Why organic foods make a difference in our diet, and why it's important to start at a young age
This post is sponsored by Earth's Best Organic®. All opinions are my own. Breast milk is the first choice for infant’s growth and development but if and when you choose formula, you can feel good knowing there is an organic choice – Earth’s Best Organic®
It's not a surprise. I've talked about it several times before, and all my recipes feature it: we eat organic food in this house! It wasn't always this way. Believe it or not, I used to eye roll pretty hard at the word "organic." I thought it was just a dumb term for charging twice as much for food. This was my attitude throughout my mid and late 20's mind you, when I was eating almost entirely processed foods. Microwavable meals? Brought those to work daily. Both breakfasts and lunches. I was a solid 10 pounds heavier than I am now, slept like crap, ate junk and despite being active and running regular half and full marathons, I didn't even look healthy. How did I go from that to who I am today? It's a fun story actually, and details why we choose organic foods.
At 25 years old, circa 2010, my sister and I moved into a condo together in Minneapolis. She was already on board with the organic movement. I, on the other hand, thought she was a fool for spending so much money on food. I preferred to spend my money on going out, whether it be for drinks or lunches or dinners. I bought the cheapest food possible to keep in our condo, while she bought into farm shares, had unpasteurized milk delivered to, and home cooked the bulk of her meals. "What a fool!" I thought. "She could be out having fun but spends her money on that garbage. Ha!" One morning, after a late night out destroying my liver, I really wanted a glass of juice. I went to the fridge and low and behold, my sister had some cranberry juice. Yes! I poured a large glass and started to desperately chug it, like you do when you're hungover, only to run to the sink and spit it out - it was unsweetened organic cranberry juice! "What is this junk?! Ugh, organic stuff is AWFUL!" I thought.
Funny I had that opinion because while I was eating horribly, I was portraying myself as a health nut. I regularly ran road races. 10 mile and half marathons were my favorite, but every few months I ran anything from a 5 mile to a full marathon race. I was active at a local gym, taking regular group fitness classes (I still miss that gym! It was a social scene, too.) I discovered my love for yoga and began a regular practice. Yet, my diet was still a processed hot mess.
Fast forward a few years to the spring of 2013. I was recently engaged and had just moved to Dallas with my then fiance (now husband). We knew nobody. In fact, my first time to the city was when I was driving into town, following my parents who were pulling a trailer with all my belongings on it. I moved before I had a job here, so I decided to do yoga teacher training. Maybe I'd start working as a yoga teacher, maybe I'd go back into marketing. Either way, I'd deepen my knowledge of yoga and meet people, so it was a win in my book!
One of the elements of the program was to keep a food journal. Not to count calories, but rather to mark down what you eat and note how it made you feel. A way of making yourself notice how food effects your body and your mood. I was completely annoyed by this aspect of the program. What a pain in the rump to actually have to write down the junk I was eating and tell my teachers how it made me feel! But it did the trick... I noticed. I also noticed how the other folks in the program ate, how they looked and felt and how their yoga practice was effected by it. After a month of the program, I decided to give organic food a try!
After a week or so, there was no turning back. I felt better than ever. The processed foods I used to buy quickly started to taste too salty and fake. I started to cook more regularly since I had a fiance at home with me. I introduced him to quinoa, and organic veggies. Initially, he pushed back at me, asking where the meat in the meal was. Soon, he too noticed how much better he felt. Today he even asks me, "Can you make something healthy with a lot of vegetables in it? I ate like garbage on my last business trip!"
These healthy habits are being passed on to our kids, too. They've all only eaten organic food. I actually don't' keep any conventional brands in my home. If we're at a birthday party or on a play date, I won't stop my kids from eating them, but I don't keep them in the home. That includes baby items! Henry was formula fed as a baby, so organic formula was a no brainer.
Think there isn't a difference in organic vs non-organic formulas? Wrong! There's no GMO's, there's no artificial growth hormones* fed to the cows that produced the dairy for the formula, and the ting that I like best is that Earth's Best Organic® Dairy Formula has no added corn syrup solids! That's a huge difference between conventional formula. Furthermore, it's made without prohibited synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, synthetic hormones, additives and antibiotics. While the FDA has strict regulations on all infant formula to meet standard nutritional guidelines, organic formula can limit your baby’s exposure to potentially harmful chemicals and pesticides. That's HUGE!
One of the biggest misconceptions I had about organic food is that it's ridiculously expensive. That's changed big time as more and more retailers carry organic options. In fact, Walmart even has it now! And they carry Earth's Best Organic® formula in the baby aisle, too, priced right in line with the conventional brands. Want a coupon to try it? Click here for a ShopKick offer for a discount!
I get that some people are skeptical of organic food, because I was one of those people once too. I thought my money could be better spent elsewhere. I thought this until I was forced to take note of how the processed food I was consuming was making me feel, and woke up to other BETTER options. Then I woke my husband up to them. Then we decided to feed our family with them. When you know better, you do better, and for us that means eating an organic diet - from infancy in baby formula on through adulthood.
