Is organic important?

pele658 · October 2013

How important are organic baby products to you? Organic clothing? Organic food? Is it worth the extra cost?

[Deleted User] · October 2013

LoisLayn23 said:

Nope.

local > organic

QFT

Rach7170 · October 2013

Yeah, I agree with Lois. If I could afford to only buy the products that are best for you, I would. It's jut not feasible. Where I can, I try to support local farming and stores.

CinemaGoddess · October 2013

Lois speaks the truth.

Nechie122 · October 2013

I think the jury is out on organic products. The point of the organic movement was always environmental sustainability rather than personal health, but many people are confused about that. In some ways, organic farming -- because of the lower yield -- actually has the opposite effect because of the larger crop needed to feed the global population.

In terms of health, processed organic food is practically an oxymoron. You may feel better about yourself buying Annie's Bunnies over Goldfish, but it's likely your body doesn't care. And processed is still processed.

I will admit that I try to buy the "dirty dozen" organic, mainly due to pesticides, and support companies with a positive message, but that's more yuppie bleeding heartism than actual proven benefit.

[Deleted User] · October 2013

My UO. I think organic clothing is laughable.

I would much prefer to just buy used clothing (ya know, kind of like recycling) rather than buy some overprice organic cotton t-shirt.

RayRay007 · October 2013

Local, organic > local > non-local organic.

I think organic is important when it comes to the dirty dozen vegetables. I try to buy natural, local meat. Clothes, mattresses etc. do not need to be organic IMO, although you obviously don't want to use stuff that is unnecessarily laden with chemicals.

theimpossibleastronaut · October 2013

Sometimes I buy organic if I know it's more likely to be contaminated by pesticides. But H doesn't give a fuck so we mostly don't.

MsMommy2012 · October 2013

HilarityEnsued said:
I don't give two shits about anything other than organic food. So organic clothing and diaper bags and whatnot... that doesn't even register to me.

But otherwise we buy local and/or organic in certain food products whenever we can.

There is a list called the Dirty Dozen.... I use it as a reference. I don't have a kitchen full of organic things, but we do buy a ton of stuff organic.

This is what I do too.

Pips09 · October 2013

None at all. The only thing I make sure to get is milk without growth hormones. But it's not organic.

nanabanana06 · October 2013

Yup! Organic clothing isn't really worth it. They are in them such a short time that you'll just be wasting money buying the expensive organic clothing. Plus fleece sleepers are the bomb dot com. As for food other than Plum puffs (because they have low sugar and no corn) and Plum Melts (no dairy) I don't do organic baby food. I do buy all local foods though. I try to stick with local, humane, and organic dairy, meats, and eggs since I don't like the added hormones and antibiotics in regular versions. My SO fully admits that organic dairy products just taste better (this is saying something). The rest I don't really bother with. If I can get produce organic and they look good I'll buy organic, if not then whatever. GL!

Nechie122 · October 2013

HilarityEnsued said:
I don't eat my clothes. I wash them before I wear them. I think organic clothing is the biggest load of shit of all time.

See, that's what I was saying above about missing the point. I just heard a stat the other day that 20% of water pollution can be traced to synthetic textile dyes. So organic products are about protecting the environment, not so much about chemicals on our skin. (Whether they actually accomplish that or create new problems is another story.)

s0ulchicken · October 2013

I usually stick to the dirty dozen for produce, because of pesticides, and I buy all of our meat and poultry locally. My kids drink almond milk. I do not waste $$ on organic clothing and household products.

flyingsaucer · October 2013

Buuuuut, while local is better than organic, organic is better than the regular crap at the supermarket shipped in from all ends of the earth. Local OR organic, yes, I think it is important. I also disagree with pp about processed foods. Foods processed with real food ingredients only (sugar, etc) are better than foods processed with high fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated oil. I just read In Defense of Food. Crazy stuff ETA: but non processed is best

s0ulchicken · October 2013

@HilatityEnsued ITA. I *have* started using a shit ton more of white vinegar for things like wiping down high chairs and my fixtures and glass. But not much beats Finish dish detergent tabs in my dishwasher!

nanabanana06 · October 2013

I use Method for cleaning products. It works well for us. Except toilets. I will forever use the clorox bleach toilet bowl stuff.

