Organics and Traditional Foods. Are they worth it?

The delivery bin that arrives on our porch every Friday.

All of the sacks, insulated bags, egg cartons, and milk/yogurt glasses are reused. So, when I am finished with a container I will put it back into the bin. It will be picked up next Friday, and my new delivery will be dropped off.

"Industrial food is the opposite of real food. Real food is old and traditional, while industrial food is recent and synthetic. The impersonation of real food by industrial food, by the way, is neither accidental or hidden. Industrial food like margarine is intended to be a replica of a traditional food-butter. Real food is fundamentally conservative; it doesn't change, while industrial food, by contrast, is under great pressure to be novel. The food industry is highly competitive and relentlessly innovative, producing thousands of new food products every year. " - real food: What to Eat and Why by Nina Planck

The reasons that I have choosen to eat organic and traditionally.

1.) We are eating our vitamins/medicine. Our bodies directly respond to what we put in them. If you want to feel energized and help your body preform its best, eat and drink foods that will fill your fuel tank naturally. These foods are also filled with "preventative medicines". For example, broccoli is thought to help lung function, and mushrooms boost the bodies immunity.

2.) They are watching. My two and four year old don't eat as many vegetables as they should, but I know they are spying on how I snack. Always having an apple or carrot in my hand, and serving healthy options at meals will be a model for them in the future. A building block also for their meal choices as an adult, and what they put on the menu for their own families.

3.) Supporting people who are organically supporting the earth. The picture below is taken at the local creamery where our milk and yogurt come from. Our family took a day to explore the farm. We got to see the chickens, cows, and pastures up close and personal. And personal is what it becomes when you are familiar with who you buy your food from.

4.) I feel happy to serve dinners. Cooking is a chore for me. It always has been and is something I will never be passionate about. However, I love making and serving natural foods. Making something from scratch. Dicing organic carrots, that's what puts the joy back in food for me.

5.) These delivery's are taking me out of my eating comfort zone. What will be in store for me next week? I never really know what I am getting till I open the box. Sure I might read that I am getting oranges- red blood. But it never even occurred to me that there might be oranges that are RED inside?!? Blew my mind people. Turnips? Rainbow Carrots? Ginger? All things that would never hop into my grocery cart at the store. But am I glad to have them in my fridge? Absolutely!

This whole process of eating is a lot more complicated then I ever imagined. There are three, really four, books right now that are serving as compasses for my journey.

-Real Food: What to Eat and Why by Nina Planck - She gives real life information on how she started her journey with food and how it has changed over time. For me easier to read because it's in a "story" format.

-In the Defense of Food by Michael Pollan-Pollen and Planck are basically saying the same message, only taking different paths of getting there. The message being "If your grandma wouldn't recognize it, don't eat it." Pollen seems more into veggies, and the lack thereof in society.

-Secrets of Longevity: Hundreds of Ways to Live to be 100 by Dr. Maoshing Ni - This is written by a Chinese doctor who has studied seniors and Eastern and Western practices. He gives 100 helpful tips about food, herbs, remedies, lifestyle, environment, and relationships. For me it was all summed up in this book. Everything we need to live a happy and healthy life is given to you by God through nature, or natural practices.

-Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder- I'm reading this one to my son (skipping some non-appropriate parts for his age). Their food all comes from their own hands and hard work. Each meal is a story in and of itself. The meal is a family event to be savoured and enjoyed. It is easy to forget how thing used to be. I am glad for the glimpse into the past. Also, to engage a younger generation in the process of remembering.

So, in a simple answer. In this season of my life. Yes, organic and traditional foods are worth the cost and effort.