Read 'n' Seed 5: Fourth Quarter & Final Review of The Organic Food Guide: How to shop smarter and eat healthier

This week I completed the book reading my last two chapters 7 and 8, pages 53-76.

In chapter 7, Price: Real costs and value of organic foods, I found some of the information to be redundant to chapter 6.  One thing I did find novel and interesting, in which the author put into perspective, is how we, as consumers, make choices pertaining to the foods we buy in based off the following order: 

1 Price 

2. Taste

3. Quality 

4. Food and safety

5. Health and Nutrition

In order to improve our health, we need to consider health nutrition as our first priority. This may take some reconditioning on what most people think about when they are shopping, especially in the economy today.

The author made light of how organic foods could be thought of as gourmet foods in a sense, which I personally thought was a creative way of looking at it because people are willing to spend a little extra on gourmet foods so why not use the same enthusiasm to improve your health by buying organic foods.

Another interesting topic that was mentioned in the chapter was all the factors that come into play when it comes to shaping the price of food.  What I learned is that basically all foods are influenced by the export/import distribution, fuel, weather and politics just to name the main factors. I never really thought about how each factor holds an impact on the costs of food. But as we know organic foods are slightly more expensive because of the extra labor and materials used. 

To close the chapter out, the author gives strategies on how to shop for organic foods in a more affordable way.  Not all organic foods cost more than conventional foods. Meyerowitz recommends if one wants to shop organic at affordable prices, one should look for sales, search for scan signs on shelves, buy locally and buy organics in the store brand (Great tips).

Chapter 8: How to get started eating organic

Mainly offer suggestions on how to get started in eating organic. The author recommends that one should start off with one  food they enjoy, and commit to always buying it organic (pg.73). Also a refreshing point that is mentioned is how we can value and protect the assets that help produce organic food by making the choice to buy organic. As Meyerwoitz stated, we are the most powerful link in the food chain (pg. 76).

 Overview of the book:

This book, I thought, was very informative because it provided a lot of detailed  and insight of what organic entails.  The book answered questions that many people may have concerning the differences of organic foods and conventional foods. It really invites the reader to really think about what it is they are really buying. I think the book is very necessary because so many food companies are promoting organic on their labels, but there are some consumers that don’t understand what that means exactly  and choosing to stick with what they know. I think the book is very resourceful in explaining why foods are organic, and why it’s considered a healthier choice as well as why it’s slightly more expensive than “regular” foods.

Three significant things learned:

• That not all organic foods are expensive
• The difference between organic and natural
• The cycle of producing organic foods

What this means to me is that we need more education in this realm health. It’s not just choosing to eat more fruits and vegetables like most people are taught, but to eat healthy encompasses a more seriousness to it. I think this book highlighted some key points that most people don’t realize, don’t think about, or simply are not aware of. Shopping for healthy foods has become a complex ordeal in the world today and it just seems that the integrity that we once trusted in our ecological system and foods can now be questioned (scary).

This is important because society as a whole is not educated this intensely on the matter. Most people are doing more harm to themselves than good. It’s not fair that people, basically, are dying from the lack of knowledge. People put so much of their trust in the governmental system but have not idea it might not be such a reliable source when it comes to their health. The truth of the matter is that we bear the responsiblity of what we choose to consume and the side effects that may accompany those choices whether those effects are good or bad.

Although short in content, I do recommend this book because it offers some valuable information and some beneficial methods on how and why one should eat healthier.  The book is design to compare and contrast the difference of organic foods versus conventional foods which I think is a helpful tool for people because it allows the reader to become knowledgeable in areas that they may not have known. Plus the book is easy to follow and keeps you interested in learning more.