Sometimes called the "organic nazi" by my husband, I am a firm believer in eating healthy, organic foods. Call me crazy, but I want to know that the food that I am giving my family will not only nourish their bodies, but will also be free from chemicals and other harmful ingredients! So I have made it a personal mission of mine to research foods and their manufacturers, read labels, and buy locally whenever possible...in order to buy the best, chemical free, freshest foods I can. Not only do I know that I'm giving my family the best food possible, but I can also testify that by eating organic foods, we feel better, we seem to experience less fatigue, we don't get sick as often as most people and we just have a general sense of well-being.
I think that we, as Americans, have become a society of people who are complacent when it comes to our food. If it's convenient or fast or easy or cheap or tastes good, then we eat it...not even taking the time to think twice about whether it's good for us, what is in it or anything! I know that it's so easy to eat fast food when we are all on the go....or to throw in a frozen meal when we don't have time to cook, but these kinds of foods are filled with growth hormones, pesticides, preservatives and many other harmful things that can have a lasting effect on our bodies. Need proof? Want to see for yourself? Check out some of these links to things that have influenced me and given me knowledge about food.
http://www.foodincmovie.com/
hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/securit/chem-chim/food-aliment/index
http://www.tuberose.com/Chemicals_in_Food.html
With that said, I encourage all of you to take a step out of the comfort zone, go beyond quick and easy, and put a little effort into the foods you eat....the foods you feed to your children!! It may take a little extra time, it may cost a little extra money and it may even taste different from the foods that you are used to eating, but I can assure you, that by eating organic, homemade foods, you will not only know that you are providing quality food as nourishment to your family, but it will also make you feel so much better (both mentally and physically)! Take the time to research the manufacturers of your foods, become better informed of the things that are put into everyday foods, find grocery stores that carry organic foods, know what labels mean, shop local farmer's markets...take the initiative to know your food and know it's safe! I've included just a few of some useful websites to reference in researching foods and also what terms to look for that mean danger in your foods! But I encourage you to do more research, because there is so much more to know!
www.ars.usda.gov/is/np/fnrb
www.sweetpoison.com/food-additives-to-avoid.html
www.cspinet.org/reports/chemcuisine.htm
www.organicfoodinfo.net/what_is_organic_food.html
I hope that one day, as a society, we can stand up to manufacturers and insist that only the best products be put into our foods which will allow all of us to eat healthy, no matter what we buy or where we buy it! But until that day, we need to take a personal initiative to ensure on our own that the foods we eat are the best!
Throughout the course of this blog, I plan to share some of my favorite organic recipes, tips to organic food shopping (including couponing for organic food for the frugal mom) and just some overall knowledge about some of the things I've learned about organic foods. Until then, I hope that I've given you some useful information to get started on your path to being your own "organic nazi"! :)
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