We're doing a bit of research now for an upcoming Six Minute Style episode on this very topic. If you're a regular viewer, you'll recall that we previously reported (Pack the Perfect Picnic) that soft-skinned fruits such as strawberries and peaches easily absorb pesticides (and let me tell you - when I lived in CA, I saw plane after pesticide-carrying plane spraying who-knows-what on the endless acres of strawberry fields), so should always be purchased organic.
But are there times when you can slide by with a non-organic? Keep in mind, traditional farming often relies on pesticides, hormones, herbicides, antibiotics, irradiation, even human sewage to produce the foods we eat, so "sliding by" may save you some bucks, but is it worth the price? And what about the impact on our planet? Any guilt supporting traditional methods that may deplete the soil and pollute our water supplies? Lots to think about when simply buying an apple.
One positive we've noticed is an upswing in the number of available "store brand" organics. Both Albertson's and Safeway are offering a variety of organic foods - cereal, soups, chips, pasta - at a reasonable price.
So, here's what we want to know: Do you buy organic? If so, why? Do you mix and match between organic and non-organic foods? Are store brand organics as good or appealing as their name brand organic counterparts? Thanks for sharing!
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I mix and match... buy organic when it looks particularly good and/or inexpensive. Just too expensive to buy it all the time (but I usually don't eat the peels of traditionally grown fruit, just to be on the safe side!). Love the fact that the supermarkets are starting to carry store-brand organic food .
ReplyDeleteI do feel it's important to buy organic and limit the amount of impurities coming into our bodies. However, it's not always easy or affordable to do so. I compromise quite a bit (would love to buy all organic) but there are definitely some things I won't buy conventional: strawberries, grapes, apples to name a few. I think it's great that traditional grocery stores are offering more organic options...even Costco sells frozen organic veggies (tasty!) and fresh apples. I would be curious to know if "store brand" organic is just as good as the organics found in health food stores. I want to believe it is as my understanding of "organic" is that the producer has passed a rigid checklist of requirements in order to legally label a food as "organic." I wonder how we can be sure?
ReplyDeletemy husband and i eat almost exclusively organic. to me it is incredibly worth it. not to sound cliche, but our bodies are our temples... why wouldn't it be important to make sure we are putting the best, healthiest choices into it. people are picky about the gas and oil they put in their car, and then they grab a bag of doritos after they fill up. doesn't make any sense to me. i'm very conscious of what i put in my body, the more organic i can get the better. it is worth every cent!
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