Hey there! How’s your week going? Mine hasn’t been too shabby. Bazooka is getting over his cold and is sleeping better (which means we’re sleeping better!), I got in a great BODYPUMP workout last night, and it feels like spring outside so I’ve been enjoying the heck out of my daily walks. If you live in a Super Tuesday state, I hope you voted yesterday! 🙂

Moving on to today’s post, let me begin with a couple of things:

1. I absolutely think our food supply chain needs work
2. In a perfect world, all of our food would be organic, sustainable, and ethically raised
3. Everybody needs to eat more produce and fewer processed foods
4. There is more “unknown” than there is “known” when it comes to modern food science

Now that all of that is out of the way, hopefully you have an idea of where I’m coming from on this topic.

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I’m fairly certain you all have heard about the “dirty dozen,” the overuse of pesticides (and the pollution, sickness, etc. it’s caused), and the overall benefits of eating organic. It’s all very reasonable (although I found this article quite interesting).

Like most of you, I want to eat foods that nourish my body, and I don’t want to expose myself and my family—especially my son—to dangers.

But having said all of that, I rarely buy organic, and here’s why.

1) It’s difficult to come by

You’d think in Alabama—once a primarily agricultural state—it would be easy to buy organic, but that’s not the case. Apart from Whole Foods, The Fresh Market, and Publix, my local groceries have a limited selection and most of my local farmer’s markets and U-pick farms are not certified organic. Since there’s a larger selection of conventional produce and I like to feed my family a variety of nutrients, that means I usually buy conventional.

2) It’s expensive

Sure, you’d be correct saying that it’s worth paying the cost upfront to prevent health expenses down the road, but I’m not convinced that paying almost double for an organic sweet potato will make that huge of a difference in my overall health.

My grocery budget is limited right now, so I try to buy whatever produce is seasonal, fresh-looking, and on sale.

3) It’s not always better for the environment

If we’re talking strictly about the overuse of pesticides, then, yes, I believe organic is better for the environment (keep in mind, though, that organic growers still use “natural” pesticides, some of which could be potentially hazardous in large doses). However, when you factor in the fact that organic strawberries bought in Alabama are shipped all the way from California while non-organic strawberries are grown just a few miles away, then that’s a lot less fuel being burned for my strawberries! Plus, I like to support local growers in my own community instead of Big Agriculture!

4) It’s not necessarily healthier or more nutritious

I’m not sure how it started, but there seems to be this idea that organic= more nutritious. Studies have shown that there is very little difference in the vitamin and mineral content between organic and conventional carrots, for example, and an organic box of cookies is still heavily processed and no better than a conventionally grown apple! Likewise, you’d be better off mixing your own oil, vinegar, and seasonings instead of grabbing an organic salad dressing off the shelf.

Please don’t get the wrong idea—I do not think organic is a bad thing! I definitely feel that if it’s available and affordable to you then you should choose it—and if I see organic produce on sale (or if it just looks better), I’ll certainly opt for it over conventional.

I also believe that we consumers have a right to know what’s in our food. While I don’t know enough about GMOs (Do fish genes belong in a tomato? Heck no, but most of our food is “genetically modified” naturally as a result of cross breeding.) to say they’re dangerous, I do think they should be disclosed on labels.

Additionally, the overuse of antibiotics in our food chain scares the hell out of me, so I do make a point to buy antibiotic and growth hormone free poultry, dairy, etc. If we’re eating fish, it’s going to be wild-caught over farm-raised.

And having experienced “allergies” to artificial food dyes as a child, I completely support the use of more natural colorings and preservatives in our processed foods.

The bottom line is: you have to do what’s best for you and your family. As my son grows and begins to eat more solid food, I may very well change my mind regarding produce. We usually feed him organic pouches (Plum Organics is a favorite), but we’ve also fed him regular old Gerber and standard formula with no ill effect.

No matter where you stand, you should be mindful of your food—where it comes from, who grows it, and who funds it. More knowledge and demands from consumers will ultimately lead to safer, healthier alternatives on the shelves and in the bins.

• Do you typically buy organic over conventional?
• What are your thoughts on GMO?
• What types of foods do you splurge on? Or skimp on?