We’ve all seen *that* mom on Facebook. She posts pictures of the gourmet baby food she’s painstakingly prepared for her young baby. She shares articles stating that anything less than organic fruits and vegetables are covered in chemicals and will definitely harm you and your children. She comments on a picture of your kids eating the blue box mac and cheese and asks if you know about this great organic mac and cheese that only costs $5.00 a box.
We see these things and suddenly feel guilty. Am I not doing good enough for my child? Am I setting her up for a bad life by not buying grass-fed beef, homegrown eggs, and 100% GMO free food? I’m here to tell you that you’re doing a GREAT job. You’re feeding your family the best you know how, with what you have available.
Perhaps you WANT to buy organic but simply can’t afford it. Maybe you’re living on one income and you have dreams of being able to buy the best quality food for your family but just don’t have enough money right now. There’s no need to worry! You’re doing the best you can in your situation. Things WILL get better; things WILL look up, and someday soon you’ll have the money to afford organic food for your family.
Maybe you simply choose NOT to buy organic food. For you, it’s just more money to spend on something you know you can buy cheaper. Regular fresh strawberries don’t taste any different to you than the organic strawberries that cost three dollars more. Or maybe you do buy some organic, but still buy that blue box mac and cheese because your kids love it SO much, and you feel guilty seeing that next to your fresh grass-fed ground beef in your shopping cart.
A few weeks ago I decided to try my hand at making whole wheat English muffins, both to save money and to control the types of ingredients that were in it. I was so proud of myself at how they turned out! Delicious and healthy; perfect for Allison’s breakfast! I toasted it and put a slice of Canadian bacon and sliced cheese on it, cut it evenly in half, and set it on Allison’s tray.
She then proceeded to open up the sandwich, pick off and eat all the cheese, and declare herself done. This right here is why I personally don’t buy organic, premium foods, haha. Why spend all that money on things she won’t even eat? Perhaps someday when she’s older and we have more spending money, I’ll be able to buy the more expensive organic food. But for now, I’m perfectly happy buying regular fruits and vegetables and plain old ground beef because I know I’m still putting good food on my family’s plates.
No matter what your situation, just know that you are amazing, and your kids love you for who you are, not what you feed them.
Jaime is a Nutrition Coach through the ISSA and professional writer. She has 4 years experience coaching and 9 years experience in writing. She enjoys cooking easy meals, running, and learning more about food.
Jaime specializes in helping women with ADHD learn to meal plan and cook healthier meals without getting overwhelmed.
Amber
Thursday 31st of January 2019
Jamie, thanks so much for reminding me of my humble beginnings as Mom. I managed to raise three beautiful girls....on a shoe string for 18 years. I wish I had your encouraging words to nudge me along. Please keep up the amazing things you do for your fellow mothers and your family. I will be checking on more of your articles.
Jaime
Friday 1st of February 2019
Thank you so much, Amber! I really appreciate your kind words. =)
Hursh
Wednesday 4th of May 2016
Hey, great share.......
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this topic. In my opinion you need not be worried about the credibility of the organic food as The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has established an organic certification program that requires all organic foods to meet strict government standards. These standards regulate how such foods are grown, handled and processed.
Eat healthy and stay healthy!!
Jaime
Thursday 5th of May 2016
Thank you, that is good to know! =)
Colleen Cadiz
Saturday 20th of June 2015
Stellar post! Sometimes I don't understand why there's so much "Mommy competition about this, that and just about everything in between. The way I see it is that Moms & Dads work hard enough without other parents (particularly when those other parents are complete strangers) opinions. If we only let each other breathe and do what's best for our own families, parenting would probably be a whole lot easier :)
annabelt
Saturday 20th of June 2015
BTW I once cooked my son a special breakfast at that age too and all he would eat was ketchup! So annoying - I bet your muffins were really nice too!
annabelt
Saturday 20th of June 2015
That's so true about how hit and miss kids are about actually eating their food! I don't cook meat that often but I do buy the regular kind of meat for stews and roasts. I'm more careful about ground meat, and I tend to buy veggie options for burgers, sausages etc rather than anything I'm not sure about. I had a great day at the supermarket once when I found a load of organic meat on clearance and stocked up my freezer :) I also buy organic instant coffee, and usually the in between kind of milk. Apart from that I buy regular stuff. If it cost less I would love to buy more organic food, but those are the things I picked :)