Melanie]

You have to specifically suscribe online, which I haven't. I just have the hard copy.

[muskiesusan]

CNN ran a similiar item on their website yesterday. Probably not as thorough, but still informative.

http://money.cnn.com/2006/01/09/pf/organic_food/?cnn=yes

Susan
Mom to Nick 10/01
& Alex 04/04

[lablover]

This link should work, otherwise just go to consumer reports and type in organic in the search field.

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/food/organic-products-206/when-buying-organic-pays-and-doesnt.htm?resultPageIndex=1&resultIndex=1&searchTerm=organic

[bostonsmama]

Funny, I just read that the other day. It was a fascinating read and very informative. It was especially helpful to know that processing virtually takes away all benefits of organic farming. It's a great issue, so I highly recommend picking up a copy at the store or library, but here's the most important part:
Buy organic when it counts: apples, peppers, celery, cherries, nectarine, peaches, pears, potatoes, raspberries, spinach and strawberries.

Meat, poultry, eggs and dairy also offer substantial benefits by being "organic"/hormone/antibiotic free.

Other fruits and veggies aren't so important b/c pesticide residues on the following are trace to nil due even under conventional farming: asparagus, avocados, bananas, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet corn, kiwi, mangos, onions, papaya, pineapple & sweet peas.

Also, breads, oils, chips, pasta, cereal & other processed or packaged foods labeled "organic" are not "worth" it to pay the premium b/c the action of processing foods removes added health benefits and often one or more ingredients going into a processed food (like a frozen pizza) aren't organic, so where's the benefit if it's not 100%?

Don't waste your money at all on buying "organic" seafood (fish, shellfish, etc) as THERE IS NO SUCH THING. Mercury & other toxins are in all fish, wild or farmed. Also, organic cosmetics and shampoos aren't regulated enough to see any substantial benefit.

This is all my own wording. Please let me know if I need to erase this later.

Larissa
***Cheers! Here's to better luck in 2006!***

"Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them."
-James Baldwin

[Melanie]

That's great! Thank you, I had no idea they published some things for free. The hard copy has more info, but those are great highlights for free!

[brittone2]

Thanks for sharing that article...it is nice to see something like that in a more mainstream publication :)

I had two things that came to mind that I thought i'd throw out there. From what I've read, non-organic but locally grown produce tends to be a better nutritional value than organic but trucked-in-from-the-other-side-of-the country produce, so if you can, buy local whenever possible :) and just wash really really well. We just joined a CSA for 2006 and I'm really excited. The one we joined is a small farm that doesn't spray, etc. and is essentially organic without being certified. Here in NC there are quite a few of these types of farms and the farmers sell at the local farmer's market (which is a "real" farmer's market with everything grown within a 50 mile radius). Some of the farms are certified organic (which is an expensive and time consuming certification to obtain) and some are pesticide free/herbicide free/earth-friendly but not "certified." I'm loving that there is so much locally grown stuff available here :)

The second thougth is that this article does mention not buying more processed organics because they aren't superior nutritionally if you are buying for health reasons only. I think that's a good point (Newman's organic Oreos are hardly healthy LOL), but also for some people organic buying is a political statement. Organic foods are non GMO, so if you are opposed to GMOs it makes sense to "vote" that way by buying organic IMO. That's one of the reasons we buy as much as we can organic, although we don't buy a ton of processed foods.

Thanks for sharing that article :)

[hcsl]

Actually, bananas are one of the most important things to buy organic, as I understand it. The pourous nature of this peel makes the flesh especially receptive to pesticieds.


On a side note, my ds is currently in a study sponsored by the EPA and our local university that is measuring the levels of certian pesticides in children's saliva. The traditional way to measure these certain chemicals in humans was by drawing blood, but recently researchers have discovered that these chemicals are present in saliva as well. The study he's in is seeing if this is true for children, as it has already been proven for adults. (FWIW, my ds is in the group that eats mostly organic foods.)

When I stopped to think about the premise of the study, it really made me get even more anal about the foods we eat- how disgusting is it that traces of pesticides are routinely found in our saliva?

[spanannie]

I, personally, think organic bananas taste better, and don't cost much more.

[laurena]

OK, I'm going to ask a question (or more) that may be stupid and I'm prepared to be told so.

If wheat is grown with pesticides and perhapbs be genetically modified, wouldn't that make it's way into the bread? If so, wouldn't buying organic bread that's made with ingredients that are pesticide/GMO free still be healthier for you?

I also agree that organic cookies are still cookies and not the healthiest alternative in the world (even when very yummy), but isn't it still better than buying non-organic? Especially when it excludes hydroginated oils and high-fructose corn syrup?

Or, am I just not getting it?

Lauren

[hcsl]

I agree with you. We buy what we can organic. There are many things that may not be labelled organic, but if you look at the ingredients it will list organic flour, for example. We buy very few processed/packaged foods but I try to get things that have organic ingredients when we do. My current nemesis is the very evil (and addictive) Newman Os. They look and taste like Oreos, but don't have the unpronounceable chemicals in them.

[mommyj_2]

I also agree with you, and also with Beth's point on GMO vs. non-GMO food. I buy organic whenever possible. I also shop a local organic farmer's market as often as I can. Of course, this doesn't mean we eat 100% organic, but I figure it's better to eat organic as much as I can rather than just choosing certain foods. The GMO issue is huge for me.
Also, I agree that eating organic, healthier cookies is better than buying cookies with high-fructose corn syrup (alhtough I try to avoid sweets, and definitely limit what DS eats). High-fructose corn syrup came about with the surplus of corn that resulted from GMO corn.
I have to say that eating all or mostly organic is a great way to limit the amount of junk going into one's body, just because it eliminates so many processed foods that are filled with artificial flavoring, coloring, etc. I was amazed at the amount of total junk we put into our bodies when I switched to not eating artificial coloring and flavoring.
I sometimes crave and buy total junk food, but after not eating it for a long time, it doesn't even taste that good.

