A few months ago, I switched to eating mostly organic. I figured that if I'm going to eat fruits, vegetables, whole grains, etc. on a regular basis, I should focus on eating the highest quality foods, especially when you read about all the chemicals, pesticides, antiobiotics, etc. that get put into our food. But is it worth the added cost? Eating healthy is expensive enough to begin with, but eating organic is REALLY expensive. It started to sink in when I totalled up my monthly grocery bill. There's something wrong when someone who's single, doesn't drink, and doesn't have kids or pets is spending more per month on groceries than on his car. Yes, good health is more important than one's car, but food, even healthy food, should not be this expensive. If it's this expensive for someone like me, I'd hate to imagine what it's like for the average family.

There is so much being said and written about nutrition that it's hard to know what to believe. How much of this should be taken seriously and how much should I just dismiss as paranoia? I want to maintain a healthy lifestyle for the rest of my life and not wonder what's going to happen to me 30 years from now if I eat contaminated fruits and vegetables. So basically I have 3 questions:

1) Is organic food safer?
2) Is organic food more nutritrious?
3) Is organic food worth the extra cost?

One of my resolutions for 2006 is to get my spending under control. Going back to eating regular food and not organic food would certainly help.

Well, you're facing the same dilemma I am... I've resigned myself to doing 50/50 organic-nonorganic, because I'm only a student and only have 32 euros to spend on food AND cleaning products etc. per week. Thank God my boyfriend (who lives with me) is willing to pay whatever isn't covered by that amount.
I'm quite frustrated: I want to buy healthy food (which is more expensive) instead of junk food, I want organic foods (which are more expensive) AND I want fair trade foods (which are more expensive AND hard to find).
I wish I had a solution :(

I'm not willing to go into debt for food alone, so I'm compromising...

It is a lot more expensive to eat healthy. I have been trying to eat more "whole foods" and not so much packaged foods, but the problems I run into is the packaged foods keep so much longer, therefore you don't have to buy as frequently, and they are so much more convenient.

I am certainly no expert, but I would think eating most fruits and vegetables non-organic would be ok, as long as you wash them thoroughly. Isn't the concern with non-organic produce pesticides? As far as I know, pesticides can be washed off the skin in most cases if you wash thoroughly. I am a little more concerned with animal products, as those are the products injected with hormones and other gross stuff.

Washing helps but there are things in the food, not just on the surface. Plus, I like to buy frozen cause they're frozen as soon as they're picked whereas the fresh stuff has been travelling and sitting out for who knows how long.

But the cost is ridiculous. I'm pretty sure I'm paying at least 50% to 100% more for the organic version. Here's a list of some of the items I normally buy. I've given the prices of the organic versions followed by those of the regular versions:

A carton of orange juice - $5 ($3)
A bag of frozen blueberries - $4 ($3)
A bag of frozen spinach - $3 ($2)
A pound of wild salmon - $15 ($8)
A loaf of whole wheat bread - $4 ($2)

Just for those 5 items, $31 for the organic stuff vs. $18 for the regular stuff. That's a 72% premium! I have no doubt our contaminated food supply is a big reason why so many of us are sick, but I have to wonder if it's worth paying this much extra for food. I really hope the organic food trend picks up, if for no other than to bring costs down.

Well, everything i've read on organic food says that there is not any significant difference between organic/non-organic food, so no, it isn't worth the extra.

Well, everything i've read on organic food says that there is not any significant difference between organic/non-organic food, so no, it isn't worth the extra.

Can you point me to some reliable sources? I've read a number of articles that disputed the value of eating organic, but in almost all cases, the articles were in some way tied to groups or organizations who stand to lose if the organic movement takes off.

Can you point me to some reliable sources? I've read a number of articles that disputed the value of eating organic, but in almost all cases, the articles were in some way tied to groups or organizations who stand to lose if the organic movement takes off.
I'll admit i can't remember exactly where i got the information from. Although on a side note it would be good if you could show me anything saying organic food is significantly better.

