Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Here's what I answer when someone asks me why

I've been a part of several conversations where the question "Yeah, but is organic food really worth it?" has inevitably popped up.  I've heard people respond negatively--"It doesn't; it just makes people feel better."  To some extent, yeah, I think I agree with that mentality.  But here's some organic food for thought, free of pesticides, growth hormones, and GMOs (genetically modified organisms). 

I fully agree with this article, which reiterates my point that I've made before on here that it's not as much about me as it is about my girls.  Right now, Audrey is crawling up a little chubby-legged storm, and crayons that are scattered throughout the house are a favorite target.  To me, allowing or even encouraging her to eat crayons, which admittedly aren't toxic and won't make her sick in small quantities is the same thing as purposefully giving her potatoes that are like sponges and soak up all of the pesticides that proliferate the soil in which they are grown.  (And for what it's worth, organic potatoes are one of those that I feel more than justifies the cost.  I bought a 5-pound bag of potatoes the last time I went to the store for $2.50.  Check the price of "regular" potatoes.  Similar?  Yep.)  And there is a lot of inconclusive, but increasingly convincing, information circulating about the probably link between artificial growth hormones and increasingly early puberty, especially among girls.  This stuff doesn't just start when kids are 10 or 11 years old, I'm convinced. 

Organic food doesn't have to be more nutritionally dense for it to be noticeably impactful in a person's well-being.  And if nothing else, purchasing organic foods also supports Earth-healthy growing practices.  That also seems like a pretty big plus for me cause while I love girls to the ubiquitous moon and back, I also love my Earth.  I think it's a pretty good place for my girls to live, matter of fact.

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