Organic Food

[Varenne Rodin]

My grandmother was the president of an organic gardening club. Her garden was large and sprawling and fed her five children quite well. The food does taste different. The greatest example for me is the difference in tomatoes. If your tomato doesn't have much of a taste, it's a pretty pitiful tomato.

The issues with meat don't concern me since I don't eat it. When I have dairy it's organic and from local, cruelty free farms. I don't know how harmful pesticides and hormones are, but I know that natural, simple, and clean foods keep me feeling healthy. I also appreciate not making animals feel so awful in their strange lives as food providers.

[Climacus]

I try to ear organic stuff when feasible. In my experience, it tastes better invariably. A bag of organic carrots, for instance, always tastes sweet; whereas it's hit and miss with a bag of non-organic carrots. Does better taste mean more nutrients? I don't know. But the lack of disease-promoting pesticides, etc, is a boon whatever the case.

Processing is our real bane, I think. Most things we eat are heavily processed, fractionalized, and otherwise denatured. And so most things we eat are incredibly hard to digest. The processed food may be nutrient-dense, but good luck getting at those nutrients. In trying to digest it, your body will probably expend more energy than it can gain.

Back in the summer I determined to eat a lot more raw, easily-digestible food - fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds. And my energy level went skyward.

[Dodo25]

One thing I like about the organic food thing is that it is in resistance in small part to major agrobusiness, like Monsanto. As far as I'm concerned, if ever there was an evil corporation, it is Monsanto.

True. It's a pity because GM would be a very promising technology. I know organics people will hate me for the following, but I think the best (healthiest, most efficient, environmental) way to do agriculture would be to have organic GMO products. (Is that an oxymoron?)

I buy organic products if the price difference isn't too big. I think it's a good thing, but I also think it's overrated. Not buying animal products has way more priority to me. Organic meat is often much worse, environmentally, than non-organic vegetables. And it's certainly worse for the animals.

[KCurtis]

Organic vegetables do contain less pesticides. Still, I buy from the supermarkets and vary the products I eat; for example, strawberries are heavily sprayed unless they are organic, so I buy less. I cannot afford to buy all organic, I just can't support it, too expensive. I buy locally grown tomatoes, and the difference in taste is great.
I try to buy coffee that does not destroy the environment, although I admit I love coffee and do not always abide by this, since it can be hard to find coffee brands that are entirely environmentally friendly.
Lastly, my husband and I stopped eating supermarket turkey. I looked into free range farm turkeys and they are more than double the price of supermarket turkey.
Hence the dilemma - money!!

[Delta40]

I have my own chickens so when I read postings about people buying free range I shake my head. Those chickens are treated no better then any other chicken in the egg laying industry. They're not running around under sunny skies but crammed by the thousands in over filled muddy sheds, where they're liable to be trampled to death by other chickens. They're still slaughtered and in fact, their health may even be worse than a caged chicken. The irony is the shopper gets to pay more for a carton stamped free range instead of caged eggs thinking they're doing something for the welfare of chickens.

http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-u...meat-myth.aspx

[KCurtis]

I have my own chickens so when I read postings about people buying free range I shake my head. Those chickens are treated no better then any other chicken in the egg laying industry. They're not running around under sunny skies but crammed by the thousands in over filled muddy sheds, where they're liable to be trampled to death by other chickens. They're still slaughtered and in fact, their health may even be worse than a caged chicken. The irony is the shopper gets to pay more for a carton stamped free range instead of caged eggs thinking they're doing something for the welfare of chickens.

http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-u...meat-myth.aspx

If you are referring to my post on free range turkeys that is not the case. I meant turkeys from very small local farms who raise the turkeys. These farms are there for people like me to check out, which I have, for turkeys to be purchased freshly killed. These are small farms with only a handful of turkeys being raised at one time. Yes, they are humanely raised and humanely killed. I will not get into a debate about eating meat and Peta.

[Delta40]

I'm sorry. Here in Australia all major supermarkets stock free range eggs from these ghastly farms and charge a higher price for it. The labelling pictures give a false impression of the conditions which the chickens live under and of course I cannot speak for other countries. Your post triggered my own outrage here and I posted hastily and if it seemed aimed at you I do apologise.

[Darcy88]

I find organic fruit to taste better than non-organic. I must admit I've never read any research on the pros and cons of organic food, for all I know the claims are as bogus as homeopathy, but like I said, I do notice a difference in taste. The vegetables at fast-food restaurants are tasteless, the tomatoes in particular.

[KCurtis]

I'm sorry. Here in Australia all major supermarkets stock free range eggs from these ghastly farms and charge a higher price for it. The labelling pictures give a false impression of the conditions which the chickens live under and of course I cannot speak for other countries. Your post triggered my own outrage here and I posted hastily and if it seemed aimed at you I do apologise.

It's nothing to apologize for I do buy those eggs too, I need to investigate that.

[BookBeauty]

I am all-organic advocate. And there are ways for crop-space and such to be more viable. I have one word for you: Hydroponics!

But, anyway, it's not just the fruits and veggies. The chicken, and the cows, too. Even the salmon. Never, ever eat salmon, or any fish that's bred in captivity. Never.

Because these animals are all fed food (Cornmeal, additives, artificial CRAP) that is not from their natural habitat, unless the chicken, or beef, or eggs, or butter, or milk, or whatever it is, is Organically Certified. Grass-fed beef actually has more omega 3 fatty acids and good stuff in it.

So, not only are the animals, and the veggies and fruit happier, and fed what they're supposed to eat, but they are also much, much Healthier!

Also, what Delta said about chickens is absolutely right. Free range sometimes only means that they get maybe a meter of extra space, but they're still pecking each other to death in their own filth. :S Mostly because, despite getting that meager meter, they stuff even more chickens into it to fill it up. The sadness of human cruelty knows no bounds.

[Buh4Bee]

I like the idea of a garden or a CSA. My sister is an organic farmer with her future husband and the best vegetables are the ones that are grown locally and picked in season. In winter, you can eat more root vegetables like squash or even dried beans. It's more work to gather veggies this way. Organic food is not convenient.