What do you guys think about organic food.. I started with fruits and vegetables and I can feel the difference. is so expensive though, but I think is worth it.. I read so much about the chemicals that were on fruits and veggies and got so scared.

I also have a farmer's market close to my house once a week and looooove the fruits and vegetables there and they are cheaper than organic...

Just wanted to share my thoughts on this and see other opinions....

prdiva4 

I'm really a fanatic about organic dairy products--although I don't drink milk, my kids say they really can tell the difference in the taste.

Since I come from a big agribusiness area (but I don't live there anymore!), I keep my organic leanings to myself amongst my family members! LOL!

I love Whole Foods and Wild Oats, luckily they are both nearby.  I have a large family, so it does cost a little more, but generally you eat less because there is actual flavor in the food!

Farmer's markets are not necessarily as good as organic. For one thing, unless they tell you they are, then the produce is just like any other produce. It's just that it is fresher, hopefully. But still sprayed with same chemicals.

I, too, am a BIG fan of organic milk. It's all I buy. I am not a big milk drinker. I always thought it tasted like dirt. Weird taste to it. Then I bought my first organic milk many years ago. WHAT A DIFFERENCE!  It tastes right, no weird taste. Just milk.

Related to this...I also use environ-friendly cleaning products, professional level, from The Clean Team. These products actually work. Red Juice is a must-have and it's what I use to clean veggies with. It is amazing. Here is the company's answer to if it is safe to use this way:

Q:Is it safe to use Red Juice to clean vegetables?

 "Yes, it's safe. Red Juice has an A-1 Rating from the USDA for use around food. Use 2 oz. of Red Juice Concentrate per gallon of water. Soak for two or three minutes, and then rinse. For apples and cucumbers that are waxed, soak a little longer before rinsing.

NOTE: Red Juice kills mold spores, therefore, your fruit will last three times as long."

I'd just mix up the stuff in the proportion they say and put some of it in a spray bottle so it's right there, ready to use.

Can't say enough about the company and their products. None of the nasty fumes of other stuff yet they work better.

Could talk all day about food and cooking. I'm a big believer in real food. The people who make fun of Organic food usually don't know a thing about it and are probably on the couch eating processed foods.

I've always been a doubting Thomas concerning organic food.  But I have an autoimmune disease and the medications I take to control it have caused more problems than they have solved.  I think I'm going to make the switch and see if it helps.  Does anyone know of an organic food co-op in the DC area?

Jen

That's a good idea, freezing the yogurt squeezers.

If you can find chocolate covered soy nuts where you are, get them. They are addicting.

Oh I am so excited! Thanks for all of your suggestions! I am new at this and appreciated all the info I can get. I just went today and got some skim milk and some other things. But I do feel kind of lost at the store sometimes because I don't know if there is a different between brands and which ones are the best.

I also bought dried fruit and it was so delicious! I am pregnant and sometimes crave sweets so is a good alternative instead of candy. Is so different compare with the other dried fruits in others stores. My husband don't like much dried pineapple and I was surprise he couldn't stop eating it today, he notice the difference. I had to hide the bag from him  ;D

I am interested in all you guys are saying- I agree that what we put in our bodies effects us, good or bad, so we should try to make sure that what we put in has some sort of value nutritionally, and hopefully that it doesn't have something on it or in it that is harmful- you know, I think so many people have unexplainable allergies (which is an immune function) because of what we eat, and what's in our food-

I did hear, as I see one of you wrote, that things w/ thick skins aren't susceptible to absorbing chemicals, like bananas, etc, so that is good that I'm not the only one who has heard that- but other than that, many certified organic foods have more nutrients in them.

Really, if we just try to eat food, food that is identifiable and not in a powder form in a box, we would be healthier.

and you're prob. on to something with the foot size thing- there has got to be a reason why we are turning into giants!

several years ago, I just all of the sudden couldn't eat chicken. I think it was because whatever chicken I was regularly buying to cook for dinner (I was in college at this time) had something in it- hormones, or whatever- but it is like my body wouldn't let me eat it. I couldn't take a bite of chicken or I would throw up, and this went on for about two years- strange? I never became ill from chicken, it was literally an all of the sudden thing-
reminded me of it when one of you said your toddler suddenly would drink milk when you switched to organic-

I should start buying more organic as well-

Your right I have been eating alot of organic food for about 10 years now. Cheaper now that I have a huge garden. I picked about 30 pounds of beets today. ;D