Do you feed your guests organic foods if you yourself eat organic food? - Page 3

[cristeen]

Originally Posted by serenbat 

practical and sustainable does not mean cheap

the sudden new tread of grain free is extremely troubling to me and has no historic bases nor to we have substantial information to understand the long term effects

There is plenty about ag practices in the grain industry that make it non-sustainable. Like mono-cropping.

As for the "evidence"... Man has been around about 2.5 million years. Agriculture has been around about 10 thousand. If grain-free is so unhealthy how on earth did man survive the intervening 2.4 million years? By contrast the current way of eating has been around about 200 yrs (refined sugar/flour, canning, etc.) or less (trans-fats, HFCS). And in that time (the 10K, not the 200), we've seen all sorts of diet related diseases that did not exist prior (from scurvy, beriberi, osteoperosis, rickets to the more modern diabetes, celiac, arthereosclerosis, etc).

What exactly do you think grains bring to the diet that can't be found elsewhere?

I really dont understand the knee-jerk negative reaction so many people have to eating grain-free. Yes, it can be very difficult in our society, but that doesnt make it unhealthy in the slightest. Do you have the same objections to raw vegan? They typically aren't eating grains either. And they don't have nearly the history behind them.

[Magelet]

Haven't read through this fully....

We came up against this just the other day. We're planning a party (which may end up with somewhere between 8-30 people, I know big range, but I haven't gotten back most of the RSVPs), and were trying to do a BBQ themed party. Well, BBQ usually means lots of meat, AND cuts of meat we never buy because they are too expensive pastured. (Steaks and stuff, we buy ground and roasts for stew, and whole chickens, and that's it). We thought about getting organic non-pastured steaks but decided that we would just do pastured but do sliders, so that it was a) ground and thus cheaper), and b) would have less emphasis on meat. I'm guessing with sliders people will eat less meat and more of the delicious sides we will have lots of. (and honestly, if 30 meat eaters come, then we will be doing organic non pastured, because that is just way beyond our range. AND I know most of the people coming wouldn't be serving us pastured meat in return, (or eat it themselves), so in that sense it's not that weird).

And for our wedding, if it came down to it, I have NO problem serving organic but not pastured meat. It's more important to me to be able to share a nice meal, and to serve the best we can afford, but we can barely afford to feed ourselves the quality food we eat, we can't afford to serve it to lots of people. (But if I have a single family or two over for dinner, then I will serve them the same quality we eat. It may or may not have meat, since we don't eat much meat, but I wouldn't get lower quality for a small group)

[Sol_y_Paz]

Guests in our home get what we would personally eat.   

[serenbat]

As for the "evidence"... Man has been around about 2.5 million years. Agriculture has been around about 10 thousand. If grain-free is so unhealthy how on earth did man survive the intervening 2.4 million years? By contrast the current way of eating has been around about 200 yrs (refined sugar/flour, canning, etc.) or less (trans-fats, HFCS). And in that time (the 10K, not the 200), we've seen all sorts of diet related diseases that did not exist prior (from scurvy, beriberi, osteoperosis, rickets to the more modern diabetes, celiac, arthereosclerosis, etc).

What exactly do you think grains bring to the diet that can't be found elsewhere?

Please do provide the evidence- since we only have a period of time of recorded history and we do not have evidence to accuretly know what man died of prior to recorded history, you must know something the rest of us do not.

There is a great difference in man that walked on all fours and up right man and gut development during this time.

To state that the above mentioned diseases did not exist prior to recorded history is purely inaccurate.

This is about organic (and meat in general)- grasses are grains (achenes /poaceae-gramineae ). And there is a distinction between grains and cereal grasses. Unless you know of tests that are testing people for "grass" allergies please do provide this information-a celica does not accurately do so, it does not test for the allergies for over 4000+ species. It is truly false to be grain-free and still eat meat and dairy-you are what the animal eats. Alfalfa is not a grass yet is it called so by many farmers and people eat it thinking they are eating a "grass". Many organic "meats" are also finished off with grains but again grass is a grain.

I prefer to get my macronutrients, mocronutriednts, and phytonutrients from several sources and that included grains and the animals that eat them - I like the serotonins and want them in my diet!  NOTE- I am unable to obtain all from other sources as only few select fruits give enough serotonins.

Since man has been eating grains on a regular bases since recorded history I have yet to see a peer review study showing the long term benefits of not doing so (that means no meat of dairy diet).

I serve what I eat and I also think it is rude to not do so.

Edited by serenbat - 5/2/11 at 6:42am

[laohaire]

That was my point too, I serve what I eat and I have recently stopped eating grains.

I won't argue food with you or anyone, because it's the same as religion. Everyone has their beliefs and experiences. I was pretty surprised at the very sudden and very noticeable benefits I observed when I stopped eating grains. There was a period of adjustment while I figured out what to eat, but that was because I ate a grain-based diet before and had to come up with totally new approaches (not to mention the financial issue). I feel stronger and more stable now than I have in years, and people who have no idea about my changes are noticing how healthy I'm starting to look. It's certainly possible that grains are good for most people but not me, or that only certain grains are bothering me and not others, but I certainly don't feel the slightest bit deprived nutrient- or macronutrient-wise, and thus I'm quite happy not eating grains.

What I really care about is that people are thoughtful and mindful about their food choices, and I would be most happy if the world thought more like you, serenbat. I'm not inclined to argue but support my sister in her mindfulness. I care a lot about food ethics, sustainability and health. I've come to choose slightly different things, but it's all cool.

[Alyantavid]

Originally Posted by Sol_y_Paz 

Guests in our home get what we would personally eat.   

Same here. 

[JudiAU]

Our preschool is the same. Organic foods are requested for parent-provided snack and there is a long list of "food" that can be brought for snack or for the children's lunches, if they eat lunch at school.

[ammiga]

If we won't eat it, we won't serve it. We eat a mostly organic whole foods diet. If we have company we usually serve less expensive meals (hamburgers, whole grain pasta, egg bake, whatever), but still within what we will eat. I also have no problem asking people to bring a dish.