What’s the longest you’ve marinaded on something?
Marinating in your mind, not in meat. I’m talking about you.
How long have you had an idea float around in your head, letting it toggle back and forth between the pros and cons, between goods and bads… possibly even letting it sit on the sidelines for a while to see if the idea morphs into something better, or simply go away?
The idea of organic chicken, organic butter and organic eggs has been marinading in my head for about three years.
The fall after my husband and I were married, we took a couple classes together at a local community college. We learned about the endocrine system and how hormones worked in our bodies.
While we didn’t remember much from our Anatomy & Physiology class, one lesson that did stick around was the fact that our bodies were created perfectly – we are given the correct and proper hormones necessary for whatever our body will be doing for its duration on the planet, including growth.
By consuming additional hormones, either through meat, dairy or prescriptions, we are altering what our body does naturally.
Fast forward three years, just a couple months before my daughter was born, and my husband and I were having a discussion about girls and boobs that I’m sure is fairly common among parents of girls. We didn’t know if the baby was a girl or boy at the time, but we discussed that “it” could be a girl and girls were growing boobs at a much younger age nowadays than they used to. As the parents of “it,” we were concerned. And just like that, we made a decision to start buying organic milk.
Can changing milk alone rid our children, and ourselves, of the harmful effects of artificial chemicals and hormones?
No, it cannot. But we were a small family on a small budget and we were making a decision for the better. It was only a baby step, but it was a step in the right direction.
We had enough common sense to know that animal farming was rigged. Farmers had to use hormones to make their “crop” bigger… bigger chickens, more eggs, bigger eggs, bigger beef, more milk… The products that came from organic farms were smaller, but truer, and those farmers had to charge more to compensate for the smaller “crop” and the work that goes into properly raising animals.
Honestly, we felt like we didn’t have a choice. The prices alone scared us. We thought that if we bought organic chicken, we wouldn’t be able to afford anything else for the month. Buying anything else organic just wasn’t an option.
But the thought still hung around, like the flavor of a good marinade, and that flavor has been lingering around inside my brain ever since.
A few months ago we started making our way through the plethora of documentaries available on Netflix. We watched the big foodie ones: Food Inc., Food Matters and Forks Over Knives.
These documentaries (despite the controversies of skewed view points and speculation of partial truths), opened our eyes to the food we put in our bodies, where it comes from, how it’s really processed, and how it ends up at our table. The marinade started swishing around some more and was even seeping in a bit. I hadn’t been concerned about how my chickens were raised. I never thought to look past the price tag of my butter. The myriad of egg choices just confused me since eggs couldn’t be hormonally altered, right? I thought to myself, how could you put a needle through an eggshell to pump it full of hormones and the shell still remain in tact?
And then I read that hormones, pesticides and whatever else is given to animals is likely concentrated in the fat of the animal.
“Given to the animals” doesn’t just include directly through shots. It also includes indirectly, through grain and feed that’s been modified to produce a better final product, whether that’s eggs or milk or muscle. It includes grass that’s been sprayed with chemicals so that unwelcomed guests don’t make themselves comfy. It could even mean the water that the animal drinks. Some people drink flourinated water; why wouldn’t farmers add chemicals to animal water too?
But then the animal eats and drinks that stuff. And he digests it. And it affects his body. And it stays in his body. And then we eat that body. And if we eat butter, we’re eating concentrated stuff.
And the light bulb went off in my marinated brain.
Our family is still on a small budget, but somehow we needed to find room to buy organic chicken, organic butter and organic eggs. My husband and I had a very, very short discussion on this topic one night over dinner that went something like this:
Me: Hey babe, I’ve been giving this some serious thought, but I think we should buy organic chicken, butter and eggs. I’ve done some research, but it really boils down to the health of our family. I know it’ll be more expensive, but I think we should try to make it work.
Him: That sounds great babe. I couldn’t agree with you more.
And so the decision was made.
There definitely was quite a bit of research that went into this decision and TONS of questions along the way:
- Should we buy organic beef too, or just chicken?
- What about grass fed beef; is that better than organic?
- Is there such thing as organic pork?
- What about cage free eggs; are they the same?
- And free-range eggs? Aren’t free-range chickens cage-free too?
- Does organic butter really cost twice as much as non-organic?!
I found these answers, and so much more, and I hope to share more on these topics and how we came up with our answers in the next few weeks. (No sense in making you wait on the last one though – yes, organic butter really does cost twice as much as non-organic.)
Buying organic chicken, eggs and butter won’t make our family do a 180 in the nutrition department, but it’s another baby step, and it’s a step in the right direction.
Disclaimer: There are families who struggle to eat meat, let alone organic meat – I know this. We are all in different seasons and if your season is survival mode, then make it a goal to survive. However, if you are not in survival mode, consider allowing this marinade to sit in your brain for a little bit. Perhaps it’ll change the way you approach your food or your budget. Maybe it’ll lead to another baby step.
