question about healthy produce

[shannoncorrin]

I keep struggling with this question, and I thought I would post it here. When buying produce for my family, I struggle with buying organic. The problem I find with organic produce at my local grocery store is that it is usually grown on another continent, it looks terrible, and it is double the price. Even if its a fruit or veggie that is in season in some part of our country. When I can, I like to buy locally, even if its not certified organic. The problem is, living in Ohio, there is only a few short months a year I can do this. But I feel like its better to buy a bell pepper from a farmer down the road than it is to buy an organic pepper from Holland (for some reason, a lot of our organic produce in our grocery store comes from there). Am I wrong in my thinking? Lets say its the middle of April, peppers are not yet in season near me, but there are beautiful conventionally grown peppers from Florida or organic ones from Australia that look like were picked about 3 weeks ago and are double the price. Which ones do I choose?

The other thing that I struggle with is milk. I have an 18 month old, so we go through a lot of milk. Organic milk is usually $6.99-$7.49 a gallon. Normal milk is about $2.50-2.99 a gallon and it says on the label that the cows are not treated with rBHT or any other growth hormones or antibiotics. Isn't this good enough if we go through a gallon every 5 days or so?

I am all about the farm to table food revolution and want to live as naturally as possible without nasty chemical laden food, but I'm also on a pretty tight budget and I need to see the value in purchasing something. I don't see it with the organic selection in the stores near me. Please give me your insights!

 

[firemedic]

I know what you mean. I actually live in FL and find it hard to find product from USA in my local store. I have to wait for a Sat. and go to a local farmers market for better produce or if I feel like driving 35 miles to the nearest market open 7 days a week. I try to buy what is local and looks good but within reason for my budget. Its hard to eat healthy on a budget because produce is the most expensive thing to buy when eating healthy and I'm tired of that. I try to buy organic when I can, but like you, mine at the store look so old that it's not worth it. I would say the same for the milk. Is long as the cows aren't treated with junk, I would go with that one. I do the same for chicken. Maybe things would be different if I lived in a big city, but I don't, so I just have to live with what's available and within my budget. Best of luck.

 

[lisa_la_machina]

Hi Shannoncorrin,

Like firemedic said, I just do my best to live with what's available and within my budget. For me, that means prioritizing based upon my personal preferences and research. Here are some of my personal guidelines:

1) Wherever possible, stick to organic when it comes to the dirty dozen of produce. Conventional is OK for the clean 15 of produce.

2) I'm a mom too so I understand the milk dilemma, but I have committed to organic milk for my family (for a variety of reasons, including the possible connection between milk hormones and the increasingly younger age of puberty onset in young girls). I have no judgment for others who choose to do otherwise, this is just my conclusion for my family.

3) I try to buy organic, grass fed beef. This is a priority. I like to buy organic poultry, but that's not a must-have like organic beef is for me.

4) SHOP AT Trader Joe's! I'm a broken record on my love for TJ's, but if you have one in your area they tend to have very affordable organic produce and other organic products. Same with Costco (if you have one near you)! I'm amazed at Costco's continuing expansion of its organic selection.

5) Remember frozen fruits and veggies. You can find organic frozen fruits and veggies for good prices in many regular stores.

Also, FWIW, I used to live in sunny central California and even there much of the organic produce came from other locations. Now that I live in the Pacific NW, I just have to accept that the organic foods will come from other places most of the time.

Good luck as you try to figure out what works best for you and yours!

Lisa

 

[shannoncorrin]

Thank you Lisa and firemedic. So Lisa, you buy organic rather than local? And what made you decide to use organic milk vs regular that isn't treated with nasty junk? What made the price difference worth it to you?


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[desertambrosia]

I buy Costco organic milk. It's 1%, but it is delicious. Better than some 2% milk I've tried, so it's definitely worth the price for me. If I could get away with it, I would drink half n half. Since that's not an option, Costco's organic milk works.

 

[bayerngirl]

I buy organic fruit and veggies at Trader Joe's!or a Whole Food. I live in a small town, we have organic farmer. I usually buy organic, grass fed beef, chicken at our local farmers market on Saturday. I also buy organic food at Costco. I agree with Lisa Costco has a a lot of organic products, fruits and vegetables. Our grocery store here in town, has a huge selection of organic food and products. It's a little pricey I like to stick to the dirty dozen of produce as possible

 

[lisa_la_machina]

So Lisa, you buy organic rather than local? And what made you decide to use organic milk vs regular that isn't treated with nasty junk? What made the price difference worth it to you?

Yeah, I buy organic over local. I wouldn't find much if I restricted myself to local. Milk is one area where we are fortunate...lots of local dairy farms so I can buy locally produced organic milk from pasture fed and free range cows. Even if this wasn't an option I would still probably opt for organic milk because I am erring on the side of caution here given the extreme amounts of milk my toddler consumes. I know you can find research and articles that argue that organic milk and "cleaner" conventional milk are pretty much the same, but honestly I don't really trust the FDA...after all, this is the agency that just determined that certain KIND bars can't be called healthy because the saturated fat levels are too high (which is basically saying that almonds, other nuts, and coconut oils are unhealthy...I'm not fond of the higher sugar content of some bars, but nuts where there are no allergy concerns??? come on!!!). I digress.

