Hey, Natural Mommies: Why ARE organic foods better???

[AutumnWind]

A stupid question to most of you, I'm sure. Let me explain.

My dh is asking me why we have to by all of this 'organic stuff' for my 12 month old ds. We didn't eat organic foods before, so he's wanting to know what's so much better about organic stuff than the other (read: CHEAPER) stuff we've always bought before. My dh is a sort of analytical, scientific, research-oriented type. He's an engineer. And he's....how shall I say.....
"thrifty". Yes, that's the word. :

I told him it's more wholesome, and it makes me feel better to feed my ds really natural, wholesome foods, it's better for the environment - that sort of thing. But these are qualitative statements.

I saw a consumer reports study on the news yesterday about how a recent study by them showed that organic produce has considerably fewer pesticides & chemicals on it. But that's all they said. We don't really argue about the produce - I get those from farmer's markets. The things that I buy from the organic section of the grocery store tend to be yogurts, cookies, oat flour grahm crackers, that sort of thing.

Can anyone help me with reasons why to buy organic yogurts, and things made with organic flour and that sort of thing?

[Arduinna]

It's the exact same reason we buy organic fruits and vegies. Packaged foods also have pesticide residue and childrens bodies are smaller and have a lower toxicity level than adults do.

[Seawen]

I buy organic because I'm terrified of Genetically modified ingredients- both what we might find out they do to our health and what they are doing to the environment. Organic is the only way to not get them.

Does it make sense that corn would have a pesticide gene in it? I don't want to eat Roundup!

Maybe that will help him?

[beanma]

well, you could point him to a couple of websites. i happened across this one today, http://www.chemicalbodyburden.org/ which is about all the synthetic chemicals we all carry around in our bodies. the folks that do that site were inspired by bill moyers report, "trade secrets" which aired on PBS a while ago. it was about the stuff that goes on behind closed doors in the chemical industry and its effect on us. you can check i t out at http://www.pbs.org/tradesecrets/ . babies and kids are much more vulnerable to pesticides and other chemicals than adults are. buying organic foods is one of the few things you can do to avoid all the chemical sludge that surrounds us. those sites are pretty scary. especially the bill moyers one, but it's fascinating, too. it may be even more important to buy foods like yogurt and cheese and meat that are organic because many chemicals build up in the fat, so tell him that's why you buy organic yogurt and graham crackers. if you're interested in the movement to label foods containing genetically modified ingredients you might check out http://www.truefoodnow.com , greenpeace's anti-gmo site. i think it's something like 60% of soy grown in the US is genetically modified. soybean oil is used in so many packaged foods, too. it's scary stuff. canola is almost as bad if not worse.

well, i think you're doing a great service to your little one to buy him as much organic food as you can. remember, too, that we here in the US spend far less of our income on food than almost any other nationality. you get what you pay for!

HTH,

-beanma.

[AdinaL]

You could also find a report (no idea where you can find this) on the kind of antibiotics and hormones they give the cows that produce the milk. That is kind of icky - or what they feed the cows - that can sometimes be icky. I buy all Horizon stuff and it isn't that much more expensive.

[dfoy]

Here's some links related to antibiotics and hormones in dairy & meat:

http://www.kidseatgreat.com/hameats.html

http://www.crescentridge.com/growth.html

http://www.argonet.co.uk/users/john.rose/rbgh.html

[LEmama]

ks96 ~ *Another* reason (other than the pesticide issue) I buy organic bread, crackers, cereal, yogurt is because they usually contain more natural, wholesome ingredients. I don't need partially-hydrogenated soy bean oil in my graham crackers or high fructose corn syrup in my yogurt! Organic foods more often contain whole grains, less refined sweetners and chemicals. I am also concerned about GMO's and avoid them whenever possible.

[steph]

and in addition to being healthier, it also is better for the planet! no groundwater contamination, or contaminated stream run-off into rivers, no airborn poisons from crop dusters, and the soil isn't rendered lifeless, but is improved by practices such as crop rotation and cover crops. Plus there's the human side to the story. thousands of immigrants work for less than minimum wage and are victims of the worse working conditions in the u.s. they are exposed to toxic pesticides, herbicides and fumigants that render many ill at best. as a result migrant farmworkers have some of the highest rates of cancer as well higher miscarriage rates and children born with deformities and diseases like leukemia.

[valeria_vi]

Originally posted by steph
as a result migrant farmworkers have some of the highest rates of cancer as well higher miscarriage rates and children born with deformities and diseases like leukemia.

steph, that is interesting. do you have hard data on this one?

[steph]

not at my fingertips, but if you give me some time i can probably find the references... i know the stats re: babies was from a radio broadcast that i didn't tape. i may find it referenced w/the other info.