Anyways, with produce it's hot or miss with us. If I go to Central Market I can buy all my produce organic and local. If I go to our regular store I can buy about 1/2-3/4 of it organic or local, but some things I just can't find in either. So I don't worry. The big things for me really are just dairy, eggs, and meats since there have been studies that show the growth hormones and antibiotics they pump into regular version have had adverse reactions in children and my generation. So I stay away. The bonus is that it tastes better.

nanabanana06 · October 2013

Oh and we try to stay away from plastics for the kids. I know some things are unavoidable, but for things like toys we try to do wooden or "green" version. Bottles we used glass since plastics still chemical leech (plus glass heats up better and more evenly).

MrsWindyCity · October 2013

Organic food is important to me, yes. I agree local is most important and we try to do local whenever possible (we get all our meat from a local farmer, do farmers markets, etc.) but if local is not an option (or if I don't know whether or not it's local), I will still do organic over conventional for (most) foods at the grocery store.

I don't care about organic clothes or stuff like that. I try to clean with vinegar, baking soda, "green" products, buuuut my shower cleaner is definitely the chemical-laden, harsh stuff. :P

CinemaGoddess · October 2013

This thread is reminding me of the following:

Ross:All right, Monica categorizes her towels. How many categories are there?

Joey: Everyday use.
Chandler: Fancy.
Joey: Guest.
Chandler: Fancy guest.
Ross: Two seconds...
Joey: Uh, eleven!
Ross: 11. Unbelievable. 11 is correct.

Nechie122 · October 2013

HilarityEnsued said:

kgopel said:

Buuuuut, while local is better than organic, organic is better than the regular crap at the supermarket shipped in from all ends of the earth. Local OR organic, yes, I think it is important. I also disagree with pp about processed foods. Foods processed with real food ingredients only (sugar, etc) are better than foods processed with high fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated oil. I just read In Defense of Food. Crazy stuff

ETA: but non processed is best

Hopefully no one disagrees with this.

I don't disagree that it SEEMS like it would be better, but I think there's a very real question about how much better we're talking about. I bought a package of Annie's fruit snacks the other week in a weak moment. That stuff is no less junk than non-organic fruit snacks -- enough of it will rot your teeth and cause insulin resistance just like the Hershey's Kisses I bought for Halloween.

People are kidding themselves if they believe that just because a manufacturer can legally stick an organic label on the box that it's suddenly "better" for you than the store brand.

[Deleted User] · October 2013

The other day I spent $6 on organic eggs*. Today I spent $1.50 on regular eggs.

That extra $4.50 is too much to spend when I don't really know what the regulations are that make up the so called "organic" part of that egg. There aren't the same regulations all over, so it's kind of a bunch of BS.

*It's a local store by my place and it was either that or take a cab/bus. Spending the extra $4.50 was worth my time and time is money!

jorkz821 · October 2013

Nechie122 said:

HilarityEnsued said:

kgopel said:

Buuuuut, while local is better than organic, organic is better than the regular crap at the supermarket shipped in from all ends of the earth. Local OR organic, yes, I think it is important. I also disagree with pp about processed foods. Foods processed with real food ingredients only (sugar, etc) are better than foods processed with high fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated oil. I just read In Defense of Food. Crazy stuff

ETA: but non processed is best

Hopefully no one disagrees with this.

I don't disagree that it SEEMS like it would be better, but I think there's a very real question about how much better we're talking about. I bought a package of Annie's fruit snacks the other week in a weak moment. That stuff is no less junk than non-organic fruit snacks -- enough of it will rot your teeth and cause insulin resistance just like the Hershey's Kisses I bought for Halloween.

People are kidding themselves if they believe that just because a manufacturer can legally stick an organic label on the box that it's suddenly "better" for you than the store brand.

I agree with @Nechie122 here. People seem to be under the impression that organic agave nectar or whatever is better for you than plain old sugar. But sucrose is sucrose, your body doesn't know different.

Like, look at organic cereals. Just because it is made with organic honey and cane sugar (both = sucrose) doesn't balance out the fact that it has 25 grams of sugar per 3/4 cup serving.

jorkz821 · October 2013

Whoa. Sorry about the format there.

flyingsaucer · October 2013

Listen, I eat organic cookies because they are HEALTHY ok? Don't argue with me :P

LaCally4 · October 2013

Paging @SAHM board

lildevil968 · October 2013

Food- I buy, or grow Organic.