I think eating organic is definitely worth the extra cost. I used to eat normally, then became totally aware of all the added fillers and chemicals that they're putting in, before it didn't bother me much. Yet after reading so many articles and such on the food we're eating, completely grossed me out. So I switched to organic. The best change I ever made. You're right though, it's very expensive. I'm not a big eater, so I limit my intake. For example, I'll buy a box of 24 organic active greens and Omega-3 food bars for $30, every 2 weeks. That covers breakfast and lunch since I usually skip lunch anyways. Then I'll pick up a bunch of organic veggies and salmon and make something out of that for dinner. Also, I'm used to drinking coffee in the evening so I replaced that with kefir. And if I want something sweet at night I'll just snack on organic raw fruit bars, raw trail mix that contains no grains, or organic veggie crackers and make my own veggie dip. As an example, but that's just me. I spend a little over $100 a month on mine. Taking care of your health is worth it! You don't want to be sitting in a nursing home at the age of 61 while you could be running around the block at the age of 90..lol, it makes a difference.

I switched to organic for the same reason I stopped eating fast food. Because I read what was in the food and it grossed me out. But lately I wonder if I'm just being paranoid. After all, there are plenty of people out there who eat healthy, but not organic, and they seem to be OK. I suppose I could just eat the regular stuff and wait until someone proves that organic food really is better and that regular food is unsafe. But then I worry that by the time they prove it, the damage from eating the regular stuff will have been done. And as much as I've tried to embrace organic eating, there are still a lot of ways in which I don't. For example, I go out to lunch every day and go out to dinner on the weekends. Certainly the foods they serve in restaurants isn't organic nor is the food I eat when I go to a friend's place for dinner. And while I eat organic fruits, vegetables, OJ, dairy, and whole grains, I drew the line when it came to poultry cause it was way too expensive. Maybe I'm eating organic just to give myself peace of mind. I sure can taste the difference though. So unless someone can truly convince me that eating regular food will hurt me in the long run, I think starting January 1st, I'm going back to eating regular food cause eating all organic is really killing my wallet. I'll make an exception for salmon though. And if the proof comes out that regular food is unsafe, I'll be asking my employer for a raise. Eating healthy should not be a luxury expense.

wait a minute.. im growing my own garden and, some fruit aswell.. (prunes, pears etc..).. there is a big diference in taste and quality of the fruit, vegetable.. when i eat the vegetables from the super market they taste like crap next to the ones I grow.. also the ones i grow have a more natural taste.. This is what i call organic. They taste better and, ARE better.

And if the proof comes out that regular food is unsafe, I'll be asking my employer for a raise. Eating healthy should not be a luxury expense.
That's a bit over the top isn't it? I mean, it's healthy to exercise, but i wouldn't expect an employer to pay me extra if gym membership fees went up.

Yeah, but technically you can do sports without having to pay (running, playing football in the park or in a quiet street, etc), while producing all of your own food yourself is pretty much impossible.
And why should healthy food be more expensive than less healthy food? I personally dislike the fact that poor people have less possibilities to be healthy.

And why should healthy food be more expensive than less healthy food?
Simple, it costs more to produce something in an "organic" way then it does to produce it normally.

I'm going with:
Question 1: Probably, pesticides are bad for us.
Question 2: NO, the nutrition is not enhanced.
Question 3: Worth it, not on your NELLIE!
Price is obscene and I'll BET that all you are getting for the markup is the same stuff with a different label and a preposterous price tag.

If I had to pay $5 or more for a gallon of milk, I'd never drink another drop.

The "organic" label is for the people who would rather drink their water at $1 a gallon after storage in plastic and leached full of styrenes than out of the tap at $.001 a gallon...with NO plastic accompaniment!

F.R.O.S.T, I was kidding about getting my employer to pay me more. :) But given how fast health care premiums are increasing and what a burden they're placing on small businesses, I wouldn't be surprised if one day, employers ask employees to pay more. When that day arrives, I'll be glad I ate healthy and took care of myself.

