How Likely Are You To Use "health" Foods?

[Lemons2lemonade]

[Hope]

The organic food I consume is either from Kroger's organic section, or from my own organic garden. If we had an organic store close by us, I might go.

[peregrine]

I tend to eat organic produce because we do most of our shopping at the local (organic) farmer's market and grow our own organic veggies, plus we drink organic milk and eat organic eggs (due to the taste in the former case, due to getting free range eggs - as much as free range commercial eggs are free range). But I don't really have a propensity towards eating organic, it's just that that's what we do.

[Maiysa]

Whole Foods is the highlight of my week. I love the smells and the positive energy this place has. I love that I don't have to make my own juice on that day and they do the clean up. It's not so much the health food as much as it is knowing which ones are best for me. It could be organic all day long, but if I eat organic fruit in the morning, I can feel really sick. So for me it's about knowing what is good for me. I read a lot about health food and it keeps me inspired to take better care of myself. Just like watching girls exercise on the infomericals and I say....I think I might exercise......later. I'm much better at eating good food. I'm not always well enough to exercise but always well enough to eat.

[bunny]

I wasn't into organic foods at all before POTS. BUT, one of my college degrees is in microbiology, with an emphasis on industrial and infectious microbiology. Two of my professors had come from the business world and worked for very large food producers. It's very likely that all of us have products from these companies in our homes. After seeing how the US food supply and US food manufacturing works, I (as well as my classmates) changed my food habits immediately. Upton Sinclair's The Jungle seems almost quaint compared to the adulteration of food products we were shown and taught to do.

I now also avoid processed foods as much as possible. When you process something, particularly for the purpose of making it last longer on the shelf, you're often altering the nutritional content. After all, the bacteria, mold, and pests find this food attractive for the same reason we do -- nutrition. If they won't eat it, why would you want to?

I'm not sold on 100% organic foods either -- the organic label doesn't mean exactly what consumers think it does. Many of the larger food producers now have gotten into the "organic" business and their definition of organic is quite different than mine. I try to go organic when it makes sense -- foods which retain more of environmental compounds than others, and foods which are at the higher end of the food chain (beef, chicken, etc.) I buy local as much as possible, which varies by market. In NYC, I find I'm able to eat well quite easily. Even healthy restaurants are easy to come by without resorting to hippie-esque establishments. In Florida's suburbia, forget it. All of the restaurants near one of my homes are chains. Gotta love the fluorescent-orange sauce from that "Neighborhood" chain. Nothing natural there. Even the supermarkets are iffy. Trying to find true fresh bread w/o preservatives is a lost cause here. I'm absolutely thrilled we finally got a Trader Joe's (and more planned!) in Florida so I don't have to go to Whole Paycheck.

I have noticed empirical improvements in my health due to these changes in my diet and improvements in my POTS symptoms. I've changed more than just going from synthetic to organic. More fresh fruit & veg, less grains, less processed foods. The fact that my hair's growing thicker and multiple people have noticed this says quite a bit. Blood sugar levels are also much more stable this way.

[targs66]

I didn't bother with organic or "health" food in the past, thinking it was an overhyped way to sell food at higher prices. However, two things have influenced my choices: first, I agree with Bunny's post. The more I learn about processed food and big food manufacturers, the more I want to eat things that are as unprocessed as possible (not so easy for someone who hates cooking!). Second, I'm not a vegetarian. I really don't want to open the vegetarian/non-vegetarian can of worms here but I have learned about factory farming methods - I would like to know that if animals are being raised/killed for my consumption, that they've had relatively decent lives (yes, I know that free range, etc. is misleading, but it's better than some farm practices), AND given my health problems, I really don't want to eat an animal that's spent its entire life being injected with growth hormones and antibiotics and wallowing in filth!!!

I hope that's not controversial; I don't mean for it to be. I do respect others' choices; just wanted to say how I make my own about what I eat.

[kitt]

I do shop at 'Whole Paycheck', and try and eat organically all the time. I've gotten to where I can taste the difference and even 'feel' the difference.

Didn't start all at once, started gradually and over a period of several years...I'm a convert.

Haven't had sugar in years...very little dairy and only eat meat on a very occasional basis.

Watched the documentary 'Forks over Knives' on Netfiix. That is an eye-opener!

I watch healthy people eat tons of junk and they remain amazingly healthy, so to each his own. This works for me, and I would encourage anyone with health issues to give it a try, but don't judge people based on what they choose to eat or not eat!

[JeWareGT]

LOVE yogi tea. I drink the Egyptian licorice one every day.

[Mydoggielovesme2]

How I wish we had an organic store to buy from! Try to get as much as I can in local stores, and have a small garden.