Cleaning- I make my own cleaning solutions.

Clothes- I don't care.

lildevil968 · October 2013

Darbie914 said:

Question for those of you that use vinegar to clean: I recently made a solution of vinegar, dish soap, and something else. It seems to really work but I can't stand the smell of vinegar. Is there something I can use to make it smell better?

You can use essential oil drops. I use lavender in mine.

nanabanana06 · October 2013

jorkz821 said:

kgopel said:

Buuuuut, while local is better than organic, organic is better than the regular crap at the supermarket shipped in from all ends of the earth. Local OR organic, yes, I think it is important. I also disagree with pp about processed foods. Foods processed with real food ingredients only (sugar, etc) are better than foods processed with high fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated oil. I just read In Defense of Food. Crazy stuff ETA: but non processed is best

Hopefully no one disagrees with this.
I don't disagree that it SEEMS like it would be better, but I think there's a very real question about how much better we're talking about. I bought a package of Annie's fruit snacks the other week in a weak moment. That stuff is no less junk than non-organic fruit snacks -- enough of it will rot your teeth and cause insulin resistance just like the Hershey's Kisses I bought for Halloween. People are kidding themselves if they believe that just because a manufacturer can legally stick an organic label on the box that it's suddenly "better" for you than the store brand.
I agree with @Nechie122 here. People seem to be under the impression that organic agave nectar or whatever is better for you than plain old sugar. But sucrose is sucrose, your body doesn't know different. Like, look at organic cereals. Just because it is made with organic honey and cane sugar (both = sucrose) doesn't balance out the fact that it has 25 grams of sugar per 3/4 cup serving.

I would never argue that, but there is something to be said about a natural sugar (like cane syrup or just freaking sugar) over high fructose corn syrup. I think there were studies that show that the two are processed differently. I could be completely high though.

MrsT0514 · October 2013

I agree with LoisLayn23 that ill take local over organic. Second to that, i buy organic when its feasible, but lets face it...that shit is expensive. So i do what i can. When our garden is out of season, I buy all of our veggies from a local farmstand. Waayy better tasting and probably better quality than anything I could buy at the supermarket.

I've never gotten into the whole "organic clothing" thing though. Like someone already mentioned, I don't eat my clothes, so I feel like this something not worth fretting over.

chardonnay24 · October 2013

Organic is important to me, but it's not about it being "organic" and more about "no chemicals, artificial flavors or colors". We buy local dairy and eggs, and some fruit and vegetables when they're in season. Most are not certified organic, although all don't use pesticides or hormones or antibiotics, so I'm happy. Our meat is not always organic but it is always pasture raised, free range, vegetarian fed, so often those go hand in hand with organic. Snacks are either from the natural food section or homemade, but that's to avoid chemicals and artificial additives.

However, I'm not completely opposed to eating a Snickers bar. I'm not one of those people that will bring my own snacks to a party, I just prefer to not put the chemical laden foods in my cupboards for everday use.

flyingsaucer · October 2013

Nana_Osaki06 said:

jorkz821 said:

kgopel said:

Buuuuut, while local is better than organic, organic is better than the regular crap at the supermarket shipped in from all ends of the earth. Local OR organic, yes, I think it is important. I also disagree with pp about processed foods. Foods processed with real food ingredients only (sugar, etc) are better than foods processed with high fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated oil. I just read In Defense of Food. Crazy stuff ETA: but non processed is best

Hopefully no one disagrees with this.
I don't disagree that it SEEMS like it would be better, but I think there's a very real question about how much better we're talking about. I bought a package of Annie's fruit snacks the other week in a weak moment. That stuff is no less junk than non-organic fruit snacks -- enough of it will rot your teeth and cause insulin resistance just like the Hershey's Kisses I bought for Halloween. People are kidding themselves if they believe that just because a manufacturer can legally stick an organic label on the box that it's suddenly "better" for you than the store brand.
I agree with @Nechie122 here. People seem to be under the impression that organic agave nectar or whatever is better for you than plain old sugar. But sucrose is sucrose, your body doesn't know different. Like, look at organic cereals. Just because it is made with organic honey and cane sugar (both = sucrose) doesn't balance out the fact that it has 25 grams of sugar per 3/4 cup serving.

