Overwhelmed About Organics

Are you overwhelmed yet? I am. Everywhere I turn, I find another food I'm either supposed to buy an organic version of - or not buy at all. Buying organic is expensive, but it's the giving up which is particularly painful.

My friend and I went for an hour long walk the other day, which gave us plenty of time to debate the merits of various claims. You know:

*Eating meat-free one day a week is the equivalent of taking so-many-million cars of the road

*Antibiotics pumped into most animals are creating superbugs that future antibiotics won't be able to fight

*Pesticides used on fruits and veggies will eventually make your child grow a third arm

That sort of thing.

Frankly, I think she thinks I'm just psychotic. Her family happily barbeques cheap steaks three times a week and never gives a second thought to it. She often uses that whole "they'll always come up with something supposedly dangerous that our parents survived just fine with" argument.

The problem is my mom was actually raised growing her own vegetables and doing all kinds of things we now call "organic." It's our generation that's screwed.

But knowing all this stuff is torture, because changing habits is even more torturous. Do you know how much easier it is to leave my bottled water in the car to grab between errands, even though plastic is seeping into the water and poisoning me?

Riding a bike or bus to work sounds nice, but my kids are accident-prone and when a bead gets lodged in an unmentionable place, I kinda need to get from work to daycare ASAP.

Most importantly, we are DAIRY QUEENS. I drank so much milk when I was pregnant that my doctor TOLD ME TO STOP. AJ would eat at least three yogurts a day if I let her. And don't even get me started on ice cream!

"Baby steps, baby steps," I panted on my walk, and I wasn't just pep talking myself through the next mile. Little changes will add up to big changes, and eventually I'll be doing my part to save the world.

But can't I please keep my Cold Stone too?!