Going Organic

[Cheryl-C]

After being compelled, thanks to the gluten issue, to read every single word on every label on every package in the store, I have decided it is time to start making the change to organic. I'm sick of reading ingredients I can't identify, or even pronounce. I'm tired of artificial this and fake that ... ugh. I can't take it anymore!

So, where do I begin? I'm interested in growing vegetables rather than buying them, but as it is December in Toronto, I have a feeling that will have to wait until spring. Though, I did read somewhere about growing tomatoes indoors all year around - anyone try that?

How many people here do organic, or as much organic as possible? Any secrets of success? All tips and ideas are welcome!

[codetalker]

How many people here do organic, or as much organic as possible? Any secrets of success? All tips and ideas are welcome!

I've switched to organic-only and find it much simpler than the gluten-free diet. The local grocery has an organic section for fruits and vegetables. There is also a specialty grocery nearby which offers a comprehensive selection of organic products. Packaged foods can be identified as organic by the government specified organic logo. I'm in the U.S. so I checked to see if Canada has something similar. It does, as do several other countries. Click on the following link to see a Wikipedia article that shows the Canada logo.

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I started eating organic when I discovered it was part of the solution to additional food reactions I was having. Certain foods were causing something under the right-side of my jaw to swell. Swallowing would become difficult. There would also be severe horseness. Eggs, dairy and corn were causing this along this several other foods. I happened to notice one day that the local grocery was offering frozen organic corn. I tried it and discovered I did not get the reaction described above. Later, I tried organic dairy and eggs (i.e. eggs from hens fed organic feed). Same thing; no reaction. The remarkable thing is that if I switch back to non-organic dairy / eggs, the reaction comes right back. It's very reliable and predictable.

With all the environmental contamination nowadays, organic is really a necessity. Two books worth reading are:

Slow Death by Rubber Duck, Rick Smith

Our Stolen Future, Dr. Theo Colburn

Hope this helps.

[Juliebove]

Keep in mind that if you are going to grow truly organic, you'll need to use organic seeds, soil, fertilizer, etc. I didn't do that. I used regular seeds and soil, I did use some Miracle Grow fertilizer, but I didn't use any more chemicals.

I have a kitchen garden window. I have tried to grow herbs, lettuce and tomatoes with varying degrees of success. Sadly in the winter it just seems to get too cold in there. I have heard good things about the Aerogarden. I just don't have a big enough kitchen to put any in.

We buy mainly organic. Organic produce and meats when we can. Organic sugar. But I can't afford to buy everything organic, nor is it feasible for me. When I do have the option though, I usually go organic.

[Cheryl-C]

Thank you both for the insights! I'll admit to feeling a little overwhelmed, as there is so much information out there. In fact, it's reminding of me of when I first went gluten-free ... that feeling off "too much information" swirling around.

Codetalker, thank you for the book names; I will definitely be looking into those. Hopefully a post-Christmas book sale at my favourite online bookstore will help me out! Also, I was interested in what you mentioned about your throat. That's something that's happened to me on and off since I was a teenager, and whenever I mentioned it to anyone, they would tell me I wasn't paying attention to my food. I always wondered if there was more to it, maybe.

Julieabove, the Aerogarden looks awesome! I found their Canadian website and checked it out. It's a little pricey, but for the winter months when growing outdoors is not an option, that's really nice. I still have a little homework to do, but it's a good place to start. With respect to growing herbs and things on the kitchen table - were there herbs that were especially successful? I have a big kitchen window. It's north-facing, but gets an amazing amount of sun and heat. Did you just plant them in containers or did you buy something pre-fabricated? How did you get started?

[codetalker]

Also, I was interested in what you mentioned about your throat. That's something that's happened to me on and off since I was a teenager, and whenever I mentioned it to anyone, they would tell me I wasn't paying attention to my food. I always wondered if there was more to it, maybe.

The throat problem took over 3 yrs to figure out and deal with. The solution was more than just eating organic.

The reaction is extremely well-defined, predictable and reproducible. The neck swelling is not generalized. There is a particular mass of tissue under the right side of my jaw that swells up. The best I could figure out is that it is the submandibular saliva gland. There is difficulty swallowing. The hoarseness is most severe after the offending food is removed and the swelling is starting to subside.

Using my gluten-free diet skills, I gradually determined that the following caused the problem: soy, legumes, nuts, corn, potatoes, yams (but not true sweet potatoes), eggs, chicken, dairy, olives, cinnamon. Add this to the gluten-free diet plus the acid reflux diet (no tea, coffee, citrus, chocolate, fatty foods, etc.), my food choices were limited to say the least.

