Are your kids organic?

Well, organic or not, eating an entire box of cereal in one sitting is generally not healthy.

We do organic dairy and Kashi cereals. Is Kashi organic? I'm not sure but my son LOVES Kashi. I'm not a fan of the after effects of 7 grams of fiber in one sitting- especially considering he still poops in diapers- but his colon will thank him one day.

Here is a good article on when to buy organic and when to skimp:

http://money.cnn.com/2006/01/09/pf/organic_food/index.htm

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Amanda - thanks for the article. We try and buy all organic foods but I've wondered which are actually better than others or in other words, worth the additional cost. No more organic bananas for us - they go bad quickly.

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As an aside, health concerns are not the only reason to buy organic. My main reason is also working conditions for the people producing the food. Take a look at the UFW website, but pesticides are a lot more dangerous for the underpaid workers who we depend upon for our food.

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I generally don't buy organic veggies but I do like to buy prepackaged organic food as they seem to be more careful about their ingredients. No HFCS or lots of extra stuff I can't pronounce. I just get stuff here and there, like toddler crackers or cookies, or the Annie's stuff.

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We sometimes buy chocolate organic cereal for a treat, but now that is is autumn I generally try to just feed them locally produced porridge oats (or oatmeal as you'd call it - we live in Scotland) which are economical, and healthy. You can top that with fruit, maple syrup, or a whole host of other things. We also have things like wholemeal toast with lots of toppings. I tend to stay away from cold cereals for everyday breakfast as they aren't that economical - and they cost less here than in the US.

My organic rules - I only buy organic meat, cheese, milk etc. I have issues with how animals are treated, as well as with feeding my family growth hormones etc. I also buy main staples we eat all the time organic - like bread.

I try to buy loally produced fruit and veg if possible. I only buy organic bananas because the fungicieds they use on normal bananas can be dangerous for youngsters.

I am helped in all this by the fact that organic produce and food her in Europe costs less than in the US. (My orgnic milk only costs 10% more than normal milk, my organic bread does not cost anymore than normal bread, and less than some types.)

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oh, I meant to say that I do find organic meat expensive but it has just meant we cut back on that a bit and eat more vegetarian meals and healthy fish. :)

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Heather,

I know how you feel. Organic ketchup costs 75% more than regular, and at some point you just want to hit yourself in the face with how out of hand this movement seems to have gotten.

However, I'd like to point out that the commenter half brilliant, half way off.

The point about the underpaid, slowly poisoned workers is spot on.

The point about only eating organic if you have health problems is a truly large oversight. Organic farming not only imposes tighter regulations on pesitcides, genetic modification, etc, but also requires farmers to farm in a sustainable way that doesn't leech the soil dry of its will to produce. The regulations about crop turnover are strictly enforced, making organic grains a globally responsible way to feed your family. There are also restrictions on the size of organic farms in order to keep standards high and mass distraction low.

So I get it. 3.75 a box is a lot. But the rate at which we are consuming the globe is alarming, and whenever I want to break down and buy the damn cheaper option, I remind myself that paying a small price now is far preferable to paying a potentially disastrous one later. Think about the world your children and grandchild will grow old in. It's worth it.

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