My eleven-year-old son was recently tasked with writing a “How-to” essay for his fifth grade language arts class. The topic he chose? “How to Live an Organic Lifestyle.” He asked me a few questions, wrote a draft or two, then typed it all up and stapled it into a beautiful cardboard cover. His teacher was happy, although she did make a couple structural suggestions, which we’ve incorporated here. I asked for permission to share it with my readers and he said, “Uh, sure.” In case you wanted to know:
How to Live an Organic Lifestyle by my fifth-grade blogging partner
“To live a successful organic life, you need to know what organic means and where to find organic foods. Being organic is a lifestyle choice. It also means eating healthier and not eating processed foods.
First, you need to know why you are eating organic. My reason is my mom. She was having stomach pains so she went to a doctor, a nutritionist and a naturopath. Finally she found out she was allergic to bananas, wheat and sugar cane.
After you do that, you need to know where to find organic foods. You should start by deciding if you want your own garden to produce your own organic food. You could also try to find a health food store near you. Lastly, you should get a recipe book so you can make more of your own organic foods to share with your family.
Most importantly, what’s going to easily get you through this is the support of your family.”
It should be noted that in our house, the term “organic” is frequently used to denote all foods that are not packaged in cellophane. Still, he got what is perhaps the most important point absolutely right: Changing your eating habits – or making any healthy lifestyle change – is much, much, much easier if you have the support of your family.
On some days, we are all on the bandwagon. It can be fun, searching the produce aisle for organic apples and grapes and carrots. Other days, “organic” is used to denote ridicule or even rejection. As in, “Are those the good brownies, or the organic ones?” Good meaning, loaded with gluten and refined sugar.
Ahh.
Living the organic lifestyle can indeed be a challenge. Popular culture, school lunches and the supermarket shelves are mostly working against us. Still, everything I read – and my own digestive track – tells me it is worth pursuing. And while there are many healthy eating strategies that we employ in our family, buying organic is an important starting point.
If you want to bring healthier foods to your own family’s dinner table, but haven’t had the time to research what buying organic really means, here are the basics.
Organic Food 101: What Every Parent Should Know
What “organic” really means: The USDA National Organic Program has a specific definition...
“Organic food is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations. Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones. Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation.”
The USDA Organic seal means the food in question has been produced under controlled conditions that are inspected and certified. Terms such as “all natural”, “no GMO’s” (genetically modified organisms) or “hormone free” may bring goodness at some level, but they don’t bring a government guarantee.
And what’s up with the sewage sludge, for goodness’ sake??
Why the label is important: When you are browsing the shelves in your local supermarket, read your labels carefully.
As per the USDA, “100% Organic” means just that – all the ingredients in the product you are looking at are organic. The standalone term “Organic” means that at least 95% of the product’s ingredients are organic. “Made with Organic Ingredients” means the product contains a minimum of 70% organic ingredients.
If the product doesn’t make the 70% standard, but still includes some organic ingredients, you can usually find those in the ingredients listing on the back of the package.
The Dirty Dozen and the Clean Fifteen: You may find that your family’s favorite fruits and veggies are more expensive when you buy organic. If this is a problem for you, consider focusing your organic shopping dollars on the products that tend to have the most pesticide residues.
The Environmental Working Group makes this easy for you with their research. Check out their “Shoppers Guide to Pesticides,” where you can learn about the Dirty Dozen – the common fruits and vegetables found to be most contaminated, on average. If you sign up for their newsletter, you can receive an iPhone app or PDF guide to take along on your shopping adventures.
The Clean Fifteen fall at the other end of the spectrum. Of the produce tested, these are the items with the least pesticide residue – perhaps your best choice, if you cannot purchase organic.
Organic farmers are not magicians: Just a gentle reminder. Being organic does not make a food that is inherently bad for you suddenly okay. Organic sugar is still sugar. Ditto for wheat, soy and dairy products. That 100% Organic cereal, floating in a bowl of 100% Organic milk, might be pesticide- and hormone-free, but it could still be loaded with gluten, refined sugar, lactose, etc.
Remember, God is in the details... which in this case means, read the ingredient labels!
Recommended Reading:
Still have lots of questions? Here are some great choices that will help you make informed, healthy decisions for your family.
Maybe start with Cindy Burke's, To Buy or Not to Buy Organic: What You Need to Know to Choose the Healthiest, Safest, Most Earth-Friendly Food. It is an easy read that will walk you through the terminology and politics of organic food – with lots of great shopping advice to guide you.
Next up? Food to Live By: The Earthbound Farm Organic Cookbook, by Myra Goodman, co-owner (with her husband) of Earthbound Farm, “the world’s largest grower and purveyor of organic produce.” Loaded with personal stories, luscious recipes and gorgeous color photographs, you will drool over this one. Truly.
Related Posts:
For more ideas on how to incorporate healthy eating strategies in your family's diet, check out,"How to Get Your Kids Excited About Vegetables (Really!)" and "5 Ways to Boost Your Child's Self-Esteem with Mindful Eating."
Sources:
United States Department of Agriculture. Alternative Farming Systems Information Center.
“Shoppers Guide to Pesticides.” Environmental Working Group.
“Organic foods: Are they safer? More nutritious?” Mayo Clinic staff at MayoClinic.com
