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Going natural vs. going all-the-way organic.

by Jenny Meade

April 14, 2009

There wasn't much conversation about going organic back in 2000 when I had my first baby.  But in 2004 we moved to California, and by then the trend toward organic was in full swing, at least at there.  And by the time we moved back to the Midwest two years later, organic was all the rage here, too.  It's hard now to read a parenting magazine online or anywhere that doesn't have some sort category for organic foods.

Not that there's anything wrong with that.  But sometimes, what's good in theory is harder in real life, especially when you have really picky eaters, not to mention a limited budget. 

 Aimee in Denver has a guest post today about going organic, and has some great tips.  But here's a tip from my point of view - sometimes focusing on the "natural" vs. "organic" can be just as good, and usually easier to achieve.  So in the name of baby steps, here's some ideas:

• The easiest way to start with organics is with fresh produce. You can make the trip to your local Saturday morning farmer's market (fun for the kids!) or just focus on the organic produce side of the aisle in your supermarket. Fresh fruits and vegetables that would normally absorb pesticides easily are a great place to start - things like strawberries, peaches and bell peppers. But watch out, because organic produce tends to not last as long as non-organic produce, a little side-problem of having no chemicals being sprayed on them. And in these cases, even though it's more expensive, you're better off to buy smaller packages that you can use before they go bad.

• Costco Milk - Costco's Kirkland Signature brand milk is hormone free, without the certification of organic.   While there has been no proof that cows injected with growth hormones are dangerous in any way, if you're simply trying to hold down the number of chemicals in the food you eat, this is a good start. Most grocery store brands now provide a milk that is RBST free as an alternative, but at Costco, it costs about half as much.
• Newman's Own products - Paul Newman started Newman's Own food company as a charity organization, with salad dressings, and focused on all-natural ingredients.  They started a separate company in 1993 for Newman's Own Organics, but nonetheless, the original line still makes an effort to use natural ingredients that are more widely available. 
• Walmart has a line of organic goods that are pretty easy on the pocketbook.  Love 'em or hate 'em, Walmart knows how to provide their customers with what they want, and organic foods are on everybody's radar these days.

However you choose to manage your shopping, the one thing none of us need is more stress when making shopping decisions for our families. So remember, you can always start with really baby-steps, and just go for the organic chocolate.