Be Organic! B-E Organic!

Organic foods weren't popular when I was younger.  We had one health food store which kept moving locations because they could never pay their rent.  For a short time we could order seasonal produce from a local purveyor, but I think we were the only family who opted in.  We lived in a small town and not many people were really on board with the organic movement at that time.  As a kid, I was heinously embarrassed by anything in the house that wasn't Kool-Aid, Little Debbie or Kraft.  I couldn't realize or appreciate the fact my parents were trying to put something better on the table than high fructose corn syrup, pesticides and FD&C Red #40.

Now that I have a few years' distance from the "assimilate, resistance is futile" days of young adulthood, organic produce is a hot-button issue.  Buying organic is now a status symbol.  You aren't somebody unless you shop and eat organically.  And while you might not want to listen to your co-worker's diatribe on the virtues of leading an organic lifestyle, they aren't wrong.

Pesticides are creepy and you shouldn't eat them.  That should go without saying.  We were taught at a very young age that you don't eat products that are designed to kill.

Anyone else remember this?

Like most people these days, I'm looking to get the best value for my dollar.  I know I've been one to pass up the organic aisle at the grocery store because I didn't consider it cost effective.  I wash my fruits and vegetables before cooking them or eating them, I filter my water, everything's good, right?  Well, not so much it seems. Organic.org and The Environmental Working Group have compiled lists about the most notorious offenders.  I was shocked to realize a good amount of the fresh produce we buy and eat are highly contaminated!  

The World Health Organization tells us that "Long-term exposure to pesticides can increase the risk of developmental and reproductive disorders, immune-system disruption, endocrine disruption, impaired nervous-system function, and development of certain cancers. Children are at higher risk from exposure than are adults"  That's scary stuff, you guys.  I can't bury my head in sand about this and I can't keep up with the Joneses when that means putting myself and my family at risk for things like reproductive disorders and cancer.  Grapes aren't worth all that!

Grocery shopping day is Wednesday, we can't stand shopping on the weekend, so this week we'll be making a new traffic pattern in the grocery store.  This week it is out with the "dirty dozen," and in with safer and healthier produce.  While it may cost a bit more now, it will do far more good in the long run.

  

Nutritionally Negative

This past long holiday weekend the husband and I traveled out of state for a wedding.  Weddings are a perfect time to really let your hair down and live it up.  Unfortunately, it's also a time to overindulge.  Doubly so because during the weeks leading up to the wedding, if you're like me, you watch what you eat like a hawk so as not to be an embarrassment in the photos that will never ever die.  Triply so when said wedding takes place where you grew up and in close proximity to familiar (but no longer easily accessible) foods.  Quadruply so when you add family and the traditional area wedding cookie tables into the mix.  And so on and so on and so on.

All of this over-indulging leads me to my newest personal eating discovery: nutritionally negative foods.  Have you ever gone to breakfast, indulging in the gloriously decadent or notoriously greasy offerings, only to feel hungry and unfulfilled a mere thirty minutes later?  Have you ever stopped in for a sandwich brimming with luscious meats and cheeses on fluffy white bread and then felt as if you didn't eat anything shortly thereafter?  Me too.  After plowing through more cookies than I have fingers on which to count them, eating a breakfast that was delicious but devoid of nourishment, and wolfing down sandwiches lacking sustenance, I was hungry.  Really, truly hungry.  One of the good things to come out of my "I will not look like a stuffed sausage" mantra pre-wedding, was that I was able to identify honestly substantial grub.  I made quinoa salads and ate whole fruits.  Lean chicken breast and grilled fish were the entrees du jour.  Anything less than 64 ounces of water in a day just wouldn't do.  I banished excess salt and limited sugars to just a bit of Splenda if the need arose.*

Given my strict adherance to a healthier way of living, why did I fall back into bad habits?  Probably because I felt I deserved a treat...or 15.  We all do deserve a pat on the back for putting ourselves and healthy living as a priority.  But eating junk mindlessly is no reward.  Who, after much dedication and progress, rewards themselves with a kick in the teeth? 

It feels very good to get back into the swing of things, but I can already see the storm on the horizon brewing.  It's a birthday weekend this weekend full of all the cake, drinks, and dinners out that come with it.  I'll be posting some healthy, filling and nutrtionally sound recipes this week partly as a reminder to myself to eat conscientously and partly if I need a penance for my misdeeds.

* Sugar, artificial sweeteners, agave, HFCS, honey, stevia, etc. are a whole other bag of cats.  The pros and cons of which warrant a post unto themselves.  We'll get there, promise!