Organic vs Non-Organic

There has been a debate between my mother and I (go figure) about what foods to buy and feed my kids. This discussion often gets rather heated and ends with hanging up each other. The argument is this, is the traditional way of feeding your family better or worse than the new way of doing the same thing. There is no argument; organic foods are more expensive than non-organic. The argument rests in whether these two separate food groups are really better than one another. Here is the way I see it, organic foods pay for themselves, they taste better (in my opinion), and lead to better overall health. It is truly a question of quality over quantity.

Organic foods pay for themselves in the context of health benefits. My children do not enjoy drinking milk. The taste of it was watered down and just all together disgusting. We drank it because we grew up drinking regular milk and really did not know any different. However, my husband and I were in a Whole Foods Market one day, for the first time, and we were walking around, looking at everything. We saw Hartzler Milk in glass half gallon jugs and read on the bottle some information. We put the jug down and started to look on Google information. What we found was startling and life changing.

Soon afterwards, we had a shopping cart and were filling it with groceries. We found that organic foods are not grown and processed in the same manner that normal foods are. For example, the federal regulations state that milk has to be homogenized for at least 22 seconds before it can be packaged and sold. Mass producing companies, like our grocery stores homogenize their milks for much longer, which actually does more harm than good. Hartzler homogenizes their milk for 22 seconds only, which still leaves much of the nutrition still in the milk. Grocery store chains produce their milks so that their shelf life is much longer. Hartzlers’ milk shelf life is much less, but much better for you at the same time because of the cream and processing. The cream that rests on top of the milk is packed with ingredients and minerals that are naturally occurring and help with immune systems. The processing allows for the freshest amount of milk to be bought as quickly as possible. Not only is the milk better for you, but when the milk expires you have another week to consume it before you have to throw it out; with regular homogenized milk you cannot do this, you have to dump it on the date, or you will become sick.

Organic foods cannot be cooked in the same manner regular foods are, as they do not have additives or added preservatives for taste or shelf life. Therefore, a different preparation is needed. For example, instead of using soy sauce (not healthy) I use coconut animos (healthy) in the same manner. Instead of using canola or vegetable oil (not healthy), I use coconut oil or palm shortening (healthy). I do understand that people have allergies to things I am saying are healthier for you, so it is up to you to find viable options. Palm shortening is oil extracted from palm trees. Honey or agave is much healthier than regular sugar. As you walk through a grocery store, whether it’s a Whole Foods Market or grocery tailored to organic foods or not, look around and see what all the alternatives are and don’t be afraid. You’ll end up enjoying the decision.

For every ailment, there is a medicine. For every medicine there is a substitute. For every medicine and substitute, there is an organic counterpart. Medicines are often processed to cure more than one illness, while not curing the entire illness. For example, during the flu season, people often get runny noses, sour throats, and ear infections. These sicknesses often work hand in hand with one another. Organic remedies may include, but are not limited to, vitamins and foods that increase immune systems. The point of this article is to inform people, that organic foods are just more effective, if not more effective than regular foods.