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Do you eat organic food?

Do you eat organic food?

  • Yes all the time

    Votes: 3 5.5%
  • Yes most of the time

    Votes: 4 7.3%
  • Sometimes

    Votes: 18 32.7%
  • Not that often

    Votes: 18 32.7%
  • No never

    Votes: 12 21.8%

  • Total voters
    55
I don't usually look for the organic label, but I look for a freshness guarantee. When I pick up a vegetable, if it comes from California and I'm living in Canada, it won't be as fresh as a vegetable that was grown in British Columbia, my home province.

I look for food that is grown locally because it will have more nutritional value, and less of an ecological footprint in its production. Food that is transported across continents unnecessarily uses up fuel and resources that could have been put back into production.

I wash all vegetables thoroughly with a special soap, regardless if they are organic or not, because there is always unseen dirt and residues from the transportation process. The only exception to that is if I'm washing mushrooms, in which case I just use water.
 
EVERYBODY eats organic food.

ALL food is organic.

Calling some food "organic" is a marketing gimmick.
 
It's not a gimmick. The term is meant to represent food that is produced without pesticides or chemical fertilizers. The term has been abused by companies in recent years because both the Canadian and U.S. governments have made laws which say the term "organic" can be used to describe basically all food.

The laws were updated to prevent the industrial food industry from losing money. It's the same reason why we are not allowed to know which products are GMO or not. People would stop buying.
 
No, but I do insist on whole grains, brown rice/sugar and meat that hasn't been fed corn instead of its natural diet (grass, etc...)

Organic is a meaningless term, the above are easy distinctions to determine and are proven better for you. That is not the case for "organic" foods, and most people cannot pass an "organic fruit" taste test. Locally grown vegetables and fruits are just fine.

I do also avoid processed food, high fructose corn syrup rather than sugar, and basically anything that I am not cooking.
 
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I will say there is something to be said for picking out a cow/sheep/pig, and sending it directly to a local butcher. If you have a deep freezer, and a couple of buddies willing to go in with you on a cow, you can get alot of quality meat for cheaper(in the long run) than buying meat at a grocery store/farmers market. My boss used to send me to the county fair and had me buy a couple of animals, and split all the cuts up with his employees.
 
Nope. Costs more than the normal stuff, and has no appreciable health benefits, nor any benefits to our nutrition. It's over-priced bunkum.
 
Anyone buy free-range chicken or eggs from free-range chickens?


.

Free-range eggs for moral reasons. They don't taste any different though. It's just to make my own conscience a little lighter, although since here's no legal definition of what "free-range" means from farm to farm, I could be buying eggs from chickens whose lives sucked just as much as those of bttery chickens.
 
Nope. Too expensive and looks nasty, so I know I don't want to be putting that stuff in my mouth. :2sick1:
 
You are incorrect. Unprocessed Sea salt has a different flavor and texture due to the fact that it's unprocessed and contains many minerals not found in table salt (since they are processed out of table salt), and lacks the additives that are put in table salt during processing. Table salt is about 99.9% NaCl, with some additives they put in. Sea Salt has at least 2% natural minerals that are beneficial to the body, and gives it a different flavor. Different minerals are present in sea salts depending on where they are gathered. (different flavors too)
Question.
Depending on where it is gathered, do you account for the pollutants that haven't evaporated from it?



... less of an ecological footprint in its production. Food that is transported across continents unnecessarily uses up fuel and resources that could have been put back into production.
Question.
I understand the idea of lowering your personal ecological footprint.
Would not purchasing the shipped in product (as long as it is comparable) actually lead to a greater waste?
It seems to me that (as things are) the greater waste would be in not purchasing the produce that was shipped in and allowing it to spoil versus letting the local produce spoil.
 
Free-range eggs for moral reasons. They don't taste any different though. It's just to make my own conscience a little lighter, although since here's no legal definition of what "free-range" means from farm to farm, I could be buying eggs from chickens whose lives sucked just as much as those of bttery chickens.

There are other factors to consider. As noted previously, travel time from chicken to market means less fresh eggs and the burning of fossil fuels.

In addition, simple logic tells us that happy, healthy chickens that have room to move and eat a wide range of fresh foods will produce better quality eggs. Conversely, highly stressed, overcrowded chickens that eat a diet of nothing but mass-produced feed will produce lower quality eggs. (This logic applies to all kinds of things - think about puppy mills for a minute. There's a reason people avoid buying puppy mill puppies.)

Large-scale egg farms use cheap (low-protein, high-filler) feed and don't supply added calcium to their birds, which means lower quality eggs/shells. Forage is far higher in protein than commercial feed, and a higher-protein egg is a better, healthier egg.

Don't believe me? Compare a farm fresh egg to a mass-produced egg from the grocery store. They look completely different. They cook/bake completely differently, and yeah, I can taste the difference. YMMV.

But I don't buy them. Don't have to. When I need an egg, I go out to the coop and reach under a chicken. :)
 
Here in France organic food is usually called BIO and is more expensive, too. Since the 90s I try to only buy organic eggs and milk, I prefer to pay more for quality food. Here is my favorite bio shop, clic on link: Accueil-HervE-Jean:)
 
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There are other factors to consider. As noted previously, travel time from chicken to market means less fresh eggs and the burning of fossil fuels.

In addition, simple logic tells us that happy, healthy chickens that have room to move and eat a wide range of fresh foods will produce better quality eggs. Conversely, highly stressed, overcrowded chickens that eat a diet of nothing but mass-produced feed will produce lower quality eggs. (This logic applies to all kinds of things - think about puppy mills for a minute. There's a reason people avoid buying puppy mill puppies.)

