Growing up, I lived in a somewhat rural area. I often passed corn fields, most people I knew fished (this is Michigan after all,) and both sets of my grandparents had gardens. So, I had no idea that anything was different from what it said it was. A pea is a pea; a potato is a potato, etc. It wasn’t until my time at Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee, that I had friends who talked about notions of being self-sufficient and growing their own food, when I began to realize that the food in the grocery stores I shopped at may not be what I thought. I began to learn about crazy things called Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO’s). A tomato, for example, might not do very well in the rain, so a gene from a fish that is water repellent could be introduced to the genetic make up of the tomato, which would make it superior in wet conditions. And they can even call this process “all natural,” and label your food as such; because after all tomato and fish are natural! Of course, there are all kinds of these experiments going on out there. For another example, let’s talk about soy. Soy is mass produced and in just about everything from peanut butter, to protein bars and tofu. Well, how does one grow large quantities of soy without the fields being overtaken with weeds? Easy! You just modify the soy bean with an anti-roundup gene. (You know, roundup, like the poison that you spray on your driveway. The chemical linked to all sorts of serious health issues, that warns on its own label for pregnant women not to use.) That way when the crop dusters spray the fields with large quantities of roundup, the soy is saved! Hurray! Uh, wait a minute… So, you start to think, what am I eating? What are they doing to people?

Since Owen and I were married and had our own place, we’ve been eating organic, not 100%, but a fair amount. I started with the basics, like meat and dairy. Then it was fruits and vegetables, especially those where you eat the skin, because I’m not into eating pesticide. Gradually we converted our spice cabinet and pantry items, and voila! I’m not going to pretend we don’t eat at McDonald’s on occasion and order in from our local pizzeria. But when it comes to our home we do the best we can for ourselves and our children. It just makes sense, right? I think of it as a good investment. What I am paying now, I hope to save with medical bills in the future. I strongly urge you to do the same.

If you were two, and you liked apples, you would eat fake apples…