A friend of mine recently asked me why she should consider feeding her daughter organic foods and I want to share my response to her with you. I am not a dietitian, doctor or farmer nor am I trying to preach my views, this is just my opinion. I believe wholeheartedly in feeding my tots organic foods and using as much organic products as possible. As grown adults, we eat to maintain the bodies we already have but as little tiny tots, they eat to build and create the body they will have their entire lives. Each cell is created using what is being fed to them, so it only makes sense to feed them the highest quality, non-toxic food with no hormones. There is no concrete scientific data that claims eating organic is in fact healthier (the food industry would not allow such data to exist even if it was proven to be true) but it is true that eating pesticides, hormones and preservatives require your body to process these substances which are toxic to your system.

Here is a story a friend of mine told me that will gross you out. He grew up in rural Maine and in the summer there is a stink weed that grows in all the fields making the entire town smell like it. This weed is so pervasive that the local dairy cows end up eating it. The milk they get is from these local cows and it tastes like that stinky weed!! You know when you’re breastfeeding, the doctor tells you not to drink alcohol or eat foods that will upset your baby? Milk is bodily fluid and what you eat inevitably goes into the milk. So when drinking cow’s milk, don’t you want that cow to be as clean and pure as possible? I always always buy organic milk and eggs, no matter what (I’m in Taiwan now and have to go to a specialty store to buy milk, even if it is more expensive).

I have been eating organic since I was pregnant with my first daughter, which was six years ago. But since last year after my dad starting dialysis, I have become even more vigilant. I go to the dialysis center with him 3 times a week and it has scared me straight. You DO NOT want to EVER end up there. Kidney failure can be caused by trauma but in almost all cases, it is caused by overuse and abuse of the kidney function. The kidneys’ main function is to rid your body of waste and filter your blood. If you take excessive medication and/or put excessive toxins in your body, your kidneys become overworked and weakens with time. Again, I am no doctor but I speak to my dad’s nephrologist (kidney doctor) once a week to go over his treatment plan so I have become somewhat of an amateur expert on the kidney.

This is my experience that has lead me to a life of organic eating. It is impossible to be completely organic but the less toxins you put in your body the better. I know eating out, getting a quick and convenient packaged snack and the occasional fast food run is unavoidable but at least when I’m home, I give my body a break with fresh organic meals. I have calculated that it costs me $200 more a month (for a family of 4) to eat organic but if you consider medical costs constantly going up, this is actually a smart investment (I would consider it a savvy move to take from your 401K to supplement your organic diet because don’t you want to be on the beach when you retire instead of in a dialysis center?).