Are you committed to buying anything organic?
We’ve been taking baby steps toward eating healthier. There’s lots swirling around my brain right now…
I know that feeling of being overwhelmed Steph. I think what’s most important is doing what YOU feel is best for your family. Sometimes arming ourselves with information can make our head feel like it’s going to explode, lol. We just have to keep plugging away as best as we can!
Good for you. We are working toward the goal. So very expensive that it is still beyond our reach but not forgotten.
I like your phrase “beyond our reach but not forgotten.” It is indeed expensive, but I’m reminded of a book that I reviewed not too long ago that kept reiterating that some is better than none. I like to think that if we $2 extra today to buy that one pound of organic butter instead of conventional butter, the result would not be lost. Call it a “tiny step” perhaps? We all have to go at our own pace!
There are different types/degrees of survival mode. I’ll try to be brief….
Financially, the past 5-6 years have been awful for us. We had a business that failed in the recession, which ultimately caused us to lose our home. Survival meant living for a year and 1/2 in a house I never would have considered otherwise, and my husband and I both delivering newspapers (he while looking for work, and I in addition to full time work.) My husband found a job as a commission based salesman which means that his salary is NEVER fixed. Our budget is always a work in progress (and juggling practice!)
This past spring, we discovered that our 9 year old son has food allergies. Specifically: corn, rice soy, almond, walnuts, peanuts. As you must know, corn products and/or soy products are in virtually every packaged food available.
So our journey has brought us to this place where our family is buying real food, and making better choices. This mode of survival means that our food COULD end up costing more money, but surprisingly, our food spending really hasn’t gone up all that much. We no longer buy all those little “guilty pleasures” that add up quickly in our grocery cart, and I do a lot more baking of things that are ok for my son to eat, and better for all of us.
Shopping for organic food can be very similar to shopping for “regular” food. Find out where the best price for what you need is, realize when a sale is a great deal and buy extra, etc. There are more and more coupons available for good foods. Earthbound Farms, Cascadian Farms, etc.
This I do for survival.
Very well spoken Cathie. Thank you so much for sharing your story. We’ve been blessed to not have food allergies (so far), so I can only imagine the thoughts and concern that go behind every.single.thing. your child eats since corn IS everywhere. It sounds like you’re doing a great job of taking care of your family!
We haven’t gotten to organic yet, but we have taken steps to eat healthier. We no longer buy as much processed foods as we used to. I only buy real butter instead of the fake stuff that we had used for years. I try to make as much from scratch as I can. With a 2-year old running around, it can be difficult, but we’re getting there.
Switching to real butter is a great step in the right direction, and not buying as many processed items makes it so much easier to choose healthy from the fridge and pantry. I understand working around a toddler at your feet (or in the trash, the toilet, the dirt, the markers…). Keep up the efforts!!
I’ve been reading a lot, too, lately…there is SO much info out there. We get eggs from a friend who has pastured chickens (although they do eat feed, too) and I get awesome milk from grass-fed cows. The butter is something I’m working on. There is a big difference between organic/cage-free/free-range and pastured chickens. The organic or cage-free or free-range can walk about in an overcrowded room like on Food, Inc and still be diseased, etc. Pastured is out there…in the field or farm, eating bugs and grass and all that good stuff. The biggest difference is in the amount of “good stuff” (vitamins, etc) in the eggs & meat. Pastured chickens have eggs with deep yellow-orange yolks. (butter from pastured cows is deeper in color, too) They taste much better, too. It’s fun to see the yolks become orange in the summer months because the chickens are getting bugs and grass (in winter they pale a bit due to no bugs and grass). Recently, there was an article on one of the blogs that exposed a “cage free organic” farm, where the workers were in assembly line fashion in white-suits and masks and the quality and safety of product was no better than the non-organic caged chickens. HOWEVER, I have read so much conflicting info on different blogs and sites about so many “real food” subjects, that you just have to go with what you feel is best for your family. There seems to be lots of controversy, which is a shame.
I’ve read much of the same too Heather. One reason we went with organic is because we do not have a source for pastured chickens. We have a source for grass-fed cows, but it would require us to purchase 1/2 cow and not only do we not have storage, but we don’t eat that much beef!
Food from pastured animals is definitely on my radar, but it’s going to require some more digging for local sources!
