What organic products do you buy and why?

lilone_06 · September 2010

I buy pretty much zero at this point, because I don't know enough yet to justify the cost! But I am interested an learning, and Google provides so much information it's hard to narrow down what's legit and what's not. So I'm looking to you guys as my starting point.

Thanks for your input!

axr8111 · September 2010

Very little. I've tried to research and I'm just not convinced that it has much effect. Oh except milk. I guess I do think about the growth hormones in milk and since I watched what I ate when I was nursing, I like the cows that I drink milk from to also watch what they eat. Of course, I only buy organic milk when it's convenient and cost effect which means when I have time to go to the local fruit stand that sells it cheap.

EnglishMajor03 · September 2010

Most of my fruits and veggies are organic (canned and fresh). The exceptions are bananas, watermelon, others that have thick skins that you peel away. The environmental working group has a list available of items that should be bought organically and ones that you don't have to worry too much about.

I also buy dry beans, which ensure that there's no added salt or preservatives.

And I try to make as much as I can from scratch, including hamburger buns, pizza dough, etc. It's less expensive and, again, saves on preservatives and other unnecessary chemicals.

Our next "step" in organic living is to start buying dairy but it's incredibly expensive ($6/gallon of milk). I think I might start for the girls because the hormones given to cows is causing concern in terms of early onset of puberty, etc.

HTH!

JaxBride1104 · September 2010

I buy organic berries, spinach, peaches, apples, applesauce, juice boxes and milk. There's a list called the "dirty dozen" or something to that effect that I generally follow. I thought I had the website bookmarked, but now I can't find it...sorry! I'd like to buy organic meat, but it's expensive and not generally sold in the stores I shop at.

twh2006 · September 2010

I also pay attention to the dirty dozen. We don't do dairy and I try to buy local no abt/hormone meat and eggs.

DevonPow · September 2010

Milk and meat we always buy organic. Always.

Generally I buy most of our produce organic, but I am not as strict with it as I am with milk and meat. I tend to follow the "dirty dozen" guidelines for produce.

Mrs.Hizzo · September 2010

I've gone from buying no organic four years ago to buying about 75% of our food organic today. At first I was really overwhelmed by the information out there, and, like you, I didn't know what was worth it and what wasn't. Now I buy all of our thinner-skinned produce organic , but like pp said, I don't worry about melon, oranges, onions, corn on the cob, etc. All of our meat except for beef is organic. Our milk is not organic, but it's hormone-free and local. Eggs are organic. I also buy organic grain products like bread and cereal.

JDCSKF · September 2010

I buy organic milk "Organic Valley" more for their farming practices then the hormones. We don't drink that much milk now, so I can justify the cost. When DD was on whole milk and we went though 3 gallons a week, there was no way I could buy organic. I buy organic fruit from the store, but non organic at the farmers market. I would rather buy local and most of the farmers will tell you if they are pesticide free (but not certified organic) or use other farming practices. I love my cage free eggs from a local producer, if I don't get them from the guy down the road who sells his extra eggs.

I stay away from HFCS as much as possible and I am more concerned about buying local then organic.

gumiberg · September 2010

milk, eggs, meat, applesauce. and sometimes cheese (although i always go for the hormone-free cheeses - same w/ yogurt)

and then most of our processed foods are "organic"...like our cereal bars and our toasty oats. this way they dont contain HFCS.

im not so strict on fruits/veggies. if its seasonal, i'll go organic (for example we are organic grapes right now) but otherwise its too expensive. once i ended up w/ a $5 organic sweet potato!

gumiberg · September 2010

and i will also add that its a shame its so hard to go organic. for example, my local grocery store only carries horizon and shamrock as far as organic milk is concerned. these are horrible options! and trader joes and costco are not much better...

for me to get good organic milk, i either have to go to our farmers market for organic valley, or whole foods for their 365 brand.

HarrietNJMommy · September 2010

We do a lot of organic and/or local. It's worth the money to us. We've done enough research and we feel this is best for our family. It is a shame it's so expensive to go organic though.

claverinski · September 2010

Milk, we'll only drink organic or soy. We buy free range chicken and cows (grass fed) from a local farm. I buy most of my veggies and fruit from the local farmer's market.

Personally I think the way most farms raise cows and chicken for food is disgusting. I know the animals are going to die in the end, but it still bothers me. Organic is just down right better for you and the extra cost is worth it.

spiritenergy · September 2010

Almost everything. We focus on local first then organic. There are ways to do it cheaper. I have a blog post on eating healthy, local, and organic on a budget. It is still more expensive than conventional food, but we have found some good deals over the years. I make almost everything from scratch. I make 2 loafs of bread at a time and freeze one. I can and dry food for winter. During winter we generally buy only milk, cheese, and meat.

Mrs.Hizzo · September 2010

gumiberg:
and i will also add that its a shame its so hard to go organic. for example, my local grocery store only carries horizon and shamrock as far as organic milk is concerned. these are horrible options! and trader joes and costco are not much better...
for me to get good organic milk, i either have to go to our farmers market for organic valley, or whole foods for their 365 brand.

Really? Our Costco has a ton of organic options. Maybe it's regional.