As for organic tasting better, I agree 100%. I always detested broccoli growing up. It looked disgusting and tasted disgusting. But I started eating it cause I made up my mind to eat healthy. Then I was curious to see if organic food was any different. Well the first thing I noticed after steaming both was that the organic version looked better. It was a bright green and looked clean whereas the regular broccoli was darker and duller. And even though both versions still don't taste very good, the organic version definitely tasted better. And I've noticed the same thing with other vegetables as well as fruits. So I'll probably stick to eating organic for those items. But for eggs, dairy, whole grains, and orange juice, I'm going to back to the regular stuff.

I still can't believe the prices. For $5, I can buy 1 carton of organic OJ or 2 cartons of regular OJ. I'm sure the organic version is better, but twice as better? I doubt it. A tub with 2 cups or organic cottage cheese costs nearly $4. A tub of regular cottage cheese with 3 cups costs less than $3. 1 carton of organic egg beaters costs $4. I carton of the regular stuff costs less than $3. And most supermarkets will give discounts to regular shoppers, but health food stores like Whole Foods don't give any such discount. I go there every week and buy their food and they can't even give me a regular discount?! Unbelievable.

if there's an abundance of organic food and you can afford it, you really don't want to stop buying it. it tastes much better anyway. i spend about $200 in groceries a month and probably half is organic. i also think deep down that a vegetarian diet, if done PROPERLY is the best diet there is. you really have to account for the body's protein needs though. i don't know if i can make that leap since i HATE beans/peas/etc. and still crave fish/poultry.

Do you think organic stuff is so much more expensive because it isn't mass produced? I mean think about it...most of the cheap food in the grocery stores is produced in the millions and billions every day by huge companies that have a ton of money. Organic farmers probably are smaller independent operations who, because they do not use pesticides and hormones, cannot grow and produce at the rate of the huge companies? Therefore they have to charge more to make any money...

When the label says organic what you can be sure about 100% of the time is that "the label says organic." Little else.
Small farmers can be just as greedy and craven as large ones.

You can be SURE you have 100% organic only if you grow it yourself.

Don't know about your country, but when it says organic on foods in my country, it is a certified label.

I too struggle with this. I am married and have a son. (19 months) I want what is best for my family. I try to rationalize because of $$ sometimes, but I have read to much on the subject and simply know better. I do believe organic farmers have to charge more for the strict guidelines they must follow to produce their wholesome crops. Pesticides are bad, but it is the chemicals that are pumped into fruits and vegtables to make them look nicer and last longer. It is the time it takes to grow chickens and cows at thier normal rate and produce jealthy meats. It costs more for a dairy farmer to use his land humanely and raise dairy cows with room to roam and grow, instead of packing hundreds of cows into minimal space and to get higher milk production (never mind the hormones).

Someone wrote they wouldn't pay $5 for a gallon of milk. If you could visit a regular dairy farm to see the infected cows in the horrible conditions that are producing the milk you drink now.....you wouldn't drink it at all!! As far as meat and poultry....that is what I am sure to buy organic. My niece is nine years old and has boobs and her period. No she isn't an early bloomer....she has been raised on hormone filled chicken and beef. I just wonder what all those chemicals do to our internal organs.

No, I don't eat organic all the time, but each day I replace something in my house with an organic brand. I live by the statement...."I do what I can when I can." I like some companies like Kashi....they aren't organic but use natural ingredients. Like I said....I do the best I can.

I buy organic in this order when money is tight.

Poultry/Beef/Fish, Dairy and then produce.

I sure do hope the nation gets wise and organic farming gets to be the norm.

:) Tracey

The "Organic" Topic is a Very Tough subject.

The Easiest Way to look at it is that Organic wont hurt you.....But Non-organic might. So if you have the Option you might as well pick the one that you know wont hurt you.

