I have had a few people ask me if my family is only eating ORGANIC food. Well I don't know? What exactly makes something organic?
So I looked up a definition for organic and this is what I got:
Organic Food – A Definition
Organic farming means that food has been grown and transported without chemical pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, or other additives, on land that conforms to the standards of an organic certification board. In the United States, it's the U.S. Department of Agriculture that controls the approval process for a farm's produce to be labeled "organic," while other countries like Japan and Australia have their own organic standards and regulatory bodies.
What this means is that organic meat, dairy, fruits, and vegetables can only legally be called "organic" if the farm they come from has been checked and certified to produce organic food.
If produce, meats, poultry or milk products are called organic, it means fewer chemical additives (which have been linked to hormone disruption, cancer, and other diseases) and, usually, higher vitamin and mineral content, which is all to the good. Packaged foods, however, are a different story.
Read more at Suite101: What Does Organic Food Really Mean?: The Definition of Organic Farming, Produce and Health Food http://holistic-nutrition.suite101.com/article.cfm/what_does_organic_food_really_mean#ixzz0lmrygQe0
So after reading this definition the answer is no we don't eat only organic food. My basic plan for my family is to homecook every meal without using any of the harmful chemicals that are found in all the processed food. And yes, I said homecook everything. This doesn't mean I spend all day in the kitchen because with three kids and a very hectic schedule I don't have time for that. I try to devote about an hour a day to cooking (I don't count the time that something is in the oven). Its actually a lot easier than it sounds. I try at least two new recipes a week and most of my meals make enough for us to eat for a couple of days.
And no you don't have to give up any of your favorite meals. You can make almost anything from scratch thanks to the wonderful internet. I just type in a meal I would like to make and look for a recipe to make it from scratch. So far it hasn't been a problem to make the meals at all and I actually enjoy my cooking now. I also try to let the kids help me out as much as possible which they love.
No we are not a vegan family either, someone has asked me that too. I think if I tried to turn my family vegan I would be divorced and leaving in a cardboard box somewhere. But we do get our meat from Chris' cousin who farm raises a few cows every year for the family and our poultry comes from Whole Foods until I can find somewhere else to get them from.
So that is it in a nutshell. I guess I can't call us organic but we are eating healthier.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
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