What to keep and what to toss?

[kimandkathess]

I have been reading up on the wonderful information on this site but am still a bit confused.

Are some "non organic" items ok to eat and keep?

For example I have a whole freezer full of birds eye and greengiant frozen veggies are those far better than canned (non organic)

Whap about milk? I'm not sure what the difference is between reg. and all the other brands out there...Im so confused...someone please help me..:thanks1:

[jtjohns]

I think that for a lot of us the transition to eating healthier/cleaner food is a gradual process, especially when we had big stockpiles of conventional foods to get through. For healthy foods, like frozen veggies, it's often a matter of finishing up what you've got and then keeping an eye out for sales on organic alternatives. Everyone here is great about posting deals; if there's a specific forum for the supermarkets in your area you'll find weekly sales list, and there are often posts about sales at smaller/regional chains.

One of the best resources for me regarding produce is the Environmental Working Group lists (the "dirty dozen" and "clean fifteen" lists you'll often see mentioned). Here's a link to their current full list, in the order of lowest levels of pesticide residues:

The Full List | Environmental Working Group (http://www.foodnews.org/fulllist.php)

The lists really help to focus on which items it's most important to buy organic (like apples and celery) vs. those where there's very little pesticide residue on the conventional version (like onions or asparagus).

It might help to focus on "cleaning up" one category of food/household products at a time rather than trying to get everything natural and organic all at once. One of the first things we switched brands on was breakfast cereals, then I tackled things that I knew had tons of corn syrup in them, like salad dressing and ketchup.

Hope this helps; I know that when I first started really reading food labels and paying attention to what my family eas eating it was a little bit of a shock to the system. But hang in there - in a few months this will all be second nature to you.

~JJ

[purplemoon2008]

I agree with JJ! The link she posted is invaluable! It's also a personal choice as far as where you start "cleaning". We started with produce/fruits and snacks. We are not big milk drinkers, so organic half gallons last us and the price isn't so much of an issue as it would be for people who drink a gallon or more a week. Yogurt is organic as well. Meat...well, we like grass fed. This will probably confuse you even more:smile:, but the biggest thing ~ and I'm sure most of us here would agree ~ is to go slowly, baby steps. It all counts!! Good luck and please feel free to ask questions ~ we love to help!

[Mrs_Koehn]

Yes, JJ and Tammy pretty much said it all. Be sure to post all your questions and do get into the coupon trading. It'll help you save a bundle! I think the lowest trade I've made has been like $5 in usable coupons - all for some time and q's I can't use and a stamp or sometimes two.

[sandyks]

I guess I've done things a bit differently than many others here. Once I realized what was at stake (through my daughter's immediate health problems being put at ease by switching to just a few organic products) I couldn't put off what I knew had to be done. I called up a family member and asked her if she wanted my stockpile of conventional foods, and I gave it all away in one swift move. (I had a huge stockpile! lol) It made me feel a little better giving such a lot of stuff away knowing I was helping someone else that really could use it and was dear to me. The only things I didn't give her is things she wouldn't take because she didn't like the item or things that were already opened. Some of those things I just pitched. I guess if I had to do it slowly I would have definitely bought produce immediately since those have such high pesticide residues as well as any foods made from conventional produce like juices, canned/frozen tomatoes or pasta sauces, etc. After those things I'd probably focus on dairy products.

I have heard from several informational sources (such as books etc.) that they recommend if you're going to switch to organics slowly, that you should switch the things that your family uses in most abundance first since you're likely to get the most ill effects from those foods first since you eat them more heavily.

[ocean_brez]

I agree with what everyone here has said so far. Mostly in that you need to go at your own pace and decide what is most important to you. Me myself, I couldn't knowingly donate what I had worked so hard to buy (even frees) to un-knowing individuals (just because I have a better understanding, doesn't mean everyone else does or should get my discards) and so I kept most of my stuff and used it up. From there, I then focused on looking for/buying the more healthier versions of what we seemed to eat/consume the most.