Where the real Debate comes in is if Non-Organic foods are truly any worse for you then Organic foods. Remember...for every side of the story...there is an opposite side. There just isnt enough evidence that Growth hormone fed to Animals or the pesticides on Fruit and veggies actually cause any harm to us. There have been many studies that completley contradict each other. Personally I do not know enough about growth hormone to know if any of it actually remains in the meat or if we are actually consuming it or not. Some Experts say yes...others say no....and usually both side have their own agenda when it comes to which side they will argue for. So it is hard to decide what is true and what is not.

The Way I look at it is like this: If I put two apples in front of you and told you to pick one and eat it, but before you did I took one and sprayed it with Raid and then washed it off......which one would you choose to eat?

Now if the one that was sprayed with raid was $5 and the one not was $10 which would you eat? This time the choice is more difficult.

If I can find an alternative that is the same price or only abit more then I will go with the Organic Product. But if the Price is too much I will not. The Secret is Finding the Places that Sell Organic products for the best prices.

I go to health store that has many products that are not any more expensive then the local grocery store....Today I just Bought a bag of Royal Gala Apples for $.96 a lb. The Average Price in the supermarkets for non organic Royal gala apples are $1.50 a lb. Today the apples were on sale but the regular price is only $1.49 there is also a chain of grocery stores here in canada that have there own line of Organic Products that are usually not any more expensive then Brand names. I bought My Wife Organic raison bran the other day and it was the same price as Kellogs raison Bran. The Secret to buying organic is to shop around and find the best prices....it is more work...but usually worth it. But there are certain organic items I do not buy....Frozen dinners, Meat, Milk are among them as these are usually twice the price or more then non- organic.
My Philosphy: Get as much organic as you can without breaking your bank...any organic is better then no organic. It does not have to be all or nothing.

I too struggle with this. I am married and have a son. (19 months) I want what is best for my family. I try to rationalize because of $$ sometimes, but I have read to much on the subject and simply know better. I do believe organic farmers have to charge more for the strict guidelines they must follow to produce their wholesome crops. Pesticides are bad, but it is the chemicals that are pumped into fruits and vegtables to make them look nicer and last longer. It is the time it takes to grow chickens and cows at thier normal rate and produce jealthy meats. It costs more for a dairy farmer to use his land humanely and raise dairy cows with room to roam and grow, instead of packing hundreds of cows into minimal space and to get higher milk production (never mind the hormones).

Someone wrote they wouldn't pay $5 for a gallon of milk. If you could visit a regular dairy farm to see the infected cows in the horrible conditions that are producing the milk you drink now.....you wouldn't drink it at all!! As far as meat and poultry....that is what I am sure to buy organic. My niece is nine years old and has boobs and her period. No she isn't an early bloomer....she has been raised on hormone filled chicken and beef. I just wonder what all those chemicals do to our internal organs.

No, I don't eat organic all the time, but each day I replace something in my house with an organic brand. I live by the statement...."I do what I can when I can." I like some companies like Kashi....they aren't organic but use natural ingredients. Like I said....I do the best I can.

I buy organic in this order when money is tight.

Poultry/Beef/Fish, Dairy and then produce.

I sure do hope the nation gets wise and organic farming gets to be the norm.

:) Tracey

Hi Tracey. I agree 100% with what you said. My feeling is that if you care about animal welfare AT ALL you would try to buy at least your meats and animal products organic simply for ethical reasons. It is horrendous what large farms and dairies can get away with the way they treat their animals. Yuck. Not to mention what eating unhealthy animals can do to our bodies...

This thread has completely opened my eyes to what I used to eat daily. I will no longer drink milk unless it's soy or organic. I'm going to try to eat as healthy as I can, but I'm a poor college student, so this will be hard at times, lol.
What really got me, is that my aunt said she doesn't buy any produce outside out the United States because places like Mexico and South America sometimes use human waste to fertilize the food. Nice...

