organic/ whole foods?

[sweetsouthern]

are there any great threads out there that have info about switching over to only eating organic and whole foods??

 

they just opened a whole foods market about 20 minutes from me and i love it! but its costly and a bit of a drive... so im trying to figure out the basics to be able to sometimes shop in a regular food store or eat out :) thanks!

[springmama]

For us, it's not an all or nothing thing. Also, it depends on what you are trying to avoid. I try to avoid hormones, pesticides, high fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated oils. It's simple enough to just read labels and avoid things with ingredients I don't want for my family.

 

With that said, we occasionally buy foods that do have these things in them but IMO it's okay because we aren't having them daily.

 

Eating whole foods is easy. Just buy things that are fresh and not processed, like whole cuts of meat, poultry and fish, fresh produce, whole grains, etc.

 

FWIW, you don't need a Whole Foods to eat healthy. Just read the labels before putting something into your shopping cart. Most foods have an organic alternative anyway. For instance, I used to buy Cheerios for my baby, but then i realized they have bht, so i just looked at a few labels and found another brand of o cereal that doesn't have it.

[Ria]

Kathy is right...no need to shop at an overpriced store or only buy organic. Know what is in the food. Also, do some reading about what counts as organic in this country...it might give you pause.

 

Ria

[SonshineLearner]

I try to buy organic for oils, roots vegetables, raw milk, ( I can't afford organic butter, but I'd like to...) farm fresh eggs, and I'm going to try to buy meat organic if possible....

Also, for syrup to dip things in, I just bought dark agave syrup. He's very picky, but went for it.

Carrie:-)

[Laurel]

I don't know what stores you have nearby, but you don't need to travel to Whole Foods to eat organic or, well, whole foods. (Not that I am advocating shopping at Wal-mart, but even Wal-mart carries quite a lot of "organic" foods these days. Target has an even better selection.)

 

Organic foods have become so popular lately that large companies have seen a way to make lots of money and have pushed for regulations to be less strict. I do try to buy mostly organic, but more importantly, I try to buy local, where I know my farmer, and know his farming practices.

 

Organics and whole food eating are two separate things. For almost every junk food there is out there, there seems to be an "organic" equivalent. Instead of looking for the organic label, I would focus on cooking from scratch as much as possible. And cooking in season, which will also help cut down on the cost.

 

And I agree that it's not an all or nothing thing. We eat really well around here. 95% of our meals are from scratch, and almost all of our veggies and fruits and meats and dairy products are local (veggies and fruits are frozen, canned, or root cellar right now, so this does take some planning). But, we still go out to eat every once in a while, or enjoy a takeout pizza. And if we are in the mood for a treat, that's okay. I think food should be enjoyed. A lot.

 

Oh, one more thing: Baby steps. Don't try to completely overhaul your eating. You will get tired if you try to much at once, and your family will likely rebel. Choose one or two things to change, and then a week or two later, try something else. (If you haven't already, the very first thing I would do is cut out anything that contains high fructose corn syrup. And then maybe start adding in more fresh fruits and veggies, or start cooking with brown rice instead of white rice, and whole wheat flour - even white whole wheat - instead of ap flour.)

Edited February 2, 2009 by Laurel

[sweetsouthern]

great ideas!! thanks!! :D i must check out target... i mainly have a winn dixie which doenst have much of anything organic wise and a walmart, which is weird that it doenst have very muhc either. publix does, but its as far from me as the whole foods store :)

 

 

2 questions... and these may be dumb, but i really dont know... what is bht and why is it bad? and high fructose cornsyrup... i know to try to avoid it, but why? :D

 

and how do u learn what not to be on a label? like bht... i would have had no clue.... as compared to dyes i know..

[Jumping In Puddles]

Start by reading The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan.

 

He has some very interesting information on organics and how organic food is produced and marketed.

 

Shorter and lighter reading would be In Defense of Food - An Eater's Manifesto which is also excellent.

 

I would say don't purchase the over priced meats and poultry at WholepaycheckFoods but do check out their dairy section for grass fed cow yogurts and butter and their chocolates and whole grains.

 

If you have a Trader Joe's around, their packaged food is also natural (though not always organic) and they have better prices.

Edited February 2, 2009 by Jumping In Puddles

[Mommyof4ks]

I agree don't just buy organic because it says organic. There are many processed organic foods that are higher in sugar (organic sugar but sugar none the less) and lower in nutrients than healthy non-organic alternatives. Juices are the thing that stands out to me right now, we choose a non-organic juice because it is 100% juice as opposed to the two organic juices available here that are 10% juice and have sugar as the second ingredient (water is first).

 

As far as whole foods, we only buy organic alternatives to fruits and veggies that cannot be peeled or that are routinely sprayed. Bananas for example we do not buy organic, because they are peeled.

 

We also usually buy natural meat, because it is cheaper than organic and still does not contain antibiotics, hormones and are grass fed.

 

Our local HEB has the best variety of natural and organic foods at reasonable prices, and Target is good too. Our Wal-Mart does not have much, but I have heard some do.