What Exactly Does Organic Mean?

By: Kerry McKenzie

or•gan•ic
ôrˈɡanik/  adjective; of, relating to, or derived from living matter. Now days, “organic” has many meanings, and it’s confusing. There’s "organic" clothing, "organic" dish soap and "organic" milk, eggs and other foods. The price tag is usually higher for “organic” than for items that don’t use “organic” on labels in the supermarket or other stores.

When you see “organic” on the label, it offers confidence that the item has fewer chemicals than the non-organic options. In many cases, it can be shown that organic products are less-processed, contain less synthetic ingredients, and are produced in ways that are more gentle to our environment. In other cases, the organic label offers assurance that the products are made only from living materials, not from chemicals.

What makes a product organic and what allows a product to be legally marketed as “organic” can vary, product to product, because the government and industry have policies with criteria that are specific to say, eggs, or milk, or spinach. Each one of those products has its own criteria. So, it can be confusing.

The bottom line is that when you see “organic”, you can be sure it doesn't contain ingredients created from petroleum or other non-living sources.

If the price seems too high consider this - the list below has the highest pesticide load so buy them organic or grow them organically yourself:

• Apples
• Strawberries
• Grapes
• Celery
• Peaches
• Spinach
• Sweet bell peppers
• Nectarines (imported)
• Cucumbers
• Cherry tomatoes
• Snap peas (imported)
• Potatoes

And buy these conventionally grown products, if you have to, as these have the lowest in pesticide contamination:

• Avocados
• Sweet corn
• Pineapples
• Cabbage
• Sweet peas (frozen)
• Onions
• Asparagus
• Mangoes
• Papayas
• Kiwi
• Eggplant
• Grapefruit
• Cantaloupe (domestic)
• Cauliflower
• Sweet potatoes

Pesticides and other chemicals are unhealthy all of the time, but especially during vulnerable times such as fetal development and childhood. It's always best to buy organic whenever possible to promote the health of our families as well as the health of our planet. Not everyone can afford organic produce so Choosy reminds us that when shopping in the supermarket,

“Fresh is best,

Frozen is okay/fine,

Canned and boxed,

Are last in line!”

We are all busy, but no matter what, let’s make time to carefully select and wash the produce we purchase for our family. And let’s create early conversations with our children about healthy and not so healthy foods. Challenge them with sorting activities like this one from Choosy. And remember: Be Choosy…Choose Well!

What organically grown produce/products do you purchase?  

About the Author: Kerry McKenzie, B.A., M.S., has been working in education for more than 13 years. She is a Certified Health Coach, a 500 level (E-RYT500) yoga teacher and specializes in early childhood motor development. She has a passion for working with expecting moms, babies, toddlers and preschool age children and their caregivers at Greenville Health Systems pediatric clinic, child care centers and in the community. Click here to learn more about Kerry.

Eating Well Doesn’t Have to Cost a Fortune

By: Kerry McKenzie

In my previous blog, Eat Well to Be Well, I discussed how to engage your family with eating nutritious foods, low in sugar and how to make meals fun. After that post, I got to thinking about how people are sometimes not sure how to wisely spend their grocery money and how sometimes eating nutritiously can be…well…expensive if you don’t know some secrets!

What we must remember as adults and parents (so that we can teach this to our children) is to prioritize eating well to be well. Yes, high-quality food can be costly, but the high cost of poor health and diet-related disease is far more expensive. Prevention is the best cure, and here are some ways to save when sourcing whole, nutritious foods…
• Take field trips to local farmer’s markets
• Comparison shop
• Start your own garden at home in windowsills, in containers or in raised beds

Buying food from local farmers is one of my favorite ways to save on nutritious foods. Your local farmers don’t grow their crops for fun – they do it as a business so they make sure that their products are the best. Plus, when you buy local, you are getting the produce as soon as possible. There isn’t any packaging that needs to be done, no pre-treatment to ensure the product doesn’t spoil before the gets from point A to point B. Because of this, it is less likely that nutrients will be lost because of the shorter time frame from farm to table. And one of the best parts of buying local is that you are supporting local families. The wholesale prices that farmers get for their products are low, often near the cost of production. Local farmers who sell direct to consumers cut out the middleman and get full retail price for their food - which helps farm families stay on the land. Remember to visit your local farmer often as new crops come into season at different times. Prices are the lowest when crops are in full swing!

Comparison shopping is also another way to save money on your grocery bill. A lot of stores will be out competitor prices so watch your ads. Stock up and save when you can as well. Produce can be frozen but is always best when used as soon as possible. There are also great grocery apps for your smart phones that will save you anywhere from a quarter to upwards of $5 for just buying what you need. I don’t know about you, but I don’t ever see sales on milk but I always make sure to use my grocery app to get that $0.25 off! It adds up fast!

My last advice for you is to start your own garden at home. Research tells us that children are more likely to eat fruits or veggies they have helped nurture and grow. A packet of seeds is VERY inexpensive (check out your local dollar stores!) so starting from seed is cheap and can save you a ton of money! Research what you desire to plant so that you are aware of how it grows in your area. Many seeds can be started on window sills and can be transplanted once they are big enough. This also helps keep the wildlife from getting your seeds. Planting a garden can be great fun for you and your children. 

What are some ways that you save on your groceries but still serve healthy, nutritious foods? 

About the Author: Kerry McKenzie, B.A., M.S., has been working in education for more than 13 years. She is a Certified Health Coach, a 500 level (E-RYT500) yoga teacher and specializes in early childhood motor development. She has a passion for working with expecting moms, babies, toddlers and preschool age children and their caregivers at Greenville Health Systems pediatric clinic, child care centers and in the community. Click here to learn more about Kerry.