On the other hand, US uses a lot of hormones for cattle, so there you would be better off with European meat/milk, because in Europe (most of) these hormones aren't allowed.

Since I KNOW that pesticides are expensive and putting them ON is labor intensive and that fertlilizers are expensive and putting THEM on is expensively labor intensive,
why in blue blazes do the sellers of spotty, tiredd looking food that is half spoiled in shipping feel the need to charge so exorbitantly...for stuff that requires NO feeding, spraying, or preserving?

Actually, I know the answer...because they CAN.

Knowing people who will spend $4 on a cup of coffee that they can make at home for a DIME, and dragging home bottles of Pellagrino water at $1 a liter, tells me people will spend ANYHTING if they are brainwashed into thinking it chi-chi. I'm waiting for the first innovative seller to sell sniffs of "Arctic Air" for $ .25 a lungful. There will be buyers lined up. They are already dragging icebergs of "primordial ice" and selling the water at more than they charge for Dom Perignon. I wonder how much they dilute it with tap water from NEWARK?

One has to laugh the first time one catches someone filling his Pellagrino bottles with TAP water. I'm sure there are those who save the organic labels to stick on a bowl of A&P bananas...to impress his dim, but rich friends.

And just WAIT til the first "free range chicken" (like they raise in Turkey and Thailand) start showing Avian flu...if they haven't already.

Organic, schmorganic!

For me, the availability of organic foods has made a significant change to the quality of my life, and has allowed me to eat various foods for which I hadn't been able to eat in many years!

Am I happy that organic foods are more available now than ever!? You bet! :bouncing:

Look at My Post called "My Advice" It will give you an Idea of the way I think.....It Points out the fact that The Same thing can affect different people differently. I Ask the Question...At what point do way say that something is bad for you? When it affects Everybody? 50%, 25%, 10%, 1% of People? I dont have the answer to this but it is what everybody should be asking themselves.

Look at My Post called "My Advice" It will give you an Idea of the way I think.....It Points out the fact that The Same thing can affect different people differently. I Ask the Question...At what point do way say that something is bad for you? When it affects Everybody? 50%, 25%, 10%, 1% of People? I dont have the answer to this but it is what everybody should be asking themselves.

I read your "My Advice" post, and I agree with it.

Not only is everyone different, but someone's diet, environment and lifestyle, among other things, can also effect someone's health and how medications work.

I'm one of the "worst case" scenarios. I've had multiple, severe health problems. It seems, to me, that the worse I got, the more things had a negative effect on my health. Perhaps that is one of the reasons why my system is so sensitive to the trace amounts of chemicals and hormones in foods, and other people have few if any reactions to the same food additives.

Your "My Advice" post was right on! Those who give health advice based on their own personal experiences, without considering that other people might react differently, is fooling themselves besides fooling others.

What a great and relevant post. To say I am in the same boat is an understatement. I am a 24 y/o single, guy, living on his own, with an out of control spending habit and wants to stay to stay on top of the health game. I am making next to peanuts right now, and looking at my bills for buying everything organic, I looked at fast the that stuff goes bad, compared to regular food, I decided to part ways with the organic band wagon. I end up having to toss out whatever I buy halfway through, beacuse it goes bad. So not only was it expensive, but didn't even last. I've decided to put the organic quest on hold until I'm making 6 figures with a personal assistant, or have a doc tell me otherwise.

In the grocery stores around my way, more and more organic types of foods are appearing on the shelves. I agree that it is healthier to eat organic, but the price is definitely an issue, if you're on a low income. I'd rather eat food that doesn't have loads of artifical things in them such as high fructose corn syrup, MSG, chemical flavorings, dyes, preservatives, and other junk that is hard to pronounce.

By the way though, the kas-hi brand is owned by Kellogg's. Kellogg's bought them in 2000. Kellogg's seems to want to keep that on the 'down low' though.

