Eating Organic

Ever since watching the shocking documentary Food Inc. while I was pregnant with Marco, we have decided to try and eat more organic meals.  We came up against a lot of opposition.  People telling us we were snobs.  People criticizing how much money we spend on our food.  People justifying their own decisions to NOT eat organically.

That's fine.

If YOU don't feel the need, no one is telling you to do it.  But we do.  What I hate is when people judge us without even doing any research themselves... or even without trying it!

We have some close friends that are hardcore about eating organically.  Like, they will rarely go out to eat because they can't guarantee that prepared food are cooked healthily and naturally, much less organically if not prepared by themselves.  We are not even close to being this hardcore about it.  We still eat out and eat at other people's house... it's just that if WE are the one's doing the cooking, we make it an organic meal.  We figure, that way about 50% of our food is organic... and that's better than 0%!

Yes, it's expensive.  It's really expensive when first deciding to go organic because you have to replace your staples... flour, butter, spices, ketchup.  And it's also expensive on a weekly basis... the meat is the most.  But with the meat, now I can taste the difference.  Grass fed beef even smells different!

We hope that by making an investment in the food we eat and we feed our children, that we'll encourage healthy eating habits, reduce the risk of obesidy and reduce other health risks such as diabetes.  Of course, eating organic doesn't mean you're eating "fat free", but it changes your perspective on what is really necessary.  And because buying organic foods is more expensive, you end up cutting back on frivolous food purchases... aka snacks.

We buy some snacks for the kids... like the Annie's organic fruit snacks and Annie's all natural cheese crackers... but mostly it's cheese sticks and yogurt.  Healthier snack options.

Allie over at Table For More explains how to shop organic on a budget.  She shows that it's totally do-able and that until you try, you can't say that you can't afford it or that it's not worth it.

And don't give me that crap... "well, I didn't eat organic and look, I turned out just fine".  Ok... are you sure?  First, you don't know what kind of health issues you will have in the future due to your eating habits and secondly, food today is much more genetically modified and altered than when we were kids.

So, my whole stance is... if we know better, we should try and do better.  Especially for our kids.  They can't choose for themselves.  And the habits we instil today will affect their entire future.

Give it a shot... if not for you, then for your babes.  Try it for a month.  Take note of your finances.  Take note of the taste.  Then decide for yourself.

On a side note, my kiddos take eating organic to a whole new level.
Here's Jonas eating a blade of grass:

Here's Marco eating a shovel full of dirt:

But it's all good.  A little dirt never hurt nobody.  And besides... it's organic.