https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Mon, 20 Apr 2026 06:39:03 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/organic/page/2#post-2828939 Mon, 18 Jun 2018 09:20:31 +0000 SweetiePie 2828939@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@lunalove20: you should suggest they start a farmers market so that it can all be found in one place one or two days a week :-) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/organic/page/2#post-2828913 Mon, 18 Jun 2018 08:41:38 +0000 lunalove20 2828913@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Dahlia: Local is important for sure ~ I live in a farming community and there is an abundance of everything from fresh produce, free range eggs, and local milk its just that everything is spread out among all these farms and can be a bit of drive on a regular basis so stocking up from grocery store has been easier for me i'll admit - but we try to make an effort on weekends though to cruise around and buy from all the locals :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/organic/page/2#post-2828910 Mon, 18 Jun 2018 08:38:42 +0000 lunalove20 2828910@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@SweetiePie: I want a garden too! Right now I just have a little herb box lol </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/organic/page/2#post-2828909 Mon, 18 Jun 2018 08:38:13 +0000 lunalove20 2828909@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@gestalt: Thanks for letting me know ~ I should really start to familiarize myself better with all this information ! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/organic/page/2#post-2828902 Mon, 18 Jun 2018 08:24:45 +0000 gestalt 2828902@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrsbubbletea: rbst is not illegal in the US, but fewer producers are using them. You also won't even know which producers use (or don't use) rbst because there are no labelling requirements. It's also not limited to milk, but you'd also have to consider milk products.</p> <p>@SweetiePie: I also agree with the outcome of the case study your husband's class looked at (that organic isn't all what people think it is), but I was just pointing out that higher prices are due to the higher cost of producing organic products. I do think that "natural" or "free-range" labels are more freely slapped on to charge higher prices.</p> <p>@lunalove20: btw, i was completely wrong - a few years ago Canada established certification standards and it's labelled as "Canadian Organic Standards". </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/organic/page/2#post-2828783 Sat, 16 Jun 2018 20:02:38 +0000 ShootingStar 2828783@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We don’t really buy into the organic thing. The only thing we get is organic milk. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/organic/page/2#post-2828777 Sat, 16 Jun 2018 18:03:45 +0000 SweetiePie 2828777@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Dahlia: my dream is to have my own garden! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/organic/page/2#post-2828775 Sat, 16 Jun 2018 17:11:25 +0000 Dahlia 2828775@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We don't focus on organic at all. Instead we focus on local whenever possible. Especially CSA/Farmer's Market/our garden in the summer. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/organic/page/2#post-2828717 Fri, 15 Jun 2018 23:45:17 +0000 2littlepumpkins 2828717@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm not that big on organic food, but I do try to buy antibiotic and hormone free. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/organic/page/2#post-2828701 Fri, 15 Jun 2018 20:59:15 +0000 lady baltimore 2828701@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I focus on other factors before looking for the organic label (avoiding certain ingredients, rbST-free dairy, etc.), and really only prioritize organics with produce that we eat regularly. I see no benefit to springing for organic processed foods, other than they often have other desirable qualities (e.g. Annie's only whole-wheat mac &amp; cheese option is organic, the only snack bars that I have found that are low enough in added sugar are from an organic brand). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/organic/page/2#post-2828687 Fri, 15 Jun 2018 19:24:47 +0000 Iced Tea 2828687@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My primary concerns are sustainability and ethics rather the organic label. </p> <p>I’m concerned about the toll on the earth from our modern, massive conventional farms and cattle lot practices. Therefore, I try to get sustainable options. Farmer’s markets are good for this. </p> <p>I’m actually a conflicted meat eater. I think it’s probably ethically wrong (the way we generally practice it today, anyway). As a result, we only cook meat at home about once a week, and I will only buy the most humanely raised meat I can find. I also always buy eggs from pasture roaming chickens (aka, the most expensive eggs, but still cheaper than sustainable meat pound for pound). Some stores (like Whole Foods) have a rating system for this at their meat counter, but outside of that it takes research, which is annoying. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/organic#post-2828685 Fri, 15 Jun 2018 19:02:40 +0000 Mrs. Lemon-Lime 2828685@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We use “better” wipes, but I don’t know if they are truly organic. We buy Horizon organic shelf stable milk because it’s less wasteful for how often we give it to LO. </p> <p>There may be other things here or there, but I’m not going out of my way to buy organic. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/organic#post-2828682 Fri, 15 Jun 2018 18:36:21 +0000 808love 2828682@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We choose a lot of organic but also shop Whole Foods sales and Costco bulk. To me, organic produce and chicken tastes so much better. DH thinks we do almost all organic and I think we do almost half...he's wrong, I'm right...hehe. We cut costs a lot by not adding processed snacks and eliminate any wasting food. To me, that makes up for adding to the price of the organic. I normally will not buy organic if it costs 25% more. My friend told me a long time ago if she buys organic, she hoards it preciously so she is extra careful about not wasting a bit of food; it's more satisfying and she experiences satiation with more nutrients, so she eats less. I kinda believe her and think that is true for myself. I just really want to eat more veggies and I think choosing tastier ones will make me eat more. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/organic#post-2828673 Fri, 15 Jun 2018 15:28:03 +0000 DesertDreams88 2828673@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Well I'm glad this thread is making me feel a bit better, haha. </p> <p>I watch my food prices religiously and can't bite the bullet on organic food prices with our current food budget.</p> <p>I buy organic milk bc it lasts longer and tastes better. Its ultrapasteurized so who knows if it's good for you but whatever. </p> <p>I am a vegetarian and my DH &amp; LO are minimal meat eaters so I think that has a much bigger beneficial impact. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/organic#post-2828672 Fri, 15 Jun 2018 15:20:43 +0000 hellobeeboston 2828672@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@alphagam84: the difference could be that I only buy a half a gallon.... it’s around $2.79ish. Fluctuates a little. This week I think it was 2.49.</p> <p>That also usually lasts a week and half to two weeks for us. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/organic#post-2828669 Fri, 15 Jun 2018 14:47:29 +0000 Becky 2828669@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>So with my recent job switch I’m now officially in the agriculture sector. It has definitely changed how I choose foods. Sure organics don’t use pesticides, but there are things I personally find more important like buying locally (support the economy, cut down on carbon emissions). I’ve focused on learning more about dairy and beef production recently (I smell like cow manure right now because I just spent a day on a farm) and I was so surprised by the industry shift in use of antibiotics. I was freaked out about that before but learnedwe are basically getting zero antibiotic residual in products now (farmers get huge fines if there is any antibiotic in their product). We already know dairy isn’t treated with hormones anymore (at least where I am in NY). I’ve also been totally shocked about production in a positive way, but again I don’t know what it looks like in the Midwest where there are a lot of CAFOS which is also why I try to buy local. When I can I buy organic but that’s usually only during summer months from local farms that use organic practices (so they might not be certified, and thus it’s less expensive). Also, wash! Bathe your produce and scrub hardier ones. In terms of environmental impact, I may lean toward non-organic animal products because they don’t need to be on the planet as long to give product, and thus can have a smaller carbon footprint. I’m more concerned about overall environment than pesticides which is why I make the decisions I do. I’m by no means an expert but I’ve been trying to take it to the source to learn more and I’m not as freaked out as I used to be (actual farmers). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/organic#post-2828668 Fri, 15 Jun 2018 14:44:42 +0000 Littlebit7 2828668@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Does anyone know who regulates personal care products with organic labels? I’m less concerned with organic and more concerned with parbens, frangrance, silicones, etc. can a paraben be organic? Is it organic? I try to buy organic when the price is appealing but I’d say it’s only about 20% of the time (except for milk because that’s easy). I try harder to buy what’s in season and try the hardest to support super markets that I know buy local and also my local farmers markets. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/organic#post-2828667 Fri, 15 Jun 2018 13:54:15 +0000 afc061018 2828667@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I've always been confused by the dirty dozen + clean 15 lists. If a potato absorbs X amount of pesticides and needs to be put on a list so you buy organic, then why would the potato suddenly be removed from the list the very next year? (Potato is just a random example, but after noticing the lists change slightly each year, I became wary of them.) Does anyone know why this is? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/organic#post-2828666 Fri, 15 Jun 2018 13:49:22 +0000 alphagam84 2828666@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@hellobeeboston: I'm curious how much your organic milk is since you said it's not that much more. In NC you can buy a gallon of conventional milk for about $2 (sometimes less on sale) and the lowest price I get for organic milk is $5 on sale so there's a big difference here. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/organic#post-2828665 Fri, 15 Jun 2018 13:46:27 +0000 alphagam84 2828665@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We don't eat 100% organic but try to do as much as we can. It's probably 50% or so. We always do organic meat, dairy and eggs. I try to buy eggs and meat from local farmers whenever possible. Sometimes they can't label themselves as "organic" due to how much it costs but I know they use organic practices. I also don't have to worry about meat or egg recalls as I know our food didn't come from a big grocery store and I feel better about the raw cookie dough I eat :) We do organic produce when we eat the skin (ie berries, apples, etc.) and Kashi cereal which is organic but that's just a bonus because I like it so much. Stuff like cereal, crackets, popcorn, olive oil, etc. we don't buy as organic unless it works out that way. It is more expensive but I feel it is an investment in our family's health. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/organic#post-2828663 Fri, 15 Jun 2018 13:18:30 +0000 mrsbubbletea 2828663@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@gestalt: I think it’s illegal in US too? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/organic#post-2828661 Fri, 15 Jun 2018 13:02:01 +0000 gestalt 2828661@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@lunalove20: Canada unfortunately doesn't have anything similar to the US' USDA Certified Organic labelling, so i wouldn't really trust any of the Canadian organic fare unless you go to farmer's markets and talk to the farmers themselves. But keep in mind that rBST milk is illegal in Canada, so it isn't necessary to buy organic milk. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/organic#post-2828660 Fri, 15 Jun 2018 12:47:39 +0000 lunalove20 2828660@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Thanks everyone I am glad I asked!! All of the comments put my mind at ease a bit :) I might mention I am also from Canada ~ so I am not sure if all organic labelling is the same as the states ... all of you who have Trader Joes so lucky wish we did!! Maybe some day :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/organic#post-2828654 Fri, 15 Jun 2018 11:12:52 +0000 caitlanc 2828654@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I aim for mostly organic but it's for environmental and grower health factors more than individual exposure to pesticides in the product. Some of it is crock of sh*t marketing ("natural" is complete undefined and unregulated bs) but some of it is worth the extra cost. My preference hierarchy is:<br /> 1. Local and organic<br /> 2. Local and conventional<br /> 3. Organic<br /> 4. Conventional<br /> That said, most of my groceries are still conventional due to cost and/or brand preference. </p> <p>Full disclosure: I grew up on a fruit farm that switched from conventional to organic in the 90's. My dad and sister still farm it. They absolutely 100% still use sprays that you do not want to expose yourself to and use PPE to avoid it. However, there are also instances where they can use sprays such as fish oil. In those cases you still need PPE but it's because it smells as bad as you think, not because of a risk of infertility or birth defects. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/organic#post-2828649 Fri, 15 Jun 2018 10:40:26 +0000 hellobeeboston 2828649@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@cnidaria: @Mrs. Pickle: do you guys have any more recent articles/research? I'm SO curious to learn more about this - especially as a biologist cnidaria.... Mrs Pickle - thanks for sharing this! I want to share with my sister, but I know she will say, That was from 7 Years ago..... :wink: I couldn't find anything valid more recent, just curious if you had?</p> <p>I would love to only shop at Whole Foods, but we cannot afford it.... I try to buy organic on the dirty dozen, like others mentioned, but, with strawberries being a favorite in my house, I cannot always find organic, so i'll buy conventional.</p> <p>I always buy Organic Milk because I think it tastes SO MUCH better, and it's not *that much more. The flavor there is very worth it... I'll also try to get organic or grass-fed meat when possible. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/organic#post-2828638 Fri, 15 Jun 2018 10:03:24 +0000 periwinklebee 2828638@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>There are certain chemicals that the U.S. is fairly lax on regulating, and I remember awhile back the EPA, at the urging of lobbyists, allowed the reintroduction of one pesticide over stringent opposition from the American Academy of Pediatrics that is known to be linked to birth defects. I'm not an expert, but I think there is reason for concern. But also agree with others that it is hard to know, at least for the busy layperson, what organic means, or how much flexibility there is in the standard. Whole Foods bans a lot of the more harmful pesticides in any of their products, and their conventional produce is still a fair bit cheaper than organic produce at other local stores, so often I will buy conventional produce there and hope that it doesn't use any of the more objectionable pesticides. I typically can't swallow the price on their organic stuff. During the summer, I buy at the farmers market whenever possible. That stuff is mostly not "organic" because getting the certification is expensive, but they claim at least to use similar techniques, and it is delicious. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/organic#post-2828637 Fri, 15 Jun 2018 10:01:26 +0000 Sams Mom 2828637@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@SweetiePie: Exactly, I mean my mom is more health conscious than I am and recommended some of it, but I was so concerned about him getting hurt or sick from any little thing that it probably soothed the PPA some too. Mine got really bad when I went back to work after maternity leave because he wasn't with me 24/7, and then the fog lifted somewhere around a yearish and I had laid off the organic then too. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/organic#post-2828636 Fri, 15 Jun 2018 09:58:42 +0000 looch 2828636@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I don't buy organic. I do look for things like milk that comes from cows that aren't given growth hormones, but that's about it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/organic#post-2828635 Fri, 15 Jun 2018 09:58:40 +0000 SweetiePie 2828635@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Sams Mom: Yeah I was SO concerned with what went into his little body when he was a baby. I’d say up until maybe 18-24 months. But then I realized it’s just not that big of a deal and loosened the reigns quite a bit (and that’s also when the last of my PPA/PPD fog lifted, so I’m pretty sure it’s related). </p> <p>@gestalt: I just want to clarify that it wasn’t just my husband, it was the entire class. (So it’s not just his opinion). I think it’s interesting that a diverse group of people from many backgrounds all came to the same conclusion.<br /> Yeah, organic means something. But not what many people think it means and the benefits are pretty minimal, if any. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/organic#post-2828634 Fri, 15 Jun 2018 09:57:22 +0000 mrsbubbletea 2828634@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>What about environmental impact? </p>