G-R-E-A-T post!! I don't really have much else too add except.........LENIN you crack me right up!! LOLOLOLOL Such a dry sence of humor puts the perfect lightness to any topic in debate! I LOVE IT :)

Pretty much anything that has carbon in it is organic hehe So I definately eat organic.

I don't mean to revive this dead debate, but there is something I want to mention about organic farming practices. Though I don't know much about these practices in the US, when I was a wee lad, I use to spend the summers in southwestern Europe. Prior to the European Union, most of the vegetables were produced on small farms without fertilizers, pesticides, and other growth stimulants. Yet cases of food poisoning more often involved consumption of raw vegetables than meat, poultry, or dairy products. Alot of these cases caused thyroid and liver problems as well as hypertension in relatively young healthy individuals. As small farms became unprofitable over the last 15 years these cases have essentially vanished.

Also, though some chemicals that mimic the effects of natural hormones might be toxic to humans, most hormones used in agriculture are naturally occuring and are simply increased dosages. Also, most of the natural ones when consumed are either broken down in the same way as fats or proteins, or ignored by the body (not absorbed into the blood or removed by the liver or immune system) since we lack the necessary receptors for them. So, it's a bit silly to imply that food grown with hormone enhancement is as toxic to a human as food covered in some pesticide. In any case, hopefully genetic engineering will eliminate the need for pesticides.

When you mentioned genetic engineering, are you referring to genetically modified organisms? Cause I don't see how that is a good idea.

In the grocery stores around my way, more and more organic types of foods are appearing on the shelves.

Consumer Reports said that 2/3rds of consumers bought organic foods last year. As the demand for organic foods continues to grow, the prices will come down, and the variety will increase.

I plan to make my diet 100% organic. I haven't been able to eat apples or tomatoes, or many other foods, for years. I thought that it was because of allergies. I tried the organic versions, and I did not suffer any health problems from the organic versions.

I'd rather eat food that doesn't have loads of artifical things in them such as high fructose corn syrup, MSG, chemical flavorings, dyes, preservatives, and other junk that is hard to pronounce.

The safety of our food supply has definitely been compromised over the past few decades. We have to be careful how we handle the food we buy, and to cook meats thoroughly to kill all of the possible germs contained in it. Germs, chemicals, hormones, antibiotics, etc., many of these items can stay in someones body for many years.

I'm going 100% organic, when I can.

For me organic is worth it for many reasons. The pesticides, the antibiotics and hormones and an added bonus is the flavor there is not doubt a difference in the quality of foods. For many others organic is a life saver. I have read many books in where people were diagnosed with terminal cancer and luekemia and many other ailments that have been cured by an all organic diet. To mention a few that many may know from TV Dirk Benedict (Actor) and Christina Pirello (organic chef). Yes it's expensive but If you look around there are many stores that offer organic at cheaper bulk prices.

For me organic is worth it for many reasons. The pesticides, the antibiotics and hormones and an added bonus is the flavor there is not doubt a difference in the quality of foods.

Some of the large food companies are trying to weaken Organic standards, so, as consumers we will have to make sure that when we buy 100% Organic, it is truly 100% organic.

For many others organic is a life saver. I have read many books in where people were diagnosed with terminal cancer and luekemia and many other ailments that have been cured by an all organic diet. To mention a few that many may know from TV Dirk Benedict (Actor) and Christina Pirello (organic chef).

It's interesting that, those of us who take medications will spend much time researching those medications, or asking others about their experiences with medications, but spend very little time wondering what the pesticides, chemicals, hormones, etc., in our foods (and in our air) do to our health.

It does make one wonder if the many unexplained, undiagnosable illnesses could be explained by the trace amounts of harmful stuff in our food.

It's interesting what you post about Benedict and Pirello. I will look up their stories. Thanks.

Yes it's expensive but If you look around there are many stores that offer organic at cheaper bulk prices.

And....... as demand picks up, the prices will come down.

In the meantime, eating organic does not seem to be a necessity for most people. My wife doesn't eat organic, and she is very healthy.

