Getting Organic-ized
James 5:4
Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.
Lina and I are making a conscious effort of trying to eat healthier. It starts at the beginning of the food chain in finding the right kind of foods (and then eating the right amounts). We are even backing up a step to foray into purchasing organic and fair trade when it is possible. It is kind of a two step forward one step backward kind of thing because of our own inconsistent eating habits (like, is it even possible find an organic Whoopie Pie?). Plus, it looks like I need to start drinking organic beer because that is a significant part of my weekend caloric intake.
Lina has already written about her take on our organic adventure in her blog and I wanted to add my thoughts.
It is indeed possible to find many foods that are FT/O (Fair Trade and Organic). Fair Trade food is one where the commodity pricing guarantees that the producer of the goods is given a "fair" price for the products, one that essentially gives workers a living wage and where the commercial interaction does not act as a feudal-like indentured slavery model (makes me think about the Books of James verse above). Organic means that that the food is grown free of pesticides, herbicides, and is not GMO (Genetically Modified). It is more complex than this but that is a purview of some major principles.
With FT/O be prepared to spend 2 to 3 times more for the same amount quantity-wise (breads, fruits, vegetables, etc). I am not going to state that the quality is the same though. So far, we are noticing that the organic food tastes better, feels better, looks better, and is probably better for us. I know that I am much more appreciative and conscious of the FT/O food when eating it, calculating how much that one grape that I am swallowing just cost us.
I also know that buying FT/O is not an option for many families because of the economics. I just wonder what the costs will be in end if we don't change our current practices. In a Wal-Mart world where cheaper is considered better, we may find out that it is actually worse. A food system that depends on slave-like labor, herbicides, pesticides, GMO's, over-farming, unsanitary herding and feed lot practices, antibiotics , and the like, is not a sustainable system over the long haul.
We are what we eat and by the looks of it, we need to eat better.
Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.
Lina and I are making a conscious effort of trying to eat healthier. It starts at the beginning of the food chain in finding the right kind of foods (and then eating the right amounts). We are even backing up a step to foray into purchasing organic and fair trade when it is possible. It is kind of a two step forward one step backward kind of thing because of our own inconsistent eating habits (like, is it even possible find an organic Whoopie Pie?). Plus, it looks like I need to start drinking organic beer because that is a significant part of my weekend caloric intake.
Lina has already written about her take on our organic adventure in her blog and I wanted to add my thoughts.
It is indeed possible to find many foods that are FT/O (Fair Trade and Organic). Fair Trade food is one where the commodity pricing guarantees that the producer of the goods is given a "fair" price for the products, one that essentially gives workers a living wage and where the commercial interaction does not act as a feudal-like indentured slavery model (makes me think about the Books of James verse above). Organic means that that the food is grown free of pesticides, herbicides, and is not GMO (Genetically Modified). It is more complex than this but that is a purview of some major principles.
With FT/O be prepared to spend 2 to 3 times more for the same amount quantity-wise (breads, fruits, vegetables, etc). I am not going to state that the quality is the same though. So far, we are noticing that the organic food tastes better, feels better, looks better, and is probably better for us. I know that I am much more appreciative and conscious of the FT/O food when eating it, calculating how much that one grape that I am swallowing just cost us.
I also know that buying FT/O is not an option for many families because of the economics. I just wonder what the costs will be in end if we don't change our current practices. In a Wal-Mart world where cheaper is considered better, we may find out that it is actually worse. A food system that depends on slave-like labor, herbicides, pesticides, GMO's, over-farming, unsanitary herding and feed lot practices, antibiotics , and the like, is not a sustainable system over the long haul.
We are what we eat and by the looks of it, we need to eat better.
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