Choosing Organic: My Story
I started buying organic foods while I was in college. I was a vegetarian at the time and because our school's dining hall was very vegetarian friendly, I was introduced to a lot of new foods that I couldn't find in the regular grocery stores. I think the first organic product I ever bought was at an upstate New York Wegman's, and I can pretty much guarantee you I paid full price for it. A few years later, living in Albuquerque, New Mexico I was introduced to the store Wild Oats. It was similar to the Wegman's organic/natural section but encompassed an entire store. I was thrilled! I forked over dollar after dollar of my hard earned paycheck each week to Wild Oats. I didn't really bother looking at prices, except in the home goods section where I scoffed at how much they wanted for paper towels and toilet paper. Instead I went to Walgreen's and paid full price for the brands they offered. I wasn't opposed to using coupons, I just didn't know they existed for the products I bought. During this time DH and I were dating-- not yet married-- and he was surprised at how much money I seemed to waste by shopping at Wild Oats. Meals were made for the both of us and I took into account his tastes and preferences as well as my own when I shopped and cooked. I started shopping more at Smith's, cutting out more and more trips to Wild Oats until I eventually stopped making regular trips there. Ironically, looking back, this is when my health really started to decline. My doctor suggested I give up my vegetarian diet and after a few months of thinking about it I made a difficult decision that I would slowly introduce meat back into my life. After living a vegetarian lifestyle for over 10 years it was a huge step for me to even get near a piece of chicken, let alone consider putting it into my mouth.
Though I'm still a meat-eater (well, sort of), I eventually did make my way back to organic products. While DH was nonplussed about my original organic shopping way back when, he's been pleasantly surprised at how inexpensive the transition back into the lifestyle has been. He even seems to enjoy making the occasional trip to the local natural foods store with me, though it may have something to do with the free coffee and other treats he samples while we shop.
Choosing organic is important for me because I want to ensure that my family and I have the best health as we possibly can. We don't have children, but we do have a wonderful canine companion named Tucker who has health issues of his own. Switching to a natural brand of dog food has helped immensely to cut back on his seizures, and with the vets advice to put him on an anticonvulsant I'm hoping that we can eliminate them completely. He even gets a little bit of organic people-food every once in a while. For me, although I have abandoned vegetarianism that doesn't make me happy carnivore. We still choose to plan our meals around mostly vegetables and whole grains, and make sure that the meats we buy are free of hormones and are raised humanely.
When OGD launched I was thrilled to have a place that was warm and welcoming to every organic shopper, whether it's someone who shops solely at their local food co-op and farmers market, the girl like me who puddle jumps all over the county to round up organic bargains, or the shopper who occasionally pokes their head into the natural foods section of their store to see what's there. As an admin I hope to continue to foster that warm and welcoming environment that was extended to me when I joined as a regular member just over a year ago.
Though I'm still a meat-eater (well, sort of), I eventually did make my way back to organic products. While DH was nonplussed about my original organic shopping way back when, he's been pleasantly surprised at how inexpensive the transition back into the lifestyle has been. He even seems to enjoy making the occasional trip to the local natural foods store with me, though it may have something to do with the free coffee and other treats he samples while we shop.
Choosing organic is important for me because I want to ensure that my family and I have the best health as we possibly can. We don't have children, but we do have a wonderful canine companion named Tucker who has health issues of his own. Switching to a natural brand of dog food has helped immensely to cut back on his seizures, and with the vets advice to put him on an anticonvulsant I'm hoping that we can eliminate them completely. He even gets a little bit of organic people-food every once in a while. For me, although I have abandoned vegetarianism that doesn't make me happy carnivore. We still choose to plan our meals around mostly vegetables and whole grains, and make sure that the meats we buy are free of hormones and are raised humanely.
When OGD launched I was thrilled to have a place that was warm and welcoming to every organic shopper, whether it's someone who shops solely at their local food co-op and farmers market, the girl like me who puddle jumps all over the county to round up organic bargains, or the shopper who occasionally pokes their head into the natural foods section of their store to see what's there. As an admin I hope to continue to foster that warm and welcoming environment that was extended to me when I joined as a regular member just over a year ago.
Total Comments 0
Comments
Recent Blog Entries by kristen.c
- Thai Green Curry- Meatless Monday (03-30-2009)
- Eco-Crafting: Pin Cushions from Bottle Caps (01-07-2009)
- Warm Spinach Salad- Great for Winter Lunches! (11-21-2008)
- MOM Shopping Trip: Feeding the Freezer (11-12-2008)
- DC Green Festival (11-09-2008)
