Organic or non-organic?

[gothnurse3]

Ok, things have changed up a bit. Finances have shifted a bit south for my liking so I need to make adjustments. I am trying to not have to pick up any shifts at all( I have been a nurse for 17 years...but a SAHM since Aug. 2009). The "new" expense is another one of our children has been diagnosed with asthma( long term) and pneumonia( short term). The drugs are unbelievably expensive. We already have no cable, dial up internet, no debt, blah,blah, blah.

We all know that food is one expense that can be shifted. I have tried hard to do mainly organic. So, I did some research...got the dirty dozen and the clean 15 lists. But, what about all the other stuff? I know that HFCS is the devil. We don't eat tons of prepackaged stuff. ( What am I talking about?) Dry Cereal( this is mainly for the ride to 7 AM mass on Sundays), flour, sugar, spices, milk, cheese, ketchup, eggs, lunch meat, bacon, breakfast sausage, meat, peanut butter, bread, salad dressings, oatmeal, grits, beans, pasta, canned tomato products.

I plan on having a garden this year to can my own tomato products. I already can veggies and make my own jams. Bread has been hit or miss for me. I have been going to the day old bread store and trying to buy the healthiest possible prepackaged. My children have been so sick that I cannot even think of getting chickens like I wanted to.

You ladies are amazing. I am exhausted, scared to return to work when my family needs me home, and need some outside advise. I'm all ears....please help.

[mnnice]

My crew eats everything on your list but grits.

I buy organic for all milk, all butter, most cheese.

We buy grassfeed lamb, beef, and organic chicken from a friend. They aren't cheap, but the beef is a good value even when compared to retail cuts of supermarket beef (and way tastier). For bacon and sausage we get pork from a local locker. It's most certainly not organic, but its local and definitely not a nasty CAFO situation. It's a fabulous value for just $1.29 per lbs cut, wrapped, and the hams and bacons smoked. I mostly try not to buy lunchmeat because the organic is hard to find here and very expensive. We eat peanut butter, hummus, egg salad, ltuna salad, leftover roast, and lately DH's homemade summer sausage.

We buy conventional eggs from a friend (who has 7 chickens as her kids 4-H project) so not exactly battery chickens they taste better than the organic eggs that are three times the price.

I always get organic peanut butter. Mostly, because I know nothing about the peanut raising process and I think it tastes better.

I make most of our bread with organic ww flour, but use unbleached conventional for gravy, cookies, etc. Unless I find a crazy good deal I don't bother with organic sugar, pasta, beans, or cereal. I often buy organic spices or go to Penzey's because I like high quality spices. Catsup just sort of depends, you do just about have to buy organic if you don't want HFCS. Salad dressing just depends to. I usually make vingrettes from scratch, but I also have some Ken's that I got on a super sale for ranch for the kids. It's not organic, but it doesn't have MSG in it like some other brands.

Glen Muir has the best coupons and we raise tomatos too so I rarely spend much money on tomatos or spagetti sauce and end up with an organic product.

Anyway if it comes from a grain source I don't get to hung up on organic. If it comes from an animal I make organic and/or local a priority and have had good luck with local sources.

[Theia]

Here is a link that lists the "Dirty Dozen" that are best to always buy organic, along with other foods that are less likely to have pesticide residues.

As far as grains go..... for me I prefer organic because then it's also generally not a GMO or GE grain.

[mnnice]

Originally Posted by Theia

Here is a link that lists the "Dirty Dozen" that are best to always buy organic, along with other foods that are less likely to have pesticide residues.

As far as grains go..... for me I prefer organic because then it's also generally not a GMO or GE grain.

Monsanto holds the patent on GE wheat, but they haven't marketed at this point so I think wheat is pretty safe. Corn or soybeans on the other hand are mostly being grown GE and additional they are both have the sprayed with high concentrations of Round-up.

[Theia]

Originally Posted by mnnice

Monsanto holds the patent on GE wheat, but they haven't marketed at this point so I think wheat is pretty safe. Corn or soybeans on the other hand are mostly being grown GE and additional they are both have the sprayed with high concentrations of Round-up.

That's a good point on the wheat. Soy is also another that is really GMO'd.

I still generally don't trust the wheat though.... just knowing about it, I wouldn't be surprised to see something happen like it did with StarLink Corn.... just end up on the shelves some how.

ETA - Ha! You edited before I could post your unedited version.

[nataliachick7]

We cant afford a lot of organics either but there are certain things i wont budge on. I buy organic milk, eggs. i buy the "natural" pb with no hydrogenated oils. its not organic but as long as it doesnt have hygrogenated oils its fine imo. I buy natures pride or arnold brand bread-they have no HFCS. I do buy organic ketchup because it doesnt have HFCS. Occasionally, i buy organic apples, strawberries, bluberries, potatoes, peppers. There is no way we could afford organic meat. Oh and soy....i try to stay away but if i do buy it in some form its always organic.

[MommyDOK]

wow,great thread. We have had to cut out most of our organic as well. Thanks for the other tips.

OP, I'm impressed w/ how much you do yourself! That is a lot.

I've heard that most corn is gmo now anyways bc the wind blows the seeds and the gmo dominate. I don't know if it is true or not, but I have heard that.

We just switched to canned wild alaskan salmon over frozen from TJ's.
We did find a natural farmer and bought a half a cow this year. It has lasted us a looooonnnng time, which is good. It was a juggling trick to get it here, but worth it once we got it.

Oh, also, I just read a study on the vitamindcouncil.org website about vit d lowering asthma rates. Maybe worth a look if you haven't already tested vit d levels and supplemented if necessary.

[gothnurse3]

Well, now all 3 of my children have asthma. Thank the Good Lord that I am an RN that is now a SAHM. Wow. I am stumped. I will definitely check out that site. Thanks for suggesting it. Anything is worth a shot at this point.

[lucyem]

I also avoid cans
http://organicgrace.com/node/316

[EmsMom]

Sometimes I feel as if I need to buy organic just to avoid dyes and additives, as well as excessive salt and sugar. So my list of what I buy organic would include those types of items as well as dairy and eggs and meat (but my kids don't eat meat). I have a Trader Joe's near me, though, so I can buy many things that are non-organic but at least have no chemicals or hormones in the dairy or GMO ingredients in them (like breakfast cereal and bread - the list of crap in most commercial bread is really scary). I used to make a once a month trip to TJ and stock up on everything we needed and freeze the breads. I live and work closer now so I go more often, but it was definitely worth the once a month trip. It is really, really hard to shop for decent non-organic food in the supermarket. There is really bad stuff in everything. I have been incredibly shocked by the ingredients lists on snacks that are brought into work. All the companies are really trying so hard to make things look "healthy" but mostly they are just taking out the trans fats and putting in even more chemicals. I get truly frightened for the people at work who are eating this stuff every day.... good luck in your struggle to find decent products without the organic price tag. It is possible -- but not easy.