What Organic Foods and Products Do You Buy/Consume?

[Ax01]

ok there was a sale over the weekend and i bought 2 cartons of organic eggs. i don't buy alotta organic products b/c of it's premium pricing but will if something is on sale. what about u? what organic stuff do u buy and eat/drink? what are your favs? is it really better for u? is it better for the animals? environment? is it a scam?

also do u think it tastes better? i could tell the difference in organic milk and other dairy products and eggs. i think i can tell the difference in organic carrots and chicken but it's been awhile since i had some. i think organic products taste not natural, but i dunno the word - maybe "wholesome" .

anyways what do u think?


Edit: Bonus Question: do u also like gluten free options? (that is if it's not a dietary need, but your choice.)

Edit2: also organic Banana's. probably my fav. they taste better.

[Bogertophis]

For me the biggest taste difference is in grass-fed organic beef. I don't eat much beef but if I do, it's from our local health food store.
I buy chicken & eggs there too & most produce (other than tomatoes, which I grow a TON of organically...could almost live on good tomatoes).

Eggs: there are some brands that imply better than they actually do. For ex.- 'free range' sounds great but they can be over-crowded in an
outside pen too. As consumers insist on better info & rules, I think suppliers will improve. Look at the companies like Tyson that are getting
on the bandwagon for no using hormones, etc. Even Walmart carries more organic produce now.

For me, it's not only about taste difference but what is better for us (no hormones, causing resistant pathogens in us), what's better for the
earth (pesticides & other chemicals all end up polluting ground water, harming wildlife & killing bees that are essential to pollinate our crops),
and what's better for the animals: it's not just cruelty issues, though that's important; but cattle, for example, weren't "designed" to eat grain,
yet people feed it to them to fatten them quickly, but it makes them less healthy than their natural grass diet, so then they need antibiotics so
they aren't too sick to sell...and feedlots are gross too! Many years ago my boyfriend had his own plane & we happened to fly over "Egg City"
in California. I don't get air sick but the stink, SO FAR above that nasty place, almost made me hurl! There is a lot of cruelty in 'factory farming'.

I'm not big on pork either, but the local health food store carries Beelers uncured ham...it's the best ham I've ever eaten. I love BLT's but I
haven't eaten real bacon in decades: I much prefer Morningstar Farms (soy based, easy to make, no mess & better for you). I also like Boca
Burgers (soy) instead of ground beef. (by the time I put onions & pickles & all on a burger, a Boca Burger tastes close enough for me...and like
the fake bacon, it's easy to make quickly & without all the mess, & better for you).

If you like yogurt, look for Brown Cow brand (non GMO), it's awesomely good! (cherry-vanilla, etc) I buy organic milk for sure!
If you like or need gluten-free, try Bob's Red Mill gluten-free brownie mix...you won't miss a thing, they're perfect. (I usually don't buy gluten free)
If you like marinated artichoke hearts (in salad, or on pizza?) you might also like 'Lemon-Garlic Jackfruit' from the Jackfruit Company- also great
on pasta! (it's gluten free too, with a "meat like texture" & excellent source of fiber- it's refrigerated & ready to eat hot or cold)

Bottom line: I eat what I like but with healthier options always in mind. I love salads, & prefer to make my own. (ordered in restaurants have the
most risk of contamination- many used 'bagged salads') I like kale...it's very good for you but an acquired taste. I eat it raw on the side with spicy-
sweet foods like Mexican dishes. It's also very good as a cooked vegetable- esp. if you add some sweet corn halfway thru the cooking time- it really
sweetens it up, balances the flavor & even looks pretty.

TMI-?

[zina10]

I simply agree with everything Bogertophis says and does.

Well, I don't grow my own tomatoes, but I wish I could.

I can't buy regular milk anymore, the difference in taste is simply huge.

[Spechal]

Kosher meats have always tasted better to me and due to the religious aspects, they are treated better and killed much more humanely and therefore doesn’t release a lot of the fear based hormones that are produced when an animal is killed by traditional means. When I euthanized nice for my snakes, they often wouldn’t be too happy about it because the mouse does struggle when it dies through essentially asphyxiation via CO2. Growing my own greens is often a bit of a pain due to various butterflies and slugs, but are all pesticide free and my dragon will eat them over store bought any day. Organic is legit, but also a fad. Hydroponics are now eligible to be marked as organic too, just beware that it’s not the same as ground grown and therefore the products used may not have to be organic, just naturally made and that’s a whole grey area too ... I can naturally make things by combining various naturally occurring chemicals. I did organic growing for a bit before hydro was approved and it’s a lot different. In the US, it’s illegal to feed hormones to poultry, so the claims are more of a mandate and on the package to make you feel better; just look at the asterisk and the fine print associated with it. Eggs from local people are better too, the yolks are almost “hemi orange” whereas store bought are yellow. I’m sure there is more, but home grown organic, live feeding happy rodents and local farmer eggs and kosher meats are my top picks. I’ve never done the raw milk thing and it’s illegal in many states.


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[Spechal]

Re: edit of OP.

My son if GF and I prefer GF as it’s often made from better products than soy flour, which has all but replaced wheat flour. There are usually no additives or high fructose corn syrup or food dyes. Several food dyes are banned from other countries and are mostly petroleum based IIRC. Even food grade. Yellow #5 is a carcinogen and Red #40 affects our ADD/ADHD.


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[artgecko]

In my local area it is hard to find / buy organic products and when you do find them, they are usually 2-4x the price of their non-organic counterparts. Due to this, I don't buy organic products often. I do buy organic veggies for my birds and insect colony / feeders.

We have a local farmers market that I will go to and get organic goats milk and cheese from and it is good, but we don't go too often because the market is not convenient.

I do prefer the taste of organic meats (grassfed beef, hormone free chicken) but can't say I notice a big difference in veggies.

If I had my choice, I'd do all organic, but cost and availability are just too large of a factor for me.

I try to limit gluten consumption just by avoiding a lot of processed foods. I've also recently taken a liking to quinoa and now use it as a grain for meals instead of rice.

I do not care for soy or soy products (don't like the texture or taste) and I feel it is being over-used, just like corn is, in many people's diets. IMO too much of any one thing is not good. I don't think I've ever had a soy product that I liked the taste of. :/