Organic- The Final Plunge

The last step.

It's time to make the switch to all organic.  Fruits and veggies.  Canned beans, rice, potatoes, canned tomatoes, snack foods.  Condiments and cereals.  Everything.  Many foods you will be able to find replacements for- like ketchup and canned beans.  Some products you will need to give up completely.  This change won't hit your budget quite like the meat and dairy but it will require the most effort on your part.  It will take time to change the way you grocery shop.

You'll be buying lots of fruits and veggies.  Well, at least I hope you will be....so here's a handy way to remember what's best to buy.  A sticker with a bar code of a 9 is organic.  Buy this one!  A sticker starting with an 8 is a GMO.  Run!  Run for your life!  And finally, a sticker with a bar code starting with a 4 means it's a conventional product.  It is grown with chemicals and pesticides.  Not good either.  Whew!  Confused? Here's a silly little rhyme that I use- if it doesn't have a nine, it's not worth my dime!

There's also another very helpful label to look for when doing your shopping.  It's the Non-GMO verified label.  The Non-GMO project is a non profit organization dedicated to labeling products that do not contain any GMOs.  To read more about the Non-GMO project, visit their website here.  I simply LOVE this website!  Great search function to help you find alternatives and lots of helpful information, so be sure to check it out!

Look for this label when shopping!

It's at this point that your life will naturally take on some other major changes.  You'll start shopping the outer isles of the grocery store where the "real" food is kept.  You'll buy less process foods.  Cook more from scratch.  Instead of offering your child some goldfish crackers you'll have fresh organic grapes.  Dinner consists of lentil stew instead of beef stew.  McDonalds, Burger King, Taco Bell and other fast food places will start to upset your tummy and frankly- it won't taste as good as it once did.  Soda won't be as refreshing.  You'll have less waste and will actually eat all the foods in your fridge and pantry.  Ah- the changes are coming your way!  And all because you made the switch to organic foods.

The real change is the best one of all.  You will feel so good.  Your body will start to function as it should without all those harmful chemicals and toxins weighing you down.  You may also notice your skin clearing up, your moods will stabilize, your trips to the bathroom becoming more frequent- lots of fiber in all those kale smoothies!  My son was even able to cure his eczema by simply changing his diet.  It's amazing!

Oh and one last thing before I end this blog post....every time you buy a product, even an organic one, you are making a vote for that product.  You the consumer are saying YES- I approve.  So its very important that we are making the right choices with how we spend our dollars.  Wouldn't you agree?

Not all organic foods are worth spending your hard earned money on.  Many of these organic companies are owned by non-organic major corporations.  Sneaky buggers!  So you the consumer think you're making wonderful choices and supporting organic- however your money is really going towards major food giants like ConAgra, Kraft, Kellogg's and Pepsi.  These companies support using GMO's in food.  They support the poisoning of America.  I strongly encourage you to NOT buy from any of these companies.

Yikes!  Are you thoroughly confused now?  I know I was!  So what should you buy?  What companies are ok to support?  Below is a quick and easy cheat sheet to help you figure out the very best organic companies that are worth buying from and worth supporting.

I realize this is easier said then done.  It will take time.  For some of you- your location will severely limit what products are available to you.  And that's ok.  I would rather you choose organic yogurt with a Stonyfield label vs Dannon's yogurt.  Even though these are owned by the same corporation- you better believe they are keeping track of how many consumers are buying the organic yogurt vs the conventional yogurt.  So perhaps if we buy more, they will figure it that it's a good idea to make more.  So give yourself the ok to buy from these companies when there is not a better alternative.

And finally- I just want to tell you how amazing I think it is that you are making this change.  It's not easy.  It's very expensive and there's lots of confusing information out there.  A bit overwhelming is putting it mildly.  I hope that my little blog has helped you and I hope that we can continue to learn together. Committing to feeding yourself and your family organic foods will prolong your life and make you healthier inside and out!  Get down with your BAD self!  You rock!

Up next- what the heck is a CSA and why you should do it.

March Against Monsanto

Chances are pretty darn good that most of the foods in your pantry and fridge contain toxic chemicals and GMO's (genetically modified organisms) and are owned by a company called Monsanto.  So why should you care?  What's so bad about GMO's and Monsanto anyways??  Well for starters Monsanto is the world's largest pesticide manufacturer.  Just let that sink in for a moment.  The world's largest PESTICIDE manufacturer.  Monsanto also controls much of the world's food supply.  Does that sound strange to anyone??  The company that controls most of the foods Americans are eating is also the largest pesticide manufacturer.  Hmm....pretty sure I don't want to be eating pesticides and I sure as shit know that I don't want to be feeding it to William.

So what exactly is a Genetically Modified Organism?  A GMO is made when a gene from one species is transferred to another species.  Resulting in something that would never be naturally grown or produced.  So that's just a little bit startling, no?  Ever heard of FrankenFish? Yum.  Just one prime example of how the FDA is playing scientist with our food supply.  Since the science behind GMO's is still fairly new- the reality is that we just don't know all the side effects yet.  However, there have been many studies performed that show the connection between eating GMO's and cancer.  You can read about it here courtesy of Natural News.

Scared yet?  I sure hope so!  What we do know is that GMO's are harmful to your health.  They are grown using extreme amounts of pesticides, herbicides and fungicides.  Simply put folks- these ingredients are poison.  POISON!  And they are packaged to you as health foods, convenience foods and junk foods.  And your buying it!!  So here's a list of the Monsanto foods to avoid. 

                                                                                                                                                   It's pretty daunting right?  I challenge you to inventory your pantry and fridge.  Right now...just get up and take a quick look.  How many items from this list did you have?

I will be totally honest and say that when I first started down this path towards healthy eating, my fridge and pantry was full of this crap.  Full!!!  Oh how I loved Pasta-Roni, Marie Callenders Pot Pies were my favorites and to this day William's favorite cereal is Honey Nut Cheerios which is a General Mills product.  My first thoughts were, "how in the world am I going to avoid all these foods?".  Followed closely by, "what the hell am I going to feed my family?"

The answer....buy certified organic foods.  Foods that contain this label cannot contain GMO's.  Yay!  But wait!  Yikes- these foods are really expensive.  Like, really, really expensive!  So what's a concerned consumer to do?  Well, here's what I did.  And keep in mind that this took me several years to accomplish.  It's rough on your grocery budget and most definitely a lifestyle change- but you can do it!

• Start by switching all dairy to organic dairy.
• Make Mondays, meatless!
• Buy your meat from local butcher shops or a specialty grocery.  Learn where your meat comes from and how it's been raised.
• Memorize the Dirty Dozen list so that you can make informed shopping choices.
• Cook from scratch- get rid of the processed junk!
• Do your best to stop buying from the Monsanto Do Not Buy list referenced above.

It's been several years since I first learned about GMO's and Monsanto.  I can proudly say that my house is 80% GMO free and that the majority of the foods my family eats are certified organic.  Every single time that you walk into a grocery store and buy a product, you are casting a vote.  Either for GMO's, chemicals and toxins or against them.  My vote is NO!  Scratch that- I vote HELL NO!  Monsanto, you do not have my permission to poison me or my family.  What's your vote?