Should I buy organic foods?

Meghan Scaringi

Every trip to the grocery store costs more and more, and I seem to have purchased less and less! Deciding how to spend my grocery dollars has become a real dilemma. I want my daughter to have wholesome fresh food, this usually costs more than packaged processed items, but I am also concerned about having pure food. More and more organic food is appearing in the groceries, and there is more discussion about the necessity of eliminating foods with hormones and pesticides. Still many organic foods cost almost 50% more than conventionally grown foods. Is it really necessary to buy organic food for my toddler?

What is organic food?
Organic foods are those that are produced using methods that do not involve modern synthetic inputs such as pesticides and chemical fertilizers, do not contain genetically modified organisms, and are not processed using irradiation, industrial solvents, or chemical food additives this definition is found in the business of food: encyclopedia of the food and drink industries by Allen and Albala.

Labeling

The USDA ORGANIC labeling requirements are based on the percentage of organic ingredients in a product.  Products labeled as “100 percent organic” must contain (excluding water and salt) only organically
produced ingredients and processing aids.Products labeled “organic” must consist of at least 95 percent organically produced ingredients (excluding water and salt). Any remaining product ingredients must consist of nonagricultural substances approved on the National List including specific non-organically produced agricultural products that are not commercially available in organic form.


The advantages of organic food
The choice does not have to be will I buy organic or not. The choice can be will I reduce the amount of chemicals in the food I serve my toddler. Chemical is more of a worry for babies and toddlers than adults. Alan Greene, MD, pediatrician and author of Raising Baby Green, says “Babies eat more than adults, pound or pound, and are more vulnerable to environmental toxins.” Choosing to start with a few foods that your family eats regularly can be a good way to start cutting back on the amount of chemicals in the food your baby or toddler eats. In the Parents Magazine article, "What Should I Buy Organic,”
Greene suggests if you are going to make only one organic purchase it should be milk. Conventional milk has artificial hormones as well as chemicals. Other organic foods to consider are:
• Potatoes - they are on the Dirty Dozen list put out by the EWG (Environmental Working Group) page=9 means it is one of the worst for pesticides. There are still chemicals after the potatoes are washed and pealed.
• Peanut butter – pesticides used on peanut butter are extremely toxic.
• Baby Food - "Our body and brain grow faster from birth to age 3 than at any other time," Dr. Greene says, adding that if “you're going to pick only one time to go organic it should be from conception to age three.”
• Ketchup – children eat tons of it, it is super healthy and organic does not have sugar or artificial colors.
• Apples – second on the dirty dozen list organic apples are more notorious.
• Beef – hormones are used to grow beef. Some of them can get into the human system.

There are many things to consider when trying to decide if buying organic food is the right choice for your family – cost, age, amount of food used, extra health benefits, extra nutritional value. The fact that the result of this choice will only be known many years from now makes it very difficult. It is something I have thought about since my daughter was born. Going completely organic is not a realistic option for me. Now with the USDA Organic labeling, the Dirty Dozen list from EWG and the recommendations from Dr, Greene There is a reasonable place to start – one step at a time.