by Maggie Mae

Created on: January 14, 2009   Last Updated: January 28, 2009

I began buying organic food for my daughter when she began eating baby food. I did not want her to have all of the harmful pesticides, hormones, and additives that are found in so many products. I have read articles about the possible link of many health issues to foods that are not organic. Here is what I have found.

First, meat is completely different. I have noticed that chickens that have not had antibiotics, growth hormones, and were fed a vegan diet are so much juicier, softer and tastier than regular supermarket chickens. The beef is a completely different taste. My daughter loves organic steak at 14 months old. It is more tender than what I used to buy. I read on the following website http://www.organicconsumers.org/Toxic/hormoncancer.c fm that residual hormones in beef may lead to earlier menstruation in girls, which in turn may increase the risk of breast cancer. I do not want to potentially harm my daughter in any way. Butter and cheese are other items that we buy organic just to avoid the hormones. When my daughter starts to drink milk, we will definitely buy organic milk.

As for produce, I have purchased sweet potatoes both frozen and fresh. The frozen were horrible. The fresh were fine. I buy frozen peas, green beans, corn and a medley. They are delicious, much better than from a can. I have not been able to tell a major difference from regular frozen vegetables to the organic, but just knowing that there are no pesticides makes me feel better. I buy fresh, organic pears and oranges, but do not sense a major taste difference in the flesh part of the fruit, but the skin is better on the organic pears. I have not tried frozen berries yet. I have a bag in my freezer to try soon.

I have just recently purchased a bag of rice, macaroni and cheese by a famous label, and other pasta. I love the pasta. The whole-wheat pasta I ate recently was great. It was not as starchy as regular pasta. Again, conventional whole-wheat pasta does not taste much different. One important note is that the organic sauce does taste different. The organic of a famous label has a stronger more defined taste than the conventional sauce. I used the same traditional variety in both the organic and conventional and recommend the organic. As for my daughter, she loves organic waffles with organic butter and organic strawberry jam. That is all we have tried in the line of starches and carbohydrates.

In conclusion, organic meats are definitely worth the money you will spend on them. Believe me when I say that it is quite expensive. For example, I just purchased strip steak for my daughter. It was $27 a pound. Ouch on the budget, but knowing I will not put her in harms way is worth it. I am actually in the process of looking for a local farmer who feeds his animals a vegan diet, no hormones or antibiotics. The price will probably be better. Organic butter is much more than regular butter. I was shocked. I am thankful that we do not consume that much butter. The cheese also costs a bit more. The frozen vegetables are not much more than the conventional. The organic fruit is a shocker as well. It is almost twice the price of regular fruit. It also depends on your market. I have found that one local store is $1 more a pound for organic pears than a bigger store. That is a big difference. It pays to shop around. If you are a person concerned about what you eat, my advice is to buy organic meat, cheese, and fruit. Most pastas and vegetables, especially the potatoes, are fine to buy conventional. It is up to what your taste buds prefer, you deem to be healthy, and your budget.

Learn more about this author, Maggie Mae.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.