Organic-wise, we are all at different levels here. While some can/do buy mostly organic/natural, I am still at the 50/50 level and wouldn't be surprised if others were the same. While my budget is not limited, if I went 100% organic, it would be. So, I find what meets my needs the most and go from there.

*Milk - my family of 5 (6 when oldest DD is home) drinks too much of this and so I stick with the rSBT FREE.

*Eggs - we rarely consume eggs and so when we do, it is mostly organic/free range unless it for a recipe. Recipe eggs are usually shelf eggs unless I have extra organic/free range eggs to spare.

*Fresh fruits & vegetables - I follow the dirty dozen/clean fifteen list. Eating in seaon has its perks! :encourage6:
*canned vs frozen vegetables - this is a toss up. I have come to the conclusion that canned veggies are risky (coating) and so if I can't find a trustworthy brand, I stick the frozen variety. Although I prefer organic, I will do conventional on the frozen brand just because it less risky than its canned version.

I could go on, but I will stop here for now. :smile5:

[cody82414]

Love this advice and input.

I am almost completely overwhelmed!

[sandyks]

I can understand completely! I just switched at the beginning of summer.

[cody82414]

I can understand completely! I just switched at the beginning of summer.

Oh really!?!?!
Now that is encouraging!
I had no idea it had been so recent.
Whew!
"you've come a long way, baby!":encourage12:

[Hollaina]

I was kind of wondering the same thing since my family has within the last few months been making the change to all organic. Thanks for all the info!!!

[Mrs_Koehn]

You can do it ladies! : ) And welcome Hollaina! : )

[moneysavingdiva]

I agree with what everyone here has said so far. Mostly in that you need to go at your own pace and decide what is most important to you. Me myself, I couldn't knowingly donate what I had worked so hard to buy (even frees) to un-knowing individuals (just because I have a better understanding, doesn't mean everyone else does or should get my discards) and so I kept most of my stuff and used it up. From there, I then focused on looking for/buying the more healthier versions of what we seemed to eat/consume the most.

Organic-wise, we are all at different levels here. While some can/do buy mostly organic/natural, I am still at the 50/50 level and wouldn't be surprised if others were the same. While my budget is not limited, if I went 100% organic, it would be. So, I find what meets my needs the most and go from there.

*Milk - my family of 5 (6 when oldest DD is home) drinks too much of this and so I stick with the rSBT FREE.

*Eggs - we rarely consume eggs and so when we do, it is mostly organic/free range unless it for a recipe. Recipe eggs are usually shelf eggs unless I have extra organic/free range eggs to spare.

*Fresh fruits & vegetables - I follow the dirty dozen/clean fifteen list. Eating in seaon has its perks! :encourage6:
*canned vs frozen vegetables - this is a toss up. I have come to the conclusion that canned veggies are risky (coating) and so if I can't find a trustworthy brand, I stick the frozen variety. Although I prefer organic, I will do conventional on the frozen brand just because it less risky than its canned version.

I could go on, but I will stop here for now. :smile5:

It's comforting to know that others are doing it this way. I can't afford to go "all or nothing" with this, but the way I see it, something is better than nothing. Especially as I learn more about non-organic foods. It's a scary food world out there :harried1:

Thanks for all the great tips :encourage6:

[kristen.c]

It's comforting to know that others are doing it this way. I can't afford to go "all or nothing" with this, but the way I see it, something is better than nothing. Especially as I learn more about non-organic foods. It's a scary food world out there :harried1:

Thanks for all the great tips :encourage6:


Definitely! I like to look at things from a good, better, best scenario.

Good: hormone-free milk
Better: Organic milk
Best: Organic milk from a small, local dairy

With my budget I choose the "better" option of Organic milk. If I couldn't afford that, then I'd choose the "good" option of hormone-free milk. If I had more discretionary income, I might consider putting a few dollars a month into buying the best option direct from a local dairy farmer.