I would never argue that, but there is something to be said about a natural sugar (like cane syrup or just freaking sugar) over high fructose corn syrup. I think there were studies that show that the two are processed differently. I could be completely high though.

Yes Nana, my point exactly

flyingsaucer · October 2013

And doesn't organic = no GMOs?

Nechie122 · October 2013

Nana_Osaki06 said:

jorkz821 said:

Nechie122 said:

HilarityEnsued said:

kgopel said:

Buuuuut, while local is better than organic, organic is better than the regular crap at the supermarket shipped in from all ends of the earth. Local OR organic, yes, I think it is important. I also disagree with pp about processed foods. Foods processed with real food ingredients only (sugar, etc) are better than foods processed with high fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated oil. I just read In Defense of Food. Crazy stuff

ETA: but non processed is best

Hopefully no one disagrees with this.
I don't disagree that it SEEMS like it would be better, but I think there's a very real question about how much better we're talking about. I bought a package of Annie's fruit snacks the other week in a weak moment. That stuff is no less junk than non-organic fruit snacks -- enough of it will rot your teeth and cause insulin resistance just like the Hershey's Kisses I bought for Halloween.

People are kidding themselves if they believe that just because a manufacturer can legally stick an organic label on the box that it's suddenly "better" for you than the store brand.
I agree with @Nechie122 here. People seem to be under the impression that organic agave nectar or whatever is better for you than plain old sugar. But sucrose is sucrose, your body doesn't know different.

Like, look at organic cereals. Just because it is made with organic honey and cane sugar (both = sucrose) doesn't balance out the fact that it has 25 grams of sugar per 3/4 cup serving.

I would never argue that, but there is something to be said about a natural sugar (like cane syrup or just freaking sugar) over high fructose corn syrup. I think there were studies that show that the two are processed differently. I could be completely high though.

You're right in that there's a molecular/chemical difference between sugar and HFCS. But at the end of the day, both are benign in small amounts and both are linked to metabolic disease in high amounts. Will one kill you faster than the other, gram for gram? Maybe?

The reason I said processed organic food is an oxymoron (and started this whole thing that @kgopel was responding to) is because most processed food -- whether made with "real," organic ingredients or not -- is so laden with sodium and sugar that the health benefit is probably incremental. My doctor DH mocks me if I buy the stuff and says that if you really want to improve your diet, cook it yourself!

MsMommy2012 · October 2013

Darbie914 said:
Question for those of you that use vinegar to clean: I recently made a solution of vinegar, dish soap, and something else. It seems to really work but I can't stand the smell of vinegar. Is there something I can use to make it smell better?

I put vinegar in a jar with citrus peels and it smells orange-y. Then I use that vinegar and add a drop of lemon juice to the cleaning solution.

NotSharknado · October 2013

HilarityEnsued said:
I don't eat my clothes. I wash them before I wear them. I think organic clothing is the biggest load of shit of all time.

Wait, we're not supposed to eat our clothes? That's sum bullshit.

nanabanana06 · October 2013

Nechie122 said:

jorkz821 said:

kgopel said:

Buuuuut, while local is better than organic, organic is better than the regular crap at the supermarket shipped in from all ends of the earth. Local OR organic, yes, I think it is important. I also disagree with pp about processed foods. Foods processed with real food ingredients only (sugar, etc) are better than foods processed with high fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated oil. I just read In Defense of Food. Crazy stuff ETA: but non processed is best

Hopefully no one disagrees with this.
I don't disagree that it SEEMS like it would be better, but I think there's a very real question about how much better we're talking about. I bought a package of Annie's fruit snacks the other week in a weak moment. That stuff is no less junk than non-organic fruit snacks -- enough of it will rot your teeth and cause insulin resistance just like the Hershey's Kisses I bought for Halloween. People are kidding themselves if they believe that just because a manufacturer can legally stick an organic label on the box that it's suddenly "better" for you than the store brand.
I agree with @Nechie122 here. People seem to be under the impression that organic agave nectar or whatever is better for you than plain old sugar. But sucrose is sucrose, your body doesn't know different. Like, look at organic cereals. Just because it is made with organic honey and cane sugar (both = sucrose) doesn't balance out the fact that it has 25 grams of sugar per 3/4 cup serving.

