food of the week: organic foods

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this week "food of the week" isn't about a specific food. rather the type of food you are putting into your body... so today we will be talking about organic food. today you can basically buy any food organic, rice cakes, milk, veggies. you can get it organic, but does it really need to be? there are several products that i do buy organic, but there are also even more products that i don't buy organic. the food industry has caught on to the marketing principles of labeling a food product "healthy".  they can label something organic, increase the price of it, and people will buy it because they feel like it will be healthier then the non-organic product.  but in all honesty the product is still not a healthy food choice. i.e. organic cheese crackers, these are still not the best food. this is one of those products that does not need to be bought organic (or in my personal opinion) if they have an organic option great! i would probably buy it, but i would make sure to compare the cost of the non-organic item to the organic one and decide if it does or does not make a difference.

this post will be more about buying organic produce and the reasoning behind why i choose to buy some of my food organic. keep in mind i am a newlywed, in graduate school so i don't have a lot of extra cash laying around but i recognize the value of buying these products organic so i can avoid pesticides and unnecessary chemicals in my body.

foods to buy organic:



dairy products:

milk
yogurt
half and half
etc. i don't usually buy my ice cream organic, it is not a popular option!

dairy products use several hormones to the animals... basically these hormones are not made for  humans! it is basically a steroids. we don't want steroids in us!

the dirty dozen:

blueberries
spinach
apples
celery
peaches
cucumbers
strawberries
cherries
lettuce
potatoes
sweet peppers
nectarines

**the dirty dozen basically mean that they farmers use several chemicals to maintain them, and for when the consumers eats them, they usually eat the skin of this fruit/veggie, meaning the chemicals. yuck! i don't always buy organic in these things, but the ones in bold i make sure to always buy organic. i know it is expensive! the photo above is some of my product i found the other day at the minneapolis farmers market

fruits&veggies that don't need to be organic 

kiwi
avocados
mangoes
watermelon
onion
peas
asparagus
pineapple
grapefruit
sweet potatoes

**these products have tough skin, if you are on a budget don't buy these organic! 

where to buy?

i do a lot of my organic shopping at trader joe's or whole foods. TJ's has several options that are VERY reasonably priced. for instance plain organic yogurt at tj's is the SAME price as non-organic yogurt at cub. crazy isn't it?! i have gotten good at shopping the market and am now aware of what is and is not a good price. i have both my local grocery store and tj's prices memorized so i make sure i get the best deal and shop at both places weekly.

in the summer the farmers market is a great way to find organic produce.  usually you can find great prices for a relatively cheap price. its locally grown and probably not raised with pesticides (but always ask your vendor to check, you really may not know!) the vender may not be "organic" certified (farmers have to pay for that certificate, silly isn't it?) but there is a high probability they used smart farming methods, but it never a bad idea to check!

i am no expert on this matter but just thought i would share with you my opinions and believes regarding organic foods. 

do you eat organic? why or why not? where do you grocery shop?