quote:

But you get more out of it. If you spend the same amount of money as you do on regular groceries, on organic food, then you are getting "better" food just less of it...but because it is so much better for you, you feel like you are getting more.

True, but you get less in quantity. Not too many people are willing to fork over extra money just for a better taste if they're getting less.

Awesome topic.

I'm moving to Hawaii in 2(+/-) years to work on a farm and have fun and whatnot. Organic really is so much better for your system.... And you can't beat the flavor of organic coffee. My favorite brand = White Mountain... Mmm.. (some of their stuff is naturally sweet, so you don't even need to add any of that pesky sugar-stuff!)

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Originally posted by WorthWaitingFor:
According to Adam: As far as cost...well, yes, it does cost more. But you get more out of it. If you spend the same amount of money as you do on regular groceries, on organic food, then you are getting "better" food just less of it...but because it is so much better for you, you feel like you are getting more.

...

Also, yall are thinking only of vegetables and meat. Consider the benefits of eating organic potato chips and organic popcorn and the like. I've had bites of several of my friends' organic snacks and they are soooooo much better than the regular kind. It's like because they are made healthier, the food tastes better (which is similar to a statement I made before).

Again, this is not a function of the food being organic, it is a function of the food being fresher and of a higher quality, because it costs more. That's what I just said before.

According to Adam: As far as cost...well, yes, it does cost more. But you get more out of it. If you spend the same amount of money as you do on regular groceries, on organic food, then you are getting "better" food just less of it...but because it is so much better for you, you feel like you are getting more.

Now, the reason I spout his opinions as though they are fact is because he does nothing without the proper knowledge and research and logic behind it. He is incredibly intelligent and does nothing without purpose. And he eats organically.

Also, yall are thinking only of vegetables and meat. Consider the benefits of eating organic potato chips and organic popcorn and the like. I've had bites of several of my friends' organic snacks and they are soooooo much better than the regular kind. It's like because they are made healthier, the food tastes better (which is similar to a statement I made before).

It costs too much and there's the risk of contamination. All they do is wash it, and that didn't stop E. coli from ruining spinach's reputation.

But you know what's really nasty? Raw milk. No pasteurization. No homogenization. Just cooling and maybe a bit of straining (to get the big hairs out). No surprise that people have gotten sick from that, too...

I prefer my vegetables safe and big. Although, if I had the extra money to spare, I'd eat more free range meat.

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Originally posted by WorthWaitingFor:
My friends keep telling me how much healthier it is...how much better they feel...and even that their organic food tastes better!

And these are definitely not loony hippie strong environmentalists type people.

So organic can't be entirely foolish, right?

The reason most organic food tastes better is that most people are used to produce from supermarkets. This stuff comes from huge farms hundreds or thousands of miles away, and because of refrigeration, age, and lower quality standards, is often of poor quality.

I think the reason that people think organic food "tastes better" is because organic markets are typically direct or local sellers, meaning that the food gets to you quicker, meaning it's fresher. However, "normal" crops are often available this way too. And in my experiance, organic crops don't taste any better than normal fresh local produce. It just costs more.

I know this because I used to work at my family friends farm and sell produce at market. Everyone always raved about how much better the produce was, because they were used to supermarket stuff. Alot of people automatically assumed we were organic too, but that's not true. We basically use similar farming methods as larger farms, albeit on a smaller scale. The difference is freshness and quality control. Not organic farming.

I think the minimum of chemicals should be used for obvious reasons, but food is not "better" simply because it is organic.

Also note that organic foods/farms are actually a specialty item, and the higher price also buys better quality control. That is, because they can often sell thier food at 3-5 times the price of regular produce, they can afford to throw out more produce and still turn a profit.

My friends keep telling me how much healthier it is...how much better they feel...and even that their organic food tastes better!

And these are definitely not loony hippie strong environmentalists type people.

So organic can't be entirely foolish, right?

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Originally posted by riskbreaker86:
i agree Dr. GM crops are the future, i like my fruit and veg big and plump.

Not only that but they can help soil depletion and loss, cut down on chemical pesticides and fertilizers, and even help cut down atmospheric carbon levels.

Well at least we agree on something risk, ha.

i agree Dr. GM crops are the future, i like my fruit and veg big and plump.

I think that the 100% organic craze is foolish. Science has done wonders for modern agriculture, and we're working out the kinks all the time. That said, modern farming practices aren't perfect.

What I would support more is free-range or locally grown produce. Pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers are not inherently bad. Genetically engineered crops are also extremely beneficial, but have gotten a bad name that they don't deserve.