Our Organic Journey

Project 365 – #080

It seems odd to be talking about our organic journey as we are definitely still in the infant stages – at least, that’s how it feels to me.  Our organic journey really started about the same time that we went gluten free.  It was at this time that I really became aware of everything that was in our every day foods.  Plus, Munchkin was getting older which lead me to think about all the different health issues I had at a younger age.  I began to wonder if making changes in our diet could help with many of those issues.

Our switch has been gradual in some things and quite abrupt in others.  Going gluten free forced me to really the read labels – of everything.  The more I learned about being gluten free, the more closely I read labels.  I wasn’t just reading food labels, but also labels for cleaning supplies, personal care items, and many other things.  Once you start closely examining labels, you begin to realize all the “stuff” you’ve been consuming over the years.

We began to switch to more eco-friendly cleaning products that were gluten free and fragrance free.  We starting paying more attention to the foods that we put into our bodies.  (Notice, I say started as we still have a long way to go to be truly an organic family.)

At the same time we started to switch to organics, I started to notice that many “organic” products contained way too many ingredients.  Take sour cream for example… I looked at several different organic sour creams, but they all had a long list of ingredients.  Our regular sour cream (Daisy) contains cultured cream – that’s it.  We stuck with Daisy.  Just because something is organic doesn’t make it good for you. Just sayin’.

As we strove to find a balance between good for us, organics, and our pocket book, we began to eat less processed foods and more whole foods/foods cooked from scratch.  I found cooking from scratch became a joy again because I was able to provide good food for my family, and I had total control of the ingredients.  This allowed me to make gluten free foods that fit our family’s taste (and ingredient) preferences.

Often, I wish that we could eat more organic products, but the selection in our area is a bit limited – especially when it comes to produce.  I don’t mind paying a little more for organic produce as they tend to have better flavor.  You do need to eat the produce a little quicker as it has a tendency to go back a bit faster than traditional produce.  Some items definitely have a steep tag for organics while other things (such as carrots, apples, and lettuce) tend to be only a little more than conventional products.

Obviously, I like to bake, so we do have some less than healthy choices on the menu, but sweets here and there aren’t a bad thing.  I’m still learning and playing with different healthier options for baking.  Gluten free baking has allowed me to move away from many of the traditional unhealthy flours and into more nutrient dense flours (if desired).

This week, thanks to being encouraged by my friend Heather’s organic challenge post, I’ll be sharing some organic products including some giveaways.  I’ll also be sharing some earth-friendly items that I think you’ll enjoy.  As I said earlier, we’re still early in our organic journey, so I look forward to learning more during the Easy Organic Living challenge.