Does Organic Junk Food Deserve a Place in the Natural Food Aisle?

Organic junk food. It has to be good for you, right? I'll answer that question in a moment. In the meantime, have another chip. They're organic, after all. Would you like a glass of something fizzy? Certainly! It's all-natural, too. How about a few cookies? No really, have another. They even contain fair trade organic chocolate. Yum.

Yes, most of us have a hankering for junk food upon occasion, and for the earthy sorts, we tend to go for the organic, no preservative variety of junk food. We balk at the extra-orange chips and the diet drinks that are enhanced with unnatural colors, flavorings, and sweeteners. Yet when I walk down the aisles of our local grocery store, the natural food section of the store is full of goodies that are all-natural, preservative-free, and organic. Do I mean local kale, shitake mushrooms, and brewer's yeast? Not really. These aisles are often full of organic junk food that is just waiting to fly off the shelves into your pantry.

I am a great believer in moderation. I have eaten and will likely eat my share of eerily orange chips and have imbibed many a fizzy drink whose flavors have origins in the chemistry books. However, I have doubts as to whether organic junk food deserves a place in the natural foods section. Why?

It's overly processed. Organic junk food has "stuff" in it. To be sure, there are not as many preservatives and unmentionables as conventional junk food, but organic processed foods are still not like home-picked apples or chard fresh from the garden. It's also overly packaged. An organic cookie that is in a box, then in a plastic container, then in a little bag does not really seem like a natural food.

On the flip side, junk food has cachet, especially for those who may be a little phobic of the local kale. Chips full of vegetables and soft drinks that are actually fizzy fruit juices are certainly better than the alternative, and packaging them like junk food definitely has appeal to those who are seeking a fun snack. It's a lot easier to get my daughter to eat spinach when it's packaged as a tortellini or a chip. However, it's also a lot easier to get her to eat spinach when it's straight from the garden, so perhaps it's just the experience surrounding the vegetable that matters.

My conclusion? If your diet consists primarily of organic soft drinks, chips, and cookies gleaned from the natural foods aisle, I regret to inform you that your diet still consists mainly of soft drinks, chips, and cookies. However, if your diet consists of fruit, vegetables, some meat or dairy, and some delicious whole grains accompanied by a side of organic chips, well then, moderation in all things.