I would never argue that, but there is something to be said about a natural sugar (like cane syrup or just freaking sugar) over high fructose corn syrup. I think there were studies that show that the two are processed differently. I could be completely high though.
You're right in that there's a molecular/chemical difference between sugar and HFCS. But at the end of the day, both are benign in small amounts and both are linked to metabolic disease in high amounts. Will one kill you faster than the other, gram for gram? Maybe? The reason I said processed organic food is an oxymoron (and started this whole thing that @kgopel was responding to) is because most processed food -- whether made with "real," organic ingredients or not -- is so laden with sodium and sugar that the health benefit is probably incremental. My doctor DH mocks me if I buy the stuff and says that if you really want to improve your diet, cook it yourself!

Oh totally! I guess for me I'd just rather not feed my kids high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenized oils, but I don't want to deprive them of gummy treats and cheddar crackers :P. If I had the time to make my kids' graham crackers and stuff I totally would, but I don't. So Annie's it is!!

nanabanana06 · October 2013

AuburnGirlSC said:

A lady at gymnastics last night objected while we were stretching in the Mommy and Me class. The teacher tells the kids to stretch and pretend they're rolling out cookie dough. Then, she asks them what kind of cookies they want. The mom objected and said her two year old son had never had cookies, candy, or peanut butter because "We don't eat that." I had the sadz for that kid.

That poor, poor child. I cannot understand that type of stuff. That's going to be one fat kid once he hits elementary school though. I had a friend like that in 5th grade. She'd come over to my house just so she could eat Oreo's and real potato chips.

klondikebar · October 2013

I buy local and have a garden. It tastes better and we are supporting the local farms.

pele658 · October 2013

It's not that I'm worried about eating my clothes, but more about how it makes an impact on the environment and farming. I use Method and Mrs. Myers cleaning products, they've worked well. I can't really afford to buy strictly organic food, but I agree with others and stay away from processed crap. Organic milk does taste better.

flyingsaucer · October 2013

Nechie122 said:

jorkz821 said:

kgopel said:

Buuuuut, while local is better than organic, organic is better than the regular crap at the supermarket shipped in from all ends of the earth. Local OR organic, yes, I think it is important. I also disagree with pp about processed foods. Foods processed with real food ingredients only (sugar, etc) are better than foods processed with high fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated oil. I just read In Defense of Food. Crazy stuff ETA: but non processed is best

Hopefully no one disagrees with this.
I don't disagree that it SEEMS like it would be better, but I think there's a very real question about how much better we're talking about. I bought a package of Annie's fruit snacks the other week in a weak moment. That stuff is no less junk than non-organic fruit snacks -- enough of it will rot your teeth and cause insulin resistance just like the Hershey's Kisses I bought for Halloween. People are kidding themselves if they believe that just because a manufacturer can legally stick an organic label on the box that it's suddenly "better" for you than the store brand.
I agree with @Nechie122 here. People seem to be under the impression that organic agave nectar or whatever is better for you than plain old sugar. But sucrose is sucrose, your body doesn't know different. Like, look at organic cereals. Just because it is made with organic honey and cane sugar (both = sucrose) doesn't balance out the fact that it has 25 grams of sugar per 3/4 cup serving.

I would never argue that, but there is something to be said about a natural sugar (like cane syrup or just freaking sugar) over high fructose corn syrup. I think there were studies that show that the two are processed differently. I could be completely high though.
You're right in that there's a molecular/chemical difference between sugar and HFCS. But at the end of the day, both are benign in small amounts and both are linked to metabolic disease in high amounts. Will one kill you faster than the other, gram for gram? Maybe? The reason I said processed organic food is an oxymoron (and started this whole thing that @kgopel was responding to) is because most processed food -- whether made with "real," organic ingredients or not -- is so laden with sodium and sugar that the health benefit is probably incremental. My doctor DH mocks me if I buy the stuff and says that if you really want to improve your diet, cook it yourself!

Still disagree. I am not saying fruit snacks are good for you, but I would rather fruit snacks sweetened/colored with natural fruit juices over red dye #5. KWIM? That's the advantage of organic. If you look at the side of the box, the sugar content might be the same.... But real fruit juices always > chemical dyes in my book.

sandyapples · October 2013

I try to buy local as much as possible. There are tons of farms around here and DH's family has a huge garden. That stuff is local and free so even better. I'm not too concerned about organic. I do use mostly natural stuff to clean and now that I'm a SAHM I try to make a lot of stuff from scratch.

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