Weddingbee boards

I definitely try for local above certified organic, especially when it comes to produce, but for anything processed, going with organic is virtually the only way to guarantee that it won't have GMO ingredients. I am very concerned with GMO foods. (lol @ the organic water though, btw.. :)

I think “organic” and “natural” have become buzzwords and too many people assume if they see a label that says organic or natural, or shop at Whole Foods, whatever they buy is good for them. Yesterday at the grocery store I saw some dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets that had “100% all natural!!!” splashed across the front. All natural...really?

I try to eat real organic food when possible, but I’m most concerned with eating real food overall.

I try to buy as much of my veggies as possible from our local farmers market, and I’m a CSA member, but of course I have to buy out of season fruits and veggies at the grocery store. I also try to buy only small/local/humanly farmed meat for ethical reasons, and because honestly, local chicken tastes about 182926834 times better than Tyson chicken.

I live in Ohio and where I am located, there are a ton of local options - which ultimately end up being much lower priced.  We buy our groceries at a local health food/market store.  We focus on trying to pick healthier options - whole grain/ unbleached/ no HFCS breads, local cage-free brown eggs (yes, for some reason I prefer brown over white...), naturally raised "low fat" meat, etc.  Some is certified organic, and other products are just local.  I'm fine with either.

Having said that, I grew up with parents who were consciencious about what we ate.  Our neighbors were farmers and old order amish.  We bought produce from them all summer long.  We basically only ate meat that we raised ourselves.

@Opus: That's just not true.  Where did you hear that?  Take a look at these statistics. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_farming#Productivity_and_profitability. The UN disagrees.  A more serious issue we have right now is the amount of land being diverted to growing crops for farmed animals to eat.  It takes an outrageous amount of land (among other resources) to grow food for farmed animals, compared to how much people-ready food we could get out of the same amount of land.

I eat organic whenever possible.  The danger of the chemicals in non-organic food is a bit uncertain, but so much research strongly suggests that much of it may be dangerous, and I'm not really interested in ingesting things that will kill me.  The toll on the environment is much more of a concern for me.  I don't just eat organic, I buy organic anything whenever possible.  Cotton sheets, t-shirts, household cleaners, etc.  Healthy immediate living environment and healthier planet at large.  Planet earth is a beautiful thing and I do what I can to keep it that way.  Honestly, I don't find it to be any more expensive really.  From early spring-November, we have an amazing CSA that sent us more veggies than we could ever eat in a week without prepping and freezing stuff, and for way less than it would have cost to go out and buy a normal week's worth of non-organic stuff at the supermarket.  In the winter, Trader Joe's keeps us solid.  

@cbee: Yeah, I am always hesitant to comment on threads I know I feel a bit too strongly about and could probably write a book on...because I don't have time to write a book, complete with citations haha. But I just had to jump in.  Basically to say, where there's a will, there's a way.  I find eating vegetarian to generally be really cheap, and eating organic to be pretty affordable.  I was discussing food budgets with my friend who lives down the street from me and cooks for her and her boyfriend, just like I cook for me and FI, and we spend less than she does, even though I prioritize organics and she...doesn't.  I'm also pretty damn certain our food is healthier AND tastier, but that just could be because she's not a particularly good cook. :P  It just takes a bit of looking around to find the best sources for economical purchases, but the time I spent doing that was so worth it.

I also TOTALLY agree on the vinegar.  I use it for just about everything but cleaning the tub and toilet and dishes.  The smell usually dissipates within an hour, and it kills bacteria and leaves everything so shiny and clean.  And a bottle costs like 50 cents.  You can't beat that.

@WifeofBath: Yeah, in my suburban Philadelphia college town, literally the ONLY place to shop is our co-op.  And Whole Foods is WAY cheaper than the co-op! I always stop when I'm in Philly or New York to load up on things I like to have around, like pastas and spices and stuff, that are cheaper there.