Read2Me · September 2010

I buy organic milk, meats and most of our produce. This list helps me decide what I can get away with buying non-organic:

https://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/eat-safe/Dirty-Dozen-Foods

Eva's pediatrician was part of a study that found switching children to organic fruits and vegetables for one week reduced the amounts of pesticides found in their urine 60%. That sold me!

collyflower · September 2010

We do organic (store bought) milk for our daughter. We get most of our fruits & veggies from our CSA.

iteachk · September 2010

We do the dirty dozen for DD, as well as milk, eggs, & yogurt. I'd love to do meat but she doesn't eat enough of it to justify the cost.

gumiberg · September 2010

Mrs.Hizzo:
gumiberg:
and i will also add that its a shame its so hard to go organic. for example, my local grocery store only carries horizon and shamrock as far as organic milk is concerned. these are horrible options! and trader joes and costco are not much better...
for me to get good organic milk, i either have to go to our farmers market for organic valley, or whole foods for their 365 brand.
Really? Our Costco has a ton of organic options. Maybe it's regional.

I refer to this sheet:

https://www.cornucopia.org/dairysurvey/index.html

it gave Costco a very low rating.

Dr.Loretta · September 2010

As much as I can. I found a seller at the farmer's market who does all organic, natural produce, so I buy a lot of stuff from them--peaches, tomatoes, lettuce, onions, pears, apples, etc.

I'd definitely check out the Dirty Dozen, and look for stuff that's in season to try and keep costs down.

Temp174496125006552 · September 2010

claverinski:

Personally I think the way most farms raise cows and chicken for food is disgusting. I know the animals are going to die in the end, but it still bothers me.

Organic is just down right better for you and the extra cost is worth it.

I 100% agree with this. I have given up all meat (and fish) with the exception of chicken and turkey and have been toying with the idea of becoming vegetarian for this very reason. Ben is vegetarian and Jordan is vegan, so I buy very little meat. But when I do, it's chicken and it's hormone/antibiotic free.

I only buy organic milk and yogurt. I buy Organic Valley milk, eggs and half and half because they are co-ops and I like the company's business practices. I buy Ben organic string cheese from Trader Joe's. I buy as much organic produce as possible (with the exception of bananas and melons b/c of the thick skin), for the lack of pesticides. I know it costs more money, but I think it's worth it. I only wish the organic versions of some things (like peppers and strawberries) weren't so much more than the non-organic versions. For the produce that I can't/don't buy organic, I use a veggie wash that's made from organic produce that washes away chemicals, dirt and wax.

I also buy a good amount of organic cereals, grains and granola/cereal bars.

mandymack · September 2010

As many of the PPs said, it's because of the pesticides and growth hormones that I buy as much as I can Organic, especially the Dirty Dozen, as I blogged about a few months ago:

https://notyourmamasmartha.blogspot.com/search/label/Going%20Green

I can get Organic beef/poultry but don't do so as often as is suggested, it's just so expensive! I recently started purchasing Organic milk as well.

Good luck!

Mrs.Hizzo · September 2010

gumiberg:
Mrs.Hizzo:
gumiberg:
and i will also add that its a shame its so hard to go organic. for example, my local grocery store only carries horizon and shamrock as far as organic milk is concerned. these are horrible options! and trader joes and costco are not much better...
for me to get good organic milk, i either have to go to our farmers market for organic valley, or whole foods for their 365 brand.
Really? Our Costco has a ton of organic options. Maybe it's regional.
I refer to this sheet:
https://www.cornucopia.org/dairysurvey/index.html
it gave Costco a very low rating.

Oh, I see. I misunderstood you and took your statement to mean that Costco doesn't have decent options for buying organic in general. I didn't get that you meant the quality of their dairy. I've never bought their milk or butter since we get ours locally, but I do think Costco has a nice selection of other organic products.

Dochas · September 2010

Just milk. The hormones really worry me. Now that I have more time to obsess about it I may do more things.

DarcyLongfellow · September 2010

I'm trying to buy more, but I'm also trying to cut down our grocery budget. Opposite goals!!

I buy organic milk, and I have for a long time. I also buy organic yogurt. I occasionally buy organic cheese, but not very often (my grocery store doesn't carry it). I occasionally buy other organic dairy (sour cream, cream cheese, heavy cream for baking) -- it just depends on the price difference at the time I need it. And if DD is going to be eating it - if she is, I am more likely to buy organic.

Fruits and vegetables I'm trying to move to mostly organic. I use the Dirty Dozen list, and I try to buy all of those organic. I recently discovered that Costco carries organic frozen vegetables, so I'm going to start buying those.

I buy some organic grains/snack foods for DD, but mostly I buy conventional grains.

emathis2 · September 2010

I buy organic meat, milk and cheese. About half my veggies and fruit. Especially ones that have thin skins or ones that are on sale. Our stores have a great selection here so its hard for me to buy nonorganic especially if I know my son will be eating it. I also gave him organic formula when I was supplementing.

lbaby08 · September 2010

We live in the UK (have been home temporarily in the US for the past year but are headed back to the UK in 2 weeks!) and it is so much easier to buy local/organic there. We grow some of our own, buy some from a local organic farmers' co-op and the rest from a grocery with lots of organic options. I also make a ton from scratch.

We made the decision a few years ago that we would do our best to support local farmers and also to only buy from brands/farmers who have ethical practices. One way we do that is to eat vegetarian 3 nights a week so we can afford to buy free-range/organic meat for the other 4 nights.

I don't buy organic bananas, oranges, or similar tough-skinned fruits.

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