Organic Economics

No health recommendation is more discouraging to me than the one that says to eat organic foods. I get the reasoning and understand the concept but the practical application of that knowledge is economically challenging.

Organic foods are more difficult to find, more expensive, usually smaller in size, often less attractive, and spoil quicker than their pesticide and hormone injected counterparts. The upside is that they're healthier for you and can taste better too.

I was once given an organic chicken and was excited to roast it. I had heard rave reviews about how tender and juicy it would be. In the end it tasted to me like all the other chicken I had eaten, except yellower & smaller.

Another time I decided to spend our weekly budgeted amount on organic meat and I served minute amounts of meat that had my husband in a "Where's the beef?" outrage.

The upside is that organic foods are becoming more readily available on the mass market and the prices are becoming more reasonable. Could it be that food marketers are catching on that this is what we want? It is good for us, the animals (during their lifetime) and our planet.

Organic meat is still out of our budget in the quantities that we are prone to eat, but we recently purchased 1/2 of a locally and naturally raised cow. It's not certified organic but it's a healthier source of protein than the grocery store alternative.

In the end I believe that the quest for optimal health has to be considered in relation to other priorities. If buying healthy foods stretches your budget to the point that you have nothing left to give to people who are starving (locally or in foreign countries) than something is seriously amiss. Each person has to assess their resources and reach for the healthiest lifestyle they can afford within a budget that is balanced between their needs and the needs of others.

Still, organic foods are better and this is something worth aiming for if you have the option. Just keep in mind that somewhere in the world there is someone who would jump at the opportunity to eat food of any kind, organic or not!