Discussion Board

I can't seem to find an article from Dr. McDougall really spelling out his feelings on organic food. Does anyone know if there is one?
Thanks

I think someone mentioned here that he doesn't have an official position on organic vs traditional. At the same time, in his latest video, I notice a good number of products Mary cooked with that had labels were organic. A lot of products on their approved list are organic as well. I suspect that given two identical products that were both low fat and vegan he would support the organic product more as long as people could afford it.

Hi,
At the Advance Study Week-end Dr. Mc said they eat organic. He said he did not make a issue of it in the program because he did not want to add one more thing. It may be too much for some people to handle all at once.
BW

He has said in (live) lectures that I've heard that organic produce is a good idea if it is within your budget. However, he also points out that you are reducing the amount of pesticides and herbicides you ingest tremendously just by avoiding animal products. They consume a lot of vegetable matter over their lifetimes and the chemicals concentrate in them.

You may be thinking this concept sounds familiar. Remember the DDT issue with eagle eggs? Same concept. Eagles ate critters that ate plants contaminated with DDT and it only became a problem at the top of the food chain where the amounts were most concentrated.

For people who are interested in buying organic produce but can't afford buying all organic, this environmental group has ranked the 12 worst and 12 best types of produce in terms of how much pesticide they typically contain if grown conventionally. That way, we can prioritize which food might be worth the extra cost to buy organic to minimize pesticide exposure.

http://www.foodnews.org/

I will re-iterate again that we are finding our CSA to be an excellent and affordable source of organic produce. The farm is not certified organic, but all of the produce is grown organically. The cost for us is probably 1/3 of what it would cost to buy organic produce in the stores.

The other advantage is exposure to new and different foods. Many CSA farmers try to grow heirloom crops. We find the food has more flavor than anything from the store.

Find fresh food in your area: http://www.localharvest.org/

From what I've read, it is best to buy what organic you can afford for multiple reasons including your health and the health of the planet.

That being said, I don't buy all organic, however I buy as much as possible. If your supermarket has an organic produce section, don't hesitate to check for sales, often times (especially if it is very ripe) they'll sell the organic at the same or less cost than non-organic produce. A good majority of food at the health food stores is organic as well, yay!

Also, if your grocery stores don't have much in the way of organic foods, don't hesitate to ask!! I was asking about agave nectar at my local health food store, and (believe it or not) the lady working had never even heard of it. Low and behold, I stopped in today and they had added it to their inventory I used to write letters consistantly to large chains and fastfood restaurants asking for more meatless alternatives; I was very proud the day Burger King added a veggie burger to their menu. If enough consumers state exactly what they want, eventually the providers catch on and make it available.

I agree, Sunny, the prices at Farmer's Markets here seem to be very high as well. Our CSA, though, is a good deal. I've talked to a couple people in other parts of the country and they get pretty good deals through theirs as well. I think U-pick days at farms can also be a good option.

Okay, Carroll, that was really cute. I will have to send a link to a few people I know.

Go to www.doortodoororganics.com
There are some parts of the country where "door to door" will deliver organic vegetables. You order on weekends and they deliver on a certain day of the week according to wear you live.
There is a $10 delivery fee, and it is not cheap... but, it they have good produce (what they sell changes from week to week).
GL