How are you enjoying this series on making practical, healthy grocery choices?
As a refresher, or if you’re just picking up on the series (Part 1 is here and Part 2 is here), this began as a response to all the folks who’ve asked me, “You’re a fitness professional – how do YOU decipher the double-secret code names on food labels and make healthy choices for your own family?” Each post in this series walks you through the questions I answer each time I’m faced with a tough choice.
This particular point – organic vs. conventionally-grown – is often the toughest, trickiest, and most emotionally charged of them all. As if confusing labels and confounding food standards weren’t enough, there are also ethical matters like regional and global ecology and economics.
It’s enough to give me a headache, so I had to simplify it for myself somehow. When is organic worthwhile?
For me, the answer boils down to this (in order):
when it’s an animal product or by-product,
when it’s one of the Dirty Dozen,
when it’s something you eat several times a week,
when it’s something you eat the skin or roots of (like fruit or carrots)
then it’s worth finding organic.
(This is how the Dirty Dozen might become more than a dozen, if you consider the last two bullet points above. If we eat the skin/roots, or eat it often – especially if it’s a kids’ favorite – then I go organic.)
Can’t find the food you want right now? It’s likely out of season, which means it’s time for a change. This is especially true for organics, which rely on nature’s rhythms, but it’s also true for conventional produce. Try something new! Recipe search websites are perfectly designed for this purpose – search by ingredient at AllRecipes or Epicurious and find a new favorite dish you didn’t even know you loved!
Finally, if I’m still clueless after working through the checklist above,
here’s my bottom line:
“Is the risk of abandoning the nutrients in this food greater than the risk of potential contaminants?”
Sometimes, the answer is “yes.” Case in point: my kids are not great lovers of green food. I’m a wee bit ashamed to say it. I struggle, connive, conspire, and deceive in order to get good green stuff into them. HOWEVER. They love my kale chips (comment below if you want the recipe). Is it worse for their health to never feed them a green food they actually love– or worse to give them conventionally-grown kale? I risk the ickiness, and I’m not at all ashamed to say that.
Comment, please! Ask for the kale chip recipe (or others). Let me know what your bottom-line question is at the grocery. Share what you’ve learned from this series – or what you think I’ve gotten patently wrong (or right, you know….that wouldn’t hurt my feelings a bit).
Your turn……
Tags: animal, antibiotics, contaminant, conventional, dairy, diet, expensive, family, fitness, food, growth, health, hormone, meat, natural, organic, pesticide, plant, produce, USDA, vegan, vegetable, vegetarian
Oh, the preschool/grade school diet….I know it well, and I think everyone probably struggles with it. We just have to follow your lead and be good examples, right?!
Oh my goodness — don’t get me started on how great it is to know your farmer!!! (Or to BE your own — don’t you have a great garden, Bri?) I’m so happy you find it helpful. Thanks for stopping by.
Yay for you, Hilary — you’re never too old or too young to really think about what’s going into your body. You’ve got a great start, just by eating real foods. Keep it up!
I know what you mean, Amy – cooking for one is tough! Ever considered just making dishes for 4 or whatever the number is, and embracing leftovers? Even for a family of 4, we have a leftover night almost EVERY week!
This is a great list and easy to remember as to when to buy organic. Sometimes it’s a lot more expensive and I know it isn’t necessary.
Michele Bergh recently posted..Got Comments?
They say, ignorance is bliss! What are you doing to me, Jessica!?
I always thought that eating organic food is just a posh lifestyle taking into account how much organic food costs. and now I’ve read about Dirty Dozen realizing that I was stuffing myself with so unhealthy food thinking that I ate healthily. Well, better later than never! thanks for a wake up call!
Inga Deksne recently posted..If you can’t change the situation, change the attitude towards it
I struggle with healthy eating choices for myself every day but also for my 6-year old daughter. She’s got a sweet tooth (just like mama) and she’s in the typical 6-year old rut of mac-n-cheese, pizza, Ramen, quesadillas, cheese ravioli, and grilled cheese sandwiches. She’s decided to be a vegetarian ever since she saw the movie “Avatar,” and saw the part when they were hunting. She said, “Why would they kill that animal?” When I said, “For food. That’s where meat comes from.” That was the end of her carnivore days! But… Bread, cheese, bread, cheese, and more bread & cheese makes for a very … um… blocked up digestive tract! I try to model good eating habits by fixing fresh fruit and salad with every meal and that’s a start. This was a great way to learn how to take that one step further by integrating more organic foods into our diet. Thanks!
This is so incredibly helpful Jessica! Thank you-I now do most of my shopping at the farmer’s market and interestingly the organic or conventional question really comes up there-because many small scale farmers grow organically but cannot pay the big bucks to get certified-for a few things I am really picky and we try to go out and see the farms when we have a chance!
Bri Saussy recently posted..Shuffling the Deck: The Wheel of Fortune-The Sacred Dance of Free Will & Fate, Luck & Necessity & The Story of Sleeping Beauty
I’ll admit, I’m just a baby in the way of eating “right”, so I haven’t even gotten to the stage of organic vs. conventional… I’m more trying to ease into eating actual foods as opposed to junk or fast food. However, you’ve got me reading labels and actually considering what I’m fueling my body with, which is a great start, so thank you!
Hilary Parry | Tarot by Hilary recently posted..How I (Almost) Ruined My Marriage Proposal—Part 2
I am a lover or organic foods myself, and know that there is a sea full of “not so really true organic” food out there. I love the dirty dozen list and try to buy from that. I struggle with eating and cooking healthy while living by myself. I would love to see recipes for one
Amy Zellmer recently posted..Dane & Erin Engaged | Amy Zellmer, Twin Cities Wedding Photographer