I always get asked why we eat mostly organic and why Cooper eats pretty much only organic. The most common questions I get are … “Is it expensive?”, “Does it really taste that good?”, “Does it really matter?”, “Isn’t organic just the latest buzz word and a lot of hype over nothing?” and “Isn’t it hard to find organic food for kids without them missing out?”.

I guess before I answer those questions I will tell you why eating organic and mostly feeding Cooper organic is so important to me.

When I was pregnant I became aware of everything I put in my mouth. I was s conscious of what I ate because I knew what I ate also fed my baby too. I avoided caffeine, sugar and fats. I allowed myself 1 coca cola and one chocolate bar a week and most of the time I skipped the chocolate. Carrying my most precious baby inside of me made me less selfish, it wasn’t about me it was about the baby boy growing inside of me and I wanted him to have the best start in life.

When he was born I started looking into organic produce, I found an organic farmers market here on the Gold Coast and we started eating organic vegetables and some fruit to start with. The more research I did on the effect of pesticides, hormones etc on humans especially on growing children was scary! When Cooper started solids I only cooked him organic vegetables and slowly started to change our meat to organic.

In the past 12 months I have found so many organic resources – farmers market, butcher and grocery store. These places allow me to purchase almost everything organic. Also the supermarket has a great Organic brand called Only Organic for some convenience foods for Cooper.

While I try my best to feed Cooper organic most of the time it really is not always possible. I take organic snacks out with us – sultanas, rice cakes, sandwiches etc. But sometimes we still buy lunch or snacks out or if we are at a friends house he will eat non-organic food. I try not to get to hung up on it, sometimes it’s unavoidable!

The simple truth is we eat organic because it is food in it’s most natural form, no chemicals and not modifications. Pure and natural, the way it’s meant to be!

Now to answer those questions, most I have answered in my ramble but I will still answer them.

“Is it expensive?”

This is probably the most common question. In short …. yes it is expensive. It costs more because organic food is not readily available everywhere. I have to go to specialty shops or butchers that order in smaller quantities so therefore don’t get the same mass discounts as larger supermarkets would. On an average week this is the breakdown of what we spend …

Farmers Market – $85
Butcher – $80
Groceries – $60

This does not include any cleaning or personal products and is limited to our organic food only.

So as you can see it is expensive. But to us it is worth it and I really could cut the cost down as we do find we have some wastage.

“Does it really taste that good?”

In all honesty taste is on the bottom of my list of importance. Our choice is for health, followed by the environment and then taste. But yes it does taste different! Organic food has a fuller flavour – The biggest taste changes we have noticed have been – beef mince, strawberries, tomatoes and broccoli …. go organic with these and you will taste a huge difference! Once you taste organic you wont go back. Smelling an apple that smells like an apple and is so pungent the fragrance fills the car! It’s amazing how much pesticides and even the wax they put on apples makes a difference to taste and smell.

“Does it really matter?”

Yes! Yes! Yes! To me it does matter. The chemicals used in food production will astound you and they have been linked to some of our most common illnesses – cancer, Alzheimer, child behavour problems, autism etc. Chemicals are man made poisons used to kill living organisms that can destroy crops …. we too are a living organism! These chemicals are used to increase profits, they are not used to protect us. Any reduction in the amount of chemicals you ingest and especially your children matters.

“Isn’t organic just the latest buzz word and a lot of hype over nothing?”

Organic isn’t a buzz word and is a fancy name for “natural”. We always here phrases such as “they don’t make it like they used to” … well organic food is how our ancestors used to live! They had no pesticides or antibiotics, everything was naturally grown and produced. Organic farming is an old farming method that was over taken when large companies needed bigger profits. Organic is the way of the past and now the way of the future and the more we learn about the effects of chemicals on our health the more we realise organic is the only way to live.

“Isn’t it hard to find organic food for kids without them missing out?”

It is difficult sometimes, but no hard. I try my best to provide Cooper with  organic food and almost everything has an organic option. He eats lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, sultanas, dried fruits, crackers etc. All I can find at the organic grocery store. He still loves his cheesymite bread sticks that are not organic so until I find out how to make them myself I still buy them. When we go out I try not to worry about finding organic food, 9/10 I wont be able to so I make a healthy choice for him rather than an organic choice. The more educated you are on organic food the easier it is!

So there you have it! I am a huge advocate for eating organic and most of all feeding your children organic. It’s not hard and costs can be kept down with lots of meal planning.

Jen xx

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