Not sure how much my rant here helped, but just go with what feels best for you and your family! And that's perfectly OK if it's different from anybody else's preferences.

Lisa

 

[maddiesmum]

I keep struggling with this question, and I thought I would post it here. When buying produce for my family, I struggle with buying organic. The problem I find with organic produce at my local grocery store is that it is usually grown on another continent, it looks terrible, and it is double the price. Even if its a fruit or veggie that is in season in some part of our country. When I can, I like to buy locally, even if its not certified organic. The problem is, living in Ohio, there is only a few short months a year I can do this. But I feel like its better to buy a bell pepper from a farmer down the road than it is to buy an organic pepper from Holland (for some reason, a lot of our organic produce in our grocery store comes from there). Am I wrong in my thinking? Lets say its the middle of April, peppers are not yet in season near me, but there are beautiful conventionally grown peppers from Florida or organic ones from Australia that look like were picked about 3 weeks ago and are double the price. Which ones do I choose?

The other thing that I struggle with is milk. I have an 18 month old, so we go through a lot of milk. Organic milk is usually $6.99-$7.49 a gallon. Normal milk is about $2.50-2.99 a gallon and it says on the label that the cows are not treated with rBHT or any other growth hormones or antibiotics. Isn't this good enough if we go through a gallon every 5 days or so?

I am all about the farm to table food revolution and want to live as naturally as possible without nasty chemical laden food, but I'm also on a pretty tight budget and I need to see the value in purchasing something. I don't see it with the organic selection in the stores near me. Please give me your insights!

I don't buy organic. I can't afford it. I try to eat local Michigan-grown produce and according to what is in season. Asparagus in January at $4.99 a pound is OUT! If the fruit or veg has a skin that is not used in cooking, don't waste anytime thinking about it: you don't need organic. Answer to your question re: pepper from Florida versus Holland = FLorida because less of a carbon footprint was generated in getting it to Ohio, even though......

Milk: the "$2.50-2.99 a gallon and it says on the label that the cows are not treated with rBHT or any other growth hormones or antibiotics: IS GOOD ENOUGH!

You do not have to bankrupt yourself to be healthy. No need to go to extremes.

My personal viewpoint is that the whole organic trend is over-rated. We are a physically healthy family, I do not think it is possible, in the 21st century, to protect myself and my family from every single form of contamination/pollution/pesticide/plastic etc, so I take sensible measures and then think, "what the hell!" We don't do packaged for processed foods, don't do much junk food, we rarely eat out, I cook all our vegetarian food from scratch, don't smoke, walk everywhere, drink in moderation, exercise. That is ENOUGH.

Clare

 

[Katerchen]

I don't buy organic. I can't afford it. I try to eat local Michigan-grown produce and according to what is in season. Asparagus in January at $4.99 a pound is OUT! If the fruit or veg has a skin that is not used in cooking, don't waste anytime thinking about it: you don't need organic. Answer to your question re: pepper from Florida versus Holland = FLorida because less of a carbon footprint was generated in getting it to Ohio, even though......

Milk: the "$2.50-2.99 a gallon and it says on the label that the cows are not treated with rBHT or any other growth hormones or antibiotics: IS GOOD ENOUGH!

You do not have to bankrupt yourself to be healthy. No need to go to extremes.

My personal viewpoint is that the whole organic trend is over-rated. We are a physically healthy family, I do not think it is possible, in the 21st century, to protect myself and my family from every single form of contamination/pollution/pesticide/plastic etc, so I take sensible measures and then think, "what the hell!" We don't do packaged for processed foods, don't do much junk food, we rarely eat out, I cook all our vegetarian food from scratch, don't smoke, walk everywhere, drink in moderation, exercise. That is ENOUGH.

Clare

Ditto! Organic foods are a huge industry and the science is still out if they are any better than traditional foods. Even a regular apple in your diet is much better than no apple. The Internet is full of pseudo-science and opinions are stated as facts.

 

[lioness]

I try to buy organic as much as possible. If I can't, I will go with any produce that looks great and is grown locally near me. I live in South Georgia and although we have a farmers market they often don't have a selection. This year, my mom, sisters and I have started are own garden. We have planted peppers, tomatoes, lettuce, carrots, beans, chard, kale, and parsley. I am so excited that we are doing this and it's great for mom my as she is 81 and loves watching everything grow. I also grow blueberries and have a lemon and orange tree. This is really what I want to continue doing so I don't have to worry about chemicals in my foods.

I don't drink a lot of milk so I stick to organic. There is a new brand out called Fairlife (I think) that has less sugar, more protein and is lactose free. The chocolate milk is wonderful but it is expensive.

 

[lisa_la_machina]

This year, my mom, sisters and I have started are own garden.

Good point, Jane! We follow the square foot gardening method, which is basically gardening for dummies (ME!). It doesn't satisfy all of our produce needs but we get an abundance of carrots, various greens (spinach, butter lettuce, etc), and squashes. Economical and actually a fun family activity that your toddler might enjoy, shannoncorrin (mine does, anyway!).

Lisa