Organic?

[Loving Abbey 2]

Hi everyone,

Does using organic products really make a difference in terms of difficult child's behavior/functioning? Everyone says to only use organic but it's really expensive. And I know that pesticides and chemicals are really really bad but will spending extra money on organic products help difficult child in a noticable way?

Thanks for any thoughts!
Michelle

 

[Sara PA]

We did the organic thing for a while. My son says that eating fewer prepared foods and more from-scratch food made him feel better whether or not the food was organic.

Is it nice, though, that a number of local farmers are doing as much no-spray growing as they can. Not organic and the land certainly hasn't been certified organic, but still less pesticides and chemicals than are used on the factory farms.

I had a conversation with a potato grower at a farmers market in California once. Some of his potatoes were organic, others weren't. He told me that the farmer must pay to have land certified for organic farming. He paid to have his land certified. However, he rented land next to the land he owned. Though he farmed both properties exactly the same and had for years, because the rented land wasn't certified, he couldn't call the potatoes he grew on that land "organic". Neither he nor the owner of the land was willing to pay for the certification for the rented land. The owner had no interest in doing so and the farmer wasn't going to pay to have land he didn't own certified. What if the owner decided to rent the land to someone else the next year?

Anyway, my point is that there is something close to organic out there and it is probably considerably cheaper. Try a farmers market or roadside stands and talk to the farmers.

Another thought....when buying things like pasta, select European made products. They use fewer pesticides and chemicals than the US does. There are some pretty reasonably priced Italian imports there, if any pasta is reasonably priced these days.

 

[smallworld]

Michelle,

This is only my opinion, and others are free to disagree. I think buying organic is better for health in general, but doesn't have much, if any, effect on behavior and functioning.

According to the Environmental Working Group (www.foodnews.org), there are some fruits and vegetables that are more contaminated with pesticides than others so it may be more economical to concentrate on buying the "high pesticide" organic and the "lower pesticide" conventional. The "high pesticide" fruits and veggies are peaches, apples, bell pepers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, lettuce, grapes, pears, spinach and potatoes. The "lower pesticide" fruits and veggies are onions, avocado, sweet corn (frozen), pineapples, mango, sweet peas (frozen), asparagus, kiwi, bananas, cabbage, broccoli and eggplant.

Hope that helps.

 

[Loving Abbey 2]

Thanks that is helpful!

SM, it seems the ones that are high pesticides are the ones we eat the most! But this is helpful. I am going to print it out and keep it in my purse for when I'm shopping.

 

[hearts and roses]

You're right, organics are more expensive for the most part, especially when you are buying produce in a grocery store.

We almost always try to buy organic foods all around. I struggle with the prices myself and now that I'm no longer eating meat, produce costs are killing me.

Can you grow your own veggies? Each year our veggie garden gets bigger and bigger and I can each harvest season so I have some foods for the winter. We buy our veggies all summer long at local farmers markets and stands - I add that to our harvest and can those as well. This fall we're putting in some berry shrubs and I am thinking of planting a new apple tree for next year.

I have to agree that while consuming organic is better for your health all around, eating less processed foods will definitely make a difference in behaviors moreso. So, most everything made from scratch with little to no preservatives or artificial fillers is best, organic or not.

 

[Loving Abbey 2]

Growing veggies would be great except where we are living has no yard at all. We are in an apartment over a business. I'll have to try to get to the farmer's markets.

Thanks again!

 

[allhaileris]

Do you shop at Trader Joes? Most of their products are very comparable price as the supermarket for better food. Whole Foods has some store brand items some people like that are very good prices (for the most part it'll always be Whole Paycheck, but they're getitng better).

Look up a CSA in your area. We just started using one of these and are quite happy with it. I forget what it stands for, but basically it's local farmers who will deliver to either you or a local place for you to pick up once a week. The one we use is $16/week and for the amount we get it's cheaper than getting non-organic produce on sale. There are lots of variations of prices and what you get, so shop around when you choose one.

Check out the frozen section. I find many frozen staples (peas, green beans, corn, etc) come in organic at a price just barely over non-organic.

And just because you live in an apt doesn't mean you can't grow in containers. We live in an apt and are growing tomatos, green peppers, basil, rosemary, strawberries, blackberries and lettuce - all in containers. We do have a large deck, but you could do a few items. The lettuce seems to grow really well in a small container.

Sandy