GMOs

MoFree

Does anyone else worry about the food your LOs will be eating? I will not knowingly buy anything that contains GMOs but the big food industry in the US refuses to put that information of the label.  I don't know if it's different in Canada or other countries.

i recently learned that any foods with either the Trader Joe's or the Whole Foods 365 brand are free of GMOs.

i don't buy exclusively organic but am heading in that direction.  Small growing bodies are much more vulnerable to food additives and chemicals than adults are and it is really important that we serve and eat healthy food. 

I realize that organic locally grown food is more expensive than national brands sold in bulk at Walmart, but that is a priority for me?  Anyone else? 

ashleigha894

I don't worry about it. I worry more about my son living in too sterile of an environment and not having immunity to anything.

And as a member of the agriculture community I find it hard to understand what to define as GMO. Look up Luther Burbank, he used cross pollination to create new species of plants (a spineless cactus for feeding cattle in the desert, the Shasta daisy, and Burbank Russet potatoes are just a few of the hundreds of new species he developed). But because they didn't know about DNA back then it doesn't need to be labeled?

rainedrops117

We started going organic over 3 yrs ago. The costs weren't as big of a difference as i thought but still well worth it. We have awesome farmers markets locally where we shop. I plan on making all of Koa's first foods myself. You aren't alone! I refuse to give him pesticide n GMO type laced foods if I can help it. I'm sure he'll get enough exposure to other harsh chemicals in our environment. So I'll do my part to try and curtail some of that. Altho I wont be running around after him with a bottle if antibacterial gel. As a matter of fact we try and avoid the antibacterials so we can still build our immunity.

JAO2011

This is definitely a priority in our household too. I use the Dirty Dozen list app on my phone and try to at least buy organic produce from the dirty list. We also try to avoid processed foods. Our grocery bill is higher but I feel the health benefits out weigh the cost. LO will probably get soley organic food. I think it's terrible what the food industry is loading our food with, makes me sick.

MoFree

ashleigha894:

I don't worry about it. I worry more about my son living in too sterile of an environment and not having immunity to anything.

. I'm with you on that.  The "Hygiene Hypothesis" is one theory of why so many children now have life threatening allergies that were a part of everyone's diet when we were kids.  Oversanitizing their world does not allow a child to develop normal immunities,  My daughter is a preemie so we have to be more vigilant than with a full term baby, but I refuse to allow toxic chemical sanitizers into my house. 

lady_tytah

I'll be making Amir's first foods the same as I did Nefertiti's. As for overly pesticide ridden foods, I will try to curb them. I already don't but allot of process foods so that's not a worry. I don't over sterilize my kids worlds our makes no sense to do so. But watching what hormones they eat that can speed up my daughter development I have issues with.,

MommyMelRN

MoFree:

ashleigha894:

I don't worry about it. I worry more about my son living in too sterile of an environment and not having immunity to anything.

. I'm with you on that.  The "Hygiene Hypothesis" is one theory of why so many children now have life threatening allergies that were a part of everyone's diet when we were kids.  Oversanitizing their world does not allow a child to develop normal immunities,  My daughter is a preemie so we have to be more vigilant than with a full term baby, but I refuse to allow toxic chemical sanitizes into my house. 

Yep, both of these things.  We avoid GMO's and eat mostly organic since I found out I was pregnant.  We no longer use antibacterial soap.  DH uses hand sanitizer once a day when he comes home from work, and we use sanitizer only when we can't get to wash our hands (like after a diaper change in the car.). I use the goodguide app to help me buy natural, non toxic cleaners.

 

sdlaura

Yes, we live in CA where we are voting on a proposition to require labeling of GMOs next month.  The proposition isn't perfect but I think it's a step in the right direction.

i stopped buying organic shredded cheese because all shredded cheeses have wood pulp in them to keep the cheese from sticking together.  I realize it's probably harmless, but it drives me nuts that food makers (even organic ones) don't have to disclose that it's in the product.

Because it was mentioned in a previous post, I think bacteria is good.  We don't use antibacterial anything.  I buy organic because I don't want exposure to pesticides and chemicals, and don't want to support more of them in the environment through farming. 

valeriej6

JAO2011:

This is definitely a priority in our household too. I use the Dirty Dozen list app on my phone and try to at least buy organic produce from the dirty list. We also try to avoid processed foods. Our grocery bill is higher but I feel the health benefits out weigh the cost. LO will probably get soley organic food. I think it's terrible what the food industry is loading our food with, makes me sick.

This. I try to buy as much organic as possible. But I do feel you can't shield kids from everything. I had a coworker who's ex insisted their child eat ONLY organic. She would eat McD's and bring the kid an organic meal...so weird. That's a little too extreme for me.  

klp28

We try to eat organic, locally grown produce whenever possible and grass fed, hormone free meat. However, just adding a toddler to our household has really increased our grocery budget. Somehow our 27 lb daughter is eating us out of house and home!

mamahawk12

JAO2011:

This is definitely a priority in our household too. I use the Dirty Dozen list app on my phone and try to at least buy organic produce from the dirty list. We also try to avoid processed foods. Our grocery bill is higher but I feel the health benefits out weigh the cost. LO will probably get soley organic food. I think it's terrible what the food industry is loading our food with, makes me sick.

This is me too. I buy mostly organic produce and very minimal processed foods. My step mom is a nutritionist and her best grocery shopping advice is to only shop the perimeter of the store. In most grocery stores that's produce, butcher, seafood, dairy, and frozen produce and meat. When you get into the inner aisles that's where you start to find all the processed crap.

I also try to educate myself on what needs to be organic and what can be conventional. People forget that grocery stores are a billion dollar industry and they are always latching onto the next food gimmick to make a buck.

bigbootyjudi

SO has wanted to make our own baby food since he found out I was pregnant, so that's what we'll be doing. It's healthier anyways.

jessalynn521

anbeck4:

SO has wanted to make our own baby food since he found out I was pregnant, so that's what we'll be doing. It's healthier anyways.

We are going to be trying this as well. However, I don't buy organic. My son will get the same types of foods we eat in our house. I actually priced out the difference in organic, and it came close to a 30% difference in what our grocery bill would be. I am a SAHM and we make it with some savings every month, but I would rather put those savings toward a down payment on a home than organic food. JMO though 

SpruceGrouse

I'm more worried about refined sugar in everything.

 

MoFree

SpruceGrouse:

I'm more worried about refined sugar in everything.

 

. It all goes together.  I try to avoid processed foods as much as possible.