When you mentioned genetic engineering, are you referring to genetically modified organisms? Cause I don't see how that is a good idea.


Yes I am. Sorry, GM food is the correct term.


I'd rather eat food that doesn't have loads of artifical things in them such as high fructose corn syrup, MSG, chemical flavorings, dyes, preservatives, and other junk that is hard to pronounce.


Foods that contain those sorts of chemicals are usually called processed foods. I rarely eat processed foods but I also rarely eat organic and yet I still make all my food from basic raw ingredients--meaning it has no artificial flavors, fructose corn syrup, chemical flavorings etc ...


The pesticides, the antibiotics and hormones and an added bonus is the flavor there is not doubt a difference in the quality of foods.

I think antibiotic residue is the strongest argument against not consuming products that don't have the organic label.


The safety of our food supply has definitely been compromised over the past few decades. We have to be careful how we handle the food we buy, and to cook meats thoroughly to kill all of the possible germs contained in it.


You may be right, but I think the most obvious evidence suggests otherwise as cases of food poisoning in the industrialized world have dropped significantly over the past 100 years. The health risks associated with small exposure to toxic chemicals over many years are quite small compared to the risks from virulent fungi/bacteria found in untreated foods. I contracted an infection from bad lettuce when I was a kid and I couldn't stand up for 2 and half months without falling over. I threw up pretty much everything I ate covered in bile and had high blood pressure and urinary annoyances for about 6 years after that. Also, I knew 2 kids personally who died from similar more potent infections. So I appreciate the fact that I have never even had an upset stomach eating nasty nonorganic US food. Of course, there is a lot of stuff I don't eat regurlaly like processed foods, sodas, etc...

Interesting posts...I like the idea of organic but don't necessarily eat organic, because I live in an area where I have to travel quite a few miles to a store that carries organic foods. You would think by my name that I have huge organic vegetable gardens but alas not so because I am surrounded by huge herds of deer and they appreciate organic foods too and seem always to get to it quicker then I can and they jump too high for the fence to be effective and sharp hooves can destroy any netting. So what do I do, I cook from scratch and that eliminates most of the bad foods and chemicals. I once picked up a Hamburger Helper and read on it and discovered all it contained was a small amount of macaroni and some spices. Wow by the time I bought it and the meat it needed I found I could just as well make it from scratch and save the money and have twice as much. It is that way with all convenience foods and to use them is to take in all the additives and chemicals too. Organic is wonderful, and yes it does taste better, oh how sweet those carrots are compared, but not all of us can afford it or have it available to us. However we can cook with good health in mind. Read on the package , an old wise saying is "If you can't pronounce it don't eat it" :D

So I appreciate the fact that I have never even had an upset stomach eating nasty nonorganic US food.

I've had heart failure and other serious health problems for about 20 years. During most of that time, as you can tell by my identity, I continued to drink beer, when I could, and eat out, when I could, and consume all kinds of nasty nonorganic foods, when I could. Sometimes my symptoms would be worse than at other times. The heart is a remarkably strong organ. Fortunately, a person can survive fairly well with their heart at ½ capacity or less.

As my symptoms got worse and the quality of my life suffered, I started giving up the good life. No more beer. No more eating out. A much better diet.

I've made some drastic changes to my lifestyle and diet and I've seen some pretty amazing results. Instead of my progressive heart disease getting worse, as it is supposed to do, my health has improved remarkably. One of the changes that I have made that has really been a positive factor is when I started eating organic foods, instead of the non-organic versions.

Someone who's health isn't as compromised as mine is, probably wouldn't be able to tell any difference between organic and non-organic, unless they have allergies or chemical sensitivities to the chemicals, dyes, insecticides, etc., in non-organic foods.

Of course, there is a lot of stuff I don't eat regularly like processed foods, sodas, etc...

I think that your decision to improve the quality of your diet, even though you don't eat organic, is a plus for your health. The better the diet the better we feel.