Large-scale egg farms use cheap (low-protein, high-filler) feed and don't supply added calcium to their birds, which means lower quality eggs/shells. Forage is far higher in protein than commercial feed, and a higher-protein egg is a better, healthier egg.

Don't believe me? Compare a farm fresh egg to a mass-produced egg from the grocery store. They look completely different. They cook/bake completely differently, and yeah, I can taste the difference. YMMV.

But I don't buy them. Don't have to. When I need an egg, I go out to the coop and reach under a chicken. :)

Well, I may not be tasting a difference because I rarely eat eggs. I'm not willing to go vegan, but I do try and limit my consumptiom of eggs and dairy. I do agree however that eating some foods as they are currently produced means missing out on a lot. Like meat, for one. The amount of cortisol and preventative anti-biotics floating in the boodstream of the average animal these days is not something I'm eager to be munching one.
 
Simple question and explain why.

No, not usually. I mean, I don't buy it (the "organic" label is basically meaningless, as there's no real federal regulation or oversight on what can be advertised as "organic").
Sometimes my friends or family give me produce from their gardens, and then I have organic food. But I live in an upstairs apartment, so I can't grow much produce of my own. I've tried, but it's never worked out too well.
 
Well, I may not be tasting a difference because I rarely eat eggs. I'm not willing to go vegan, but I do try and limit my consumptiom of eggs and dairy. I do agree however that eating some foods as they are currently produced means missing out on a lot. Like meat, for one. The amount of cortisol and preventative anti-biotics floating in the boodstream of the average animal these days is not something I'm eager to be munching one.

Oh, I'll never go veggie (must have the occasional steak or ribs). But I do try to eat a balanced diet, which includes LOTS of stuff from my (organic) garden. No pesticides or chemicals on MY food - there's something to be said for munching on a handful of fresh, ripe blueberries right off the bush, without having to wash the chemicals off, first.

I'm lucky enough to have an outstanding country butcher nearby. Lots of small farmers out here raise a few cows on a few acres and the butcher buys only the best of these organic "hand-raised" cattle for sale. Yeah, the meat's more expensive, but like you, I do what I can to avoid too many additives, preservatives, and chemicals in my food. For as rarely as I cook myself a big steak, I want it to be the best/healthiest I can buy.

Today for lunch: yellow and green zucchini, sauteed with onions, sesame seeds, and a little soy sauce. Snacktime: fresh blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries. Supper? Maybe some eggs. :mrgreen:
 
Organic is too expensive, and you don't know if it truly is. You are paying extra to take their word on it.

Farm Fresh means more to me than organic....
and I am not afraid of my foods being "nuked" with radiation, either.
The more microbes and bacteria you kill, the longer the food lasts and the less chance of getting food poisoning...
 
I generally piss in the direction of the hyper pretentious slow food movement.
 
Oh, I'll never go veggie (must have the occasional steak or ribs). But I do try to eat a balanced diet, which includes LOTS of stuff from my (organic) garden. No pesticides or chemicals on MY food - there's something to be said for munching on a handful of fresh, ripe blueberries right off the bush, without having to wash the chemicals off, first.

I'm lucky enough to have an outstanding country butcher nearby. Lots of small farmers out here raise a few cows on a few acres and the butcher buys only the best of these organic "hand-raised" cattle for sale. Yeah, the meat's more expensive, but like you, I do what I can to avoid too many additives, preservatives, and chemicals in my food. For as rarely as I cook myself a big steak, I want it to be the best/healthiest I can buy.

Today for lunch: yellow and green zucchini, sauteed with onions, sesame seeds, and a little soy sauce. Snacktime: fresh blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries. Supper? Maybe some eggs. :mrgreen:

Mhm, I'm all for people doing what they can to source fresh local produce. Ithink that, even more than "organic" or "free-range" lables, guarantees tasty fresh food, as well as allowing one to help the local economy. My area of Scotland grows the most delicious little potatoes, as well as lovely flavourful cybees, and I did my bit for my county by having a big bowl of both with butter and pepper. :mrgreen:
 
Mhm, I'm all for people doing what they can to source fresh local produce. Ithink that, even more than "organic" or "free-range" lables, guarantees tasty fresh food, as well as allowing one to help the local economy. My area of Scotland grows the most delicious little potatoes, as well as lovely flavourful cybees, and I did my bit for my county by having a big bowl of both with butter and pepper. :mrgreen:

What are "cybees"?
 
I like to keep a lot of frozen fruit- specifically frozen blueberries- around, just so I'll have some when I want them. Fresh produce may be better for you than frozen, but not if it rots before you get a chance to eat it.
 
I like to keep a lot of frozen fruit- specifically frozen blueberries- around, just so I'll have some when I want them. Fresh produce may be better for you than frozen, but not if it rots before you get a chance to eat it.

Exactly. That's why I keep a lot of tinned fruit around. It may not taste as good, or have as many vitamins, but at least it's not a complete waste of space and money if you don't get around to eating it quickly enough.
 
I mostly buy organic when I'm buying fruit for my son. I have a book that points out the fruits that have the most pesticide in them. (Bananas and avocados do not have much pesticides in the fruit themselves because of the skin--same with oranges.) So I get organic blueberries, strawberries, and nectarines. I have noticed that they taste a lot better. It's not about nutrition--it's my not wanting my son ingesting pesticides.

Meat? I don't like like organic chicken. I think it tastes gross. I do buy organic filet mignon at Whole Foods--it's fantastic.

Eggs? I now buy eggs that indicate that they are laid by hens who are free to roam. Whether that's true or not, I'm with Anima. My conscience feels better.
 
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