[chlobo]

Lauren,

You are correct. I believe that the article was looking at it from a nutritional standpoint. Organic foods are more nutritious. However, the pesticide issue remains whether or not the foods are processed or not. So, IMHO, I would still think that in some cases it would be better to have organic foods even if they are processed.

And yes, I also agree about the cookies. Although there are non-organic cookies now that don't contain the hydrogenated oil & hfcs.

ETA: Also, I've read that it's more important to eat organic meats, milks & cheeses as these types of foods tend to concentrate pollutants moreso than other foods.

[ilovetivo]

>Actually, bananas are one of the most important things to buy
>organic, as I understand it. The pourous nature of this peel
>makes the flesh especially receptive to pesticieds.
>

Now I'm confused, i also thought we don't need to get organic bananas. DD eats them everyday and it's the only thing she doesn't eat organic. I also like the taste of the non-organic better.

[JFC]

Beth,

I'm also in NC (in Raleigh) and LOVE our farmer's market, too! We are so lucky to have such strong agriculture here - doesn't our local stuff just taste so much better?!?!

How did you find and ultimately select the CSA you joined? I have a list from NC Coop Extension/Growing Small Farms, but am a bit stumped on how to move on. I'd love any advice, thoughts, etc. on how you made your decision. Thanks!!!

P.S. If you like Goat Cheese - there is the BEST goat cheese sold at the market on Sundays. He sets up usually between the veggies and the flowers... ;-)

[laurena]

OMG, just had those Newman Os at a friend's house. They are soooo banned from mine. My daughter and I liked them FAR too much. :) It was her first cookie and her first bit of chocolate and she takes after me, I'm afraid...

Lauren

[laurena]

That's what I get from reading quickly -- I didn't catch the nutritional standpoint. So, yes, of course processed foods aren't as good for you as whole foods. Thank you for pointing that out for me. :)

I'm a huge Whole Foods and Trader Joes shopper and I belong to a CSA in summer/fall, so I am a big believer of staying away from additives and unprounouncable chemicals in foods, and eating foods closely to their natural state.

However, I had also thought that I once read on an Australian website that wheat is also heavily sprayed and often genetically modified and it was on their top "bad guys" list where it's not on ours. And (being a little on the skeptical side, I admit), I can't believe that Australians use more chemicals on their wheat than farmers in the US. However, my belief is not based on any facts and I might be unfair to our farmers.

Lauren

[brittone2]

I mulled CSAs for a while, then I just took the plunge ;) Actually I asked around on the NC board at MDC, and someone gave me 3 names in the area. I chose ours because it is the closest farm (it is between my house and my parents which is convenient), it is smallish, the person who responded at mdc used this one and was really happy with it, and the price was right :)

I'm using Elysian Farms but they are out in Cedar Grove (north of Hillsborough, which is where I live).

I think the spots are filling up pretty fast at several places so you might want to check them out soon. The other ones I looked at are Timberwood Organics and NuHorizons. I'm not sure what would be more local to you in Raleigh. I think Holli (Holliam) does a CSA and she lives out in your direction.

MMMMM.....I do love goat cheese :) We always do Carrboro or Hillsborough's farmer's market. I haven't gotten to Raleigh's yet! Thanks for the recommendation!

[brittone2]

Not stupid at all :) Oh yeah, we're known to have some Newman's Oreos around here from time to time because if I'm going to have something like that, at least it doesn't have trans fats or HFCS ;) Totally not health food but a smidge better than the less healthy option IMO ;)

I definitely think residues get into the foods if things are grown non-organically but I don't have any good info handy to verify that. I did just read that Monsanto's Roundup treated (GMO) soybeans have something like 33 percent higher concentrations of spray on them compared to even conventionally grown soybeans.

[Lmoor]

Wow - that's an interesting study! I'm sure it will be awhile before they determine anything, but would you share any findings from the studies? I wanted to participate in a study on perchlorate in breast milk, but I was weaning at the time and didn't have much to spare. I'm so terrified about what we've been doing to ourselves and our planet with all these horrible chemicals!!

[JFC]

Thanks for responding! I liked everything I read about Elysian, but you are right it is a bit far for me and they don't do drop off in Raleigh, so... ;-) I may just need to enjoy my trips to the FM again this year. Thanks again!

[brittone2]

No problem :) If you do decide to look for a CSA that has pickup or dropoff closer to you, maybe try PMing Holli (Holliam) to see which one they use. I know they shop at the Carrboro FM quite a bit though so her DH may just pick up there (so the CSA they use might not necessarily be near Raleigh).

The FMs down here are wonderful :) Now I want to get some goat cheese from your hook up LOL ;)

[Melanie]

>OMG, just had those Newman Os at a friend's house. They are
>soooo banned from mine. My daughter and I liked them FAR too
>much. :) It was her first cookie and her first bit of
>chocolate and she takes after me, I'm afraid...

Try Newmans' Peppermint cups or peanut butter cups.

[laurena]

"You know, Lauren, putting on 35 lbs. is normal for an ENTIRE pregnancy... not in just one month." <sounds of Newman's cookies crunching> "Really? I have no idea why I've gained so much this time." <sounds of yet another bag opening>

Thanks, I think! ;)