Dear Alison
Organic me this, organic me that. Why is using natural methods so expensive? Going green on everything is really hitting my family budget.
Kristin K. Salem, OR
First of all, let me say that I found the way you phrased this question thoroughly enjoyable!! This is a great question which seems quick and easy to answer at first glance but in truth is anything but.
You have hit upon a question that a lot of us ask ourselves and that is “Are we being taken advantage of?” and the answer is a resounding “YES.” How exactly have we been talked into the idea that we pay more, get less and we are extra special happy about it, patting ourselves on the back for making a “healthy choice?” On the outside it looks pretty silly.
Does “Organic” equal “Healthy?”
The word “organic” is NOT interchangeable with “healthy.” Many shoppers see the word “organic” and think, “Oh good, it’s healthy, throw it in the cart.” Unfortunately this is not the case. The market is relying on people to be UN-informed. They are hoping that the public will decide that organic is the way to go and won’t look into what it really means. The idea that if the label says “organic” then it’s automagically healthy is a misconception.
The consumer first has to decide if what they are buying is a healthy choice. Is chocolate milk a healthy choice? No, technically it is a treat that ounce for ounce, contains almost as much sugar as a can of pop. So does it really matter if it’s organic or not? Maybe so. If you care that the milk does not contain the growth hormone RBST and that the cow was fed an all organic, vegetarian diet and that the milk is not sweetened with high fructose corn syrup. Then, yes, organic is a better choice for you. One could argue that RBST hormone free milk and a little Ovaltine would be an even better, lower sugar choice that would also fit into a budget with more ease.
Are chips a healthy choice? Honestly, even if you are buying “veggie chips” there’s probably not a whole lot of food value in the bag. That being said if you’re serving chips and salsa then you gotta have the chips, right? So, yes, the organic chips that are at least made with non-GMO corn and fried in oil that is not hydrogenated are a better choice. Healthy? No. But better, yes.
The History of “Organic”
A bit of history on the meaning of “organic.” Organic was a movement that started back in the 60’s. It was then that a certain group of people (better known as “Hippies”) noticed that the production of food had moved from small family farms to huge corporations. And to make a very long story short, they decided to start those small family farms up again, that supported using few, if any pesticides and herbicides, that kept the earth healthy and strong and they aptly called it “Organic.”
About 10 years ago the government decided that some standards needed to be set around the “organic” label. Unfortunately, with the institution of these rules came some standards which were less than what the original organic movement had in mind. Organic was a way of farming, a way of life, that because of demand had become industrialized. The small family farm that we all dream of our fruits and vegetables growing on is nothing but a picture on a label.
Is Organic Better?
Where I am going with all of this is that, yes, organic can be better but one really has to pick and choose. If I have to choose between organic lettuce that has been grown in California, and lettuce that has been grown on a farm near me, I almost always choose local.
If it’s an item like a chocolate chip cookie, is it better to pay $5 for a box of organic chocolate chip cookies or make them yourself with non-organic ingredients? I’d vote in favor of making them yourself. Whether or not you chose to use organic white flour versus regular unbleached white flour in those cookies might be another question. Both are white flour that has been stripped of everything that is really good for you, the endosperm, the bran, the germ are all gone so does it matter if the ultra-processed wheat berry is organic or not?
I would argue that it does. It matters that the farmer that grew that wheat berry wasn’t spraying pesticides on the plant and using fertilizer that contained all sorts of chemicals that are a challenge to even pronounce. It matters that the soil in which the wheat berry grew was healthy and full of minerals and nutrients that would then be passed on to you.
The Meat of the Matter..Literally!”
Let’s move on to meat. In Michael Pollan’s “Omnivore’s Dilemma” Mr. Pollan actually went to meet “Rosie , the organic free range chicken.” Well come to find out that Rosie (yep, the one that we look at and wish we could afford) was just another one of the tens of thousands of white chickens sitting in a football sized warehouse with a beautifully maintained patch of grass outside that it’s feet would never touch. Chickens are typically slaughtered at 7 weeks of age. Since they aren’t allowed to go outside until they are 5 weeks old, that leaves exactly two weeks in which the door at the end of the warehouse is open and the 20,000 chickens have the “option” to go outside. An option, that the chickens apparently never choose to explore.
So why are we paying double for Rosie? Is it the picture on the Rosie label of a lovely hen with a barn and farm in the background? Is it for the organic feed that contains no GMO corn or residues of atrazine (an herbicide that is commonly sprayed on American cornfields and in astonishingly small amounts turns a normal male frog into a hermaphrodite)? Or is it simply for the “idea” of supporting a small family farm?
Educate Yourself!
It’s a question that every person has to answer for themselves. And it is truly why I started up Health Nut Nation. It takes a lot of time, research and thought to sort through it all and, hopefully, make some sense of it. My goal is to sort through the majority of the information out there and condense it for you, the reader so that you can make your own educated decision.
However, if this has started you on a roller coaster ride that you’re not ready to get off then I encourage you to read Michael Pollan’s “The Omnivore’s Dilemma.” It rocked my world and I believe that if every American read this book, the way we as a country view food and the way we allow our food to be grown and produced would radically change.
Since you probably received WAY more of an answer than you ever hoped let me say this in ending. Organic or not, buying locally, from small family farms is the very best way to go. Whether it’s from your neighbor that has chickens and sells eggs, your local farmer’s market, or a CSA (Consumer Supported Agriculture), supporting small family farms near you is going to be the best for your wallet, your health, and your world.
Your partner in health,
Alison
Comments
Hey Alison,
I can’t wait to talk to you more about this, yippee! I’m SO EXCITED! :)
said Kindra Shenoy, 78 days ago