Saturday, March 10, 2012
Organic Produce
Not all of us can afford to buy all of our groceries from the organic section. So this got me wondering if I could only buy a few things organically, which items (more specifically from the produce section) should I focus on?
In my opinion Organic (I'm still not brave enough for raw) milk is a must
As is grassfed butter. (the article gets interesting about half way down) It is so amazingly delicious, you can eat it straight. And it has amazing, amazing benefits. Definitely splurge on the butter people.
I think meat also tops the list, but it is not readily available to me at this time. However, I am looking into the various links on online ordering, and hopefully we can get that going soon.
I found at list of important organic foods at
EWG.org. (<--- click the link!) You might be surprised at what ranks highest with pesticides, and which fruits/vegetables are among the lowest. Anyway, it really helped me decide where to spend the extra money. And which produce to just plain avoid until the Farmer's Market opens up again.
The EWG website even has a printable card (and an app for your mobile device) which you can take for easy reference. If you are anything like me, you will not remember in five minutes if the apples are a "must buy organic" or... was it the asparagus?
So take a look. And if you can only do one item at a time, well, that's better than nothing, and it's a good place to start!
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Thanks for the link!
ReplyDeletePauline
What's wrong with raw milk? I've been drinking it for nearly 20 years, producing my own for 14, and selling it for nine years. Raw milk is far better for you than the pasteurized crap. My customers' kids would rather go without milk altogether than drink pasteurized, as well they should. My newest customer has been feeding raw milk to her now 14 month old son since he was 5 months old, as she could not nurse him and he could not tolerate any formula without screaming colic fits. He's a thriving, sturdy little boy, now running everywhere to his mother's dismay. : )
ReplyDeleteMany people don't know that pasteurized milk has sickened and killed people, since it's rarely publicized the way raw milk is. The CDC has a vendetta against raw milk and tries to sway public opinion by compiling data sets that don't belong together... like adding deaths caused by raw-milk bathtub cheese from Mexico and bulk tank milk (destined for pasteurization!) illnesses to raw milk (produced for drinking) statistics.
Check out http://www.realmilk.com/what.html and http://www.realmilk.com/where05.html
Nothing is wrong with raw milk. I have several friends who produce/drink raw milk. Since I have three people in my family who are allergic to milk, I only buy it for the baby to drink on occasion.
ReplyDeleteSorry, I was confused by the first sentence of your second paragraph, when you said organic milk, but not raw, was a must.
ReplyDeleteWell, I don't buy raw milk simply because in the off chance my child gets sick from it, and the hospital figures out I'm buying raw milk, I'd get social workers showing up at my home, and then I'd always be on the list. Not worth it to me. But I don't fault anyone else who drinks raw milk. :)
DeleteDon't forget the frozen aisle! It's a good choice for organic berries and organic spinach, etc. So you can still have your veg and fruit even if it's not in season at the farmers market.
ReplyDeleteAnd Heather, people don't actually get sick from raw milk that was intended to be consumed raw. Have you seen the studies and stats? :)
http://www.westonaprice.org/press/cdc-cherry-picks-data-to-make-case-against-raw-milk
And do you REALLY think you're not already on the list? Haha
True!
DeleteYeah, but raw milk, for me, is just one of those mental blocks. And since we don't use milk that heavily here, it's not that big of a deal. A friend and microbiologist (who is not a fan of gov't) once said to me "You know how way back when, when people had ten kids-hoping three would survive, many died from contaminated milk."
Now, I know there's all sorts of arguments against this statement, but it has always haunted me. Eww. And, really, I can't see how milk could NOT not be contaminated, considering how much manure is around. And I do not want to drink manure, even if it makes me invincible. haha
Uh, well... yeah, I am probably on that list. Woohoo!
I've gone primal, but I still don't buy into the organic movement. Maybe it's its association with PC elitism, or its suspect health benefits, but I think tomatoes are tomatoes. Pesticides are good because they keep plants disease free. I understand the opposition to hormone treatments, but not the antipathy to pesticides. If science enables us to create more from less -- and we can always wash our fruit/veggies -- what's the big deal?
ReplyDeleteExcellent question!
DeleteI've been working on getting you answers these last few days. The problem is, I've read about this stuff for years, so I can give you answers off the top of my head. But I don't have studies and links for you.
However, I will post about it, and I'll see if I can at least give you some basic answers.