Guest Blogger: The Low-down on an Organic Lifestyle

Photo by kawanet

Sometimes it feels like the accurate information about "going organic" is kept more on the down-low!

It's not that there aren't websites and articles devoted to the subject, but they tend to contradict one another and leave a hopeful researcher more lost about the subject. We're going to devote the next couple/few/several weeks (I haven't decided; maybe your interest can be the guide) to organic eating.

How important is it? What are the pros and cons? How organic do you have to be to make a difference? And the ultimate question, will my kids hate it?! In our quest to make the most informed decisions for our families, this is an important topic to educate ourselves about. Today, we'll talk a few common myths about going organic:

Organic food is always better for you. Here's a real "duh" moment, but I figured we'd start with an easy one! There are health advantages to going organic, but if you're choosing organic cookies, cake, and chips, they're still loaded down with fat and sugar. Ultimately, these choices are still unhealthy ones, no matter what pesticides are or are not used on the ingredients!

All labels are created equal. Labels that read "made with organic ingredients" must contain only 70 percent organic ingredients by FDA standards. If you're looking for a truly organic product then you're looking for the simple "organic" on the label. This indicates the product is 95 percent organically produced.

Organic farming doesn't use pesticides. The use of pesticides is often the benchmark topic that causes people to embrace an organic lifestyle. And while that isn't a bad thing, in the spirit of educating ourselves, let's settle this issue once and for all. An organic farmer is allowed the use of four pesticides as opposed to the 300 used in non-organic farming. Often, the pesticides used in organic farming break down rapidly in sunlight, thus minimizing risk or occur naturally in the soil and human body.

Organic food is ridiculously expensive. More expensive than foods produced by conventional farmers--I cannot deny it. Organic farming and food production is something akin to the handmade industry. It takes more time and resources, but in the end, the product is of higher quality and value. Because organic farmers don't receive the federal subsidies that conventional farmers do, the cost of organic products reflects the true cost of the field-to-store process.

*Meijer's Organics line of products is competitively priced. Though you can't use your manufacturer coupons on these items, Meijer is working to make organic eating more affordable.In an effort to educate myself, I'd love to hear your thoughts about this issue. Love it? Hate it? Do it? Won't ever? Tips. Tricks. Opinions.


Talk to me, friends!