It seems to be a new “trend” around here…people having their own chickens. I live in a suburb, not really near “big country” and I have 3 friends that have their own chickens (I’d like some one day, too, but budget won’t allow building a coop and fence right now.) Hopefully you’ll find someone where you live, too. Regarding the 1/2 cow…if you find 3-4 friends (or more) that want to “split it” it might be a small enough amount for each of you to store. I have NOT done this yet, but I just buy small quatities here and there…not always grass-fed, but trying to (budget hurts already!) Thankfully the pastured eggs are only $3/doz. Oh…perhaps if you see signs that say “farm fresh eggs” at a health food store, you can inquire about the source…my friend that supplies mine sells to a local health store and they just list them as “farm fresh” because they’re not 100% pastured. Just a thought. Have a blessed week.
Thanks for the tip on splitting a 1/2 cow with friends – I know a few people who may be interested. A good tip too on checking with the local health stores! Thank you!
Hi: This is my first visit to your website. I am impressed with this article. I’m looking forward to the rest. I have not thought so much about hormones so much. It totally makes sense that we are putting things in our body that either are not there naturally or not there in that quanity.
I love to bake and have been switching over to organic flour and sugar. It doesn’t seem to be a shocking difference in cost. ( Organic bread made in a bread machine is easy and affordable. I got a bread machine for $48 this summer. ) Costco has organic cane sugar for just over $1 lb. It is dehydrated organic cane juice. The tast is fabulous. I am a mom of teenage boys. My goal is to make healthy, cheaper snacks. Snacks and cold cereal can cost a fortune! By baking at home I am avoiding lots of preservatives. After reading your article, I am going to take a look at organic butter. In my area, I can find milk that is “hormone free” but not organic. Meaning, the cows haven’t been given hormones but the diet is not organic. I wonder if there is also butter that way ?
Thanks. ~ Christie
Hi Christie! It sounds like you’ve given your family’s eating habits some serious thought – good for you for making positive changes! I couldn’t agree more that homemade snacks are much more affordable than store-bought.
In regards to the butter question, I’ve seen butter that is “rBST-free” in my area, but haven’t seen the label “hormone-free.” Even if a product is free of rBST, it’s still not free of the many other hormones in circulation.
Does your Costco carry organic milk? Ours does, and I’ve also seen organic milk in Walmart, Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods. Keep looking – it’s gotta be out there somewhere!!
I love seeing this discussion! I’ve seen so many documentaries, have read so many articles and feel like I have all kinds of information overload happening in my brain that this simple and honest discussion was refreshing.
My family of 5 is starting to slowly make changes as well starting with cutting out as much white flour and white sugar as possible (helps when your SIL grinds fresh wheat for you!), but the hormone thing REALLY bothers me. We had our first baby girl in April and feel even more burdened for her little body. My husband is a teacher and I own an etsy shop so our main issue is the budget. We’ve decided that for now, our top priority is to put our money into the best meat we can buy so we just bought 1/16 of a grass fed cow. However, I am still in shock over organic chicken prices. I mean, is there ANY way to save money there? Have you guys found sales? We have a TJ’s and EarthFare near us as well as a bunch of farms, but the prices are still really hard to swallow.
Thanks for getting this discussion going!
Information overload… yep, I understand that feeling.
Flour and sugar are on my radar too, but there are some hurdles I’ll have to figure out first. Love that you bought a portion of a cow! I listed some chicken prices here, but I’m always keeping my eye out for better deals. I know Whole Foods does a random deal where whole chickens are $0.99/lb, but they’re not predictable (and on first come, first serve basis). As soon as I find a consistent, better deal, I’ll shout it to the world!
Love the article!
Just discovered your blog from kitchen stewardship, plan to explore other articles as well. I have the same thoughts brewing for the last 8 years, since I had my 1st daughter. Started out with organic milk, last year I transitioned to Amish split chicken breast, ground beef, ground chicken, ground turkey and eggs in the winter. A local farmer has chickens, so i stop there to get my eggs (he does say that he gives them commercial grain), but those girls are always running around the field and eat grass and bugs. We grow veggies in our garden in the summer. Right now I am researching additional items to filter: high fructose syrup, additional organic products. The main obstacle is the cost, as everyone else mentioned, but little by little
Thanks!
It’s an eye-opening article, thank you. While I would only buy organic chicken I think it is worth mentioning that (at least according to U.S. law) hormones cannot be administered to chickens. I realize that regulations leave the door open for chemicals to enter a bird’s system through assorted mechanisms, but at least the bird is not getting “injected” with hormones. Antibiotics, though, well that’s another story
Keep up the good work!
Doug,
You are correct in that the FDA has not approved use of growth hormones in chickens, however it’s the “assorted mechanisms” that should worry us. Contaminated feed (not to even touch the possible GMO issue), water, maybe even manipulated antibiotics? We’ll never really know for sure. The only safe bet is to raise your own chickens, or know someone personally who does, but that’s not possible for many of us, including me. Trusting the strict organic regulations is the next best thing (I guess?)
Thanks for the thought-provoking comment (which make me TOTALLY want my own chickens even more), and encouraging words! ~Tiffany