Healthy Eating and why I choose mostly organic...

Over the past few months, I have had countless conversations with friends and family members who are trying to navigate through their belief system of what healthy eating is. We read books and articles, overhear conversations, and see news segments and documentaries... but still there lingers questions between all the floating theories over what we should and should not eat. Where does this leave us? Often confused. Trying to sort out between organic, local and seasonal shopping... low carb, high protein, vegetarian, non-dairy diets. The list goes on and on.

It may take me a few posts to sort this out... heck, I may not figure it out for a while. But I am committed to my husband and daughter to find the healthiest, livable solution for eating well.

I'll start with what I have come to a conclusion on. I do buy organic when shopping for certain produce and I do buy all organic dairy products. Much of why I have chosen to go this route comes from my educational background in Dietetics. One basic belief I gained through my learning is that, no matter the confusion brought on by todays society, it all comes back to this: the best diet points back to "real" and natural foods (i.e., non-processed, not genetically modified and not contaminated with harmful toxins).

So, for those who still aren't clear on what "organic" means here's a basic definition: Organic means that they do not use synthetic chemical fertilizers or genetically modified organisms to influence the growth of the crops. These farmers do not use artificial fertilizers or harmful chemical pesticides to help them grow. Organic ranchers and dairymen raise their livestock free of antibiotics and hormones. Checkout this website full of information on Organic living:

http://www.living-organic.net

All of this helps ensure that my family doesn't get exposed to extra toxins just by eating. Another influence that pushed me to buy organic dairy products is a little less scientific. My mom is a first-grade teacher in a low-income school district in Oregon. When I was pregnant with my daughter, she told me that she couldn't believe it... but she had had two of her female students start their period that year! Yes, I said 6 to 7 year olds... starting their periods! I learned from some of my education, that girls were starting their periods earlier and earlier than they used to years ago... but first grade? I'm sure their are many factors that go into this occurring, but the extra hormones we get in our animal products are not helping prevent such a premature event from happening.

Preventative measures to maintain our health makes sense to me and for our family that includes buying certain products that are organic. Now if I could decide the best way to purchase organic and local meat...