As a footnote, the cinnamon was a head scratcher until I found several web pages that said that most of the cinnamon in the U.S. is typically not

[codetalker]

Codetalker, thank you for the book names; I will definitely be looking into those. Hopefully a post-Christmas book sale at my favourite online bookstore will help me out!

The books I read were borrowed from the local library.

After I retired, I had the time and desire to read more. However, there was the issue do I keep buying books and filling up my book shelves or do I buy an e-reader. Then one day, I had a head-slap moment and thought, why not spend no money and just join the library!

[Cheryl-C]

I would be interested in hearing about your experiences. You are the only person I

[Cypressmyst]

I buy organic as much as possible. I don't like pesticides seeping into my body and the taste is not even a comparison.

But it is $$$

It kills us at the grocery store. But I absolutely do not want to compromise on this. This is my health. I do without in other areas to make it happen. Plus in the long run it is saving me money and suffering. It is just a matter of taking that long term view.

Always hold the long term view.

[codetalker]

Wow, your issue sounds a lot more severe than mine has ever been. Once in a while I go to swallow and it's like my throat gets stuck for a moment. There's a brief "I'm going to choke" moment and then everything is fine again. It sounds like you've gone through a lot to get to the point of stopping it - I'm going to start paying attention more often, in case I can discover some kind of trigger. Thanks for your input!

I've experienced that on accasion. Once I got serious about avoiding foods that aggravated my acid reflux though, the problem went away.

[GlutenGladi8or]

But it is $$$

I will admit that I am a bit biased on this, but it truly makes sense. I used to be a senior executive at the nation's second largest All Natural/Organic frozen foods company. With that said, make sure that you choose FROZEN organic fruits and vegetables in addition to fresh. They have a tendency to be more affordable than fresh, and you just open as needed.

I'm not recommending that you replace your fresh with frozen, it's just an option that will make your organic shopping more affordable.

PS - I have been 100% organic for more than 5 years. It's worth every cent... especially when you're savvy about how you find the deals in the store.

[Alison R]

Also, one more note.

If you can't afford to go organic on everything, start with things that you can't wash chemicals off of (meat, dairy, etc) and things that grow in the ground.

For instance, going organic on your onions and potatoes has a bigger effect than going organic with your apples. The tree helps to filter out some of the chemicals used in farming. Not saying that the apples aren't worth it, but we have to start somewhere.

[BoydBT]

I will admit that I am a bit biased on this, but it truly makes sense. I used to be a senior executive at the nation's second largest All Natural/Organic frozen foods company. With that said, make sure that you choose FROZEN organic fruits and vegetables in addition to fresh. They have a tendency to be more affordable than fresh, and you just open as needed.

I'm not recommending that you replace your fresh with frozen, it's just an option that will make your organic shopping more affordable.

PS - I have been 100% organic for more than 5 years. It's worth every cent... especially when you're savvy about how you find the deals in the store.

Interesting......

I am doing as much organic as possible. I will buy the chicken when it goes half price due to the "Eat BY" date.

Same with the meat. I guess all fish is organic.

Another fact is just going with WHOLE FOODS. Organic if possible.

I think you guys are right on about the organic diet. Cooking is so easy and I love cooking anyway so going gluten-free if not hard for me. The fact remains that we all should eat heathy foods. Yes the cost is worth it.

Let me drop this link I found to be my wake up call.

Is frozen as good as whole foods. I mean the processing ruins the nutrients, yes no, so why eat organic frozen?

I think this woman's thoughts are unforgettable. She has changed my thinking of food.

[Alison R]

Is frozen as nutritious as fresh.......the answer to that is it depends.

If a fresh fruit or vegetable is in season where you live, the grower can pick it much later. In these cases fresh is usually more nutritious because freezing does degrade some of the nutrients - but not as much as canning does.

If a food is not in season locally, it has to be harvested much much earlier to make the trip often half way around the world. Then fresh or frozen are about the same - in fact the frozen may even be more nutritious in some of these cases.

No one is advocating that you replace fresh with frozen, but definitely replace canned with frozen if you can and if fresh is out of season, to high priced, or it isn't something you use all the time - frozen is a great option.

[tarnalberry]

One good place to start with is the dirty dozen (reported by the environmental working group, updated every year). These are the dozen produce items that are highest in pesticide residue.

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