*No significant difference has been shown between milk derived from rbST-treated and non rbST-treated foods
It's not a surprise. I've talked about it several times before, and all my recipes feature it: we eat organic food in this house! It wasn't always this way. Believe it or not, I used to eye roll pretty hard at the word "organic." I thought it was just a dumb term for charging twice as much for food. This was my attitude throughout my mid and late 20's mind you, when I was eating almost entirely processed foods. Microwavable meals? Brought those to work daily. Both breakfasts and lunches. I was a solid 10 pounds heavier than I am now, slept like crap, ate junk and despite being active and running regular half and full marathons, I didn't even look healthy. How did I go from that to who I am today? It's a fun story actually, and details why we choose organic foods.
I've changed my tune about organic foods and we even have an organic veggie garden the kids help me with now! |
At 25 years old, circa 2010, my sister and I moved into a condo together in Minneapolis. She was already on board with the organic movement. I, on the other hand, thought she was a fool for spending so much money on food. I preferred to spend my money on going out, whether it be for drinks or lunches or dinners. I bought the cheapest food possible to keep in our condo, while she bought into farm shares, had unpasteurized milk delivered to, and home cooked the bulk of her meals. "What a fool!" I thought. "She could be out having fun but spends her money on that garbage. Ha!" One morning, after a late night out destroying my liver, I really wanted a glass of juice. I went to the fridge and low and behold, my sister had some cranberry juice. Yes! I poured a large glass and started to desperately chug it, like you do when you're hungover, only to run to the sink and spit it out - it was unsweetened organic cranberry juice! "What is this junk?! Ugh, organic stuff is AWFUL!" I thought.
Funny I had that opinion because while I was eating horribly, I was portraying myself as a health nut. I regularly ran road races. 10 mile and half marathons were my favorite, but every few months I ran anything from a 5 mile to a full marathon race. I was active at a local gym, taking regular group fitness classes (I still miss that gym! It was a social scene, too.) I discovered my love for yoga and began a regular practice. Yet, my diet was still a processed hot mess.
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2013 yoga teacher training: when I finally got woke to the organic lifestyle! Arrow points to yours truly |
Fast forward a few years to the spring of 2013. I was recently engaged and had just moved to Dallas with my then fiance (now husband). We knew nobody. In fact, my first time to the city was when I was driving into town, following my parents who were pulling a trailer with all my belongings on it. I moved before I had a job here, so I decided to do yoga teacher training. Maybe I'd start working as a yoga teacher, maybe I'd go back into marketing. Either way, I'd deepen my knowledge of yoga and meet people, so it was a win in my book!
One of the elements of the program was to keep a food journal. Not to count calories, but rather to mark down what you eat and note how it made you feel. A way of making yourself notice how food effects your body and your mood. I was completely annoyed by this aspect of the program. What a pain in the rump to actually have to write down the junk I was eating and tell my teachers how it made me feel! But it did the trick... I noticed. I also noticed how the other folks in the program ate, how they looked and felt and how their yoga practice was effected by it. After a month of the program, I decided to give organic food a try!
After a week or so, there was no turning back. I felt better than ever. The processed foods I used to buy quickly started to taste too salty and fake. I started to cook more regularly since I had a fiance at home with me. I introduced him to quinoa, and organic veggies. Initially, he pushed back at me, asking where the meat in the meal was. Soon, he too noticed how much better he felt. Today he even asks me, "Can you make something healthy with a lot of vegetables in it? I ate like garbage on my last business trip!"
Baby Henry, our formula fed baby. His rolls and tongue give me life! |
These healthy habits are being passed on to our kids, too. They've all only eaten organic food. I actually don't' keep any conventional brands in my home. If we're at a birthday party or on a play date, I won't stop my kids from eating them, but I don't keep them in the home. That includes baby items! Henry was formula fed as a baby, so organic formula was a no brainer.
Think there isn't a difference in organic vs non-organic formulas? Wrong! There's no GMO's, there's no artificial growth hormones* fed to the cows that produced the dairy for the formula, and the ting that I like best is that Earth's Best Organic® Dairy Formula has no added corn syrup solids! That's a huge difference between conventional formula. Furthermore, it's made without prohibited synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, synthetic hormones, additives and antibiotics. While the FDA has strict regulations on all infant formula to meet standard nutritional guidelines, organic formula can limit your baby’s exposure to potentially harmful chemicals and pesticides. That's HUGE!
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Head to Walmart |
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Go to the baby aisle |
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Boom! Earth's Best Organic® formula |
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Take it home and feed those babies! |
One of the biggest misconceptions I had about organic food is that it's ridiculously expensive. That's changed big time as more and more retailers carry organic options. In fact, Walmart even has it now! And they carry Earth's Best Organic® formula in the baby aisle, too, priced right in line with the conventional brands. Want a coupon to try it? Click here for a ShopKick offer for a discount!
*No significant difference has been shown between milk derived from rbST-treated and non rbST-treated foods