One thing we all know is that when we go to the grocery store there is often fruits and vegetables available that are organic and those that are not. If nothing else, we know that the organic foods cost more. You might even know that organic is supposed to be healthier. Do you why it’s healthier? Does it make sense to buy everything organic? Does organic mean healthy?
What Does Organic Mean
The term organic doesn’t just mean healthier. If produce is grown organically, then it means that it was grown without using synthetic herbicides, pesticides, fertilizers, or bioengineered genes (GMO’s). Organic meat and dairy means that the animals that the food comes from were fed with organic foods and allowed a less restrictive and more natural environment.
What Makes Organic Foods Better
There are several reasons that consuming organic foods could be a better choice. Organic produce often contain more nutrients, like antioxidants. They are more likely to be fresher because they don’t contain all the preservatives. So, if they still look good in the store it probably means that they were picked recently. They are also more likely to have come from more local farms since they would go bad before getting to the store if they had to travel too far.
Foods that contain GMO’s have been shown to have several negatives side effects. GMO’s have been linked to things like organ damage, slow brain growth, food allergens, gastrointestinal problems, and might even increase the risk of cancer.
Pesticides have also been known to cause unwanted side effects. If eaten frequently, it causes a build up of pesticides within the body. The build up of these chemicals can lead to headaches, birth defects, increase risk of certain cancers, developmental delays, behavioral disorders, autism, immune system harm, and motor dysfunction.
Is It Important to Buy Only Organic Foods?
While buying organic means that you will be exposed to less toxins in general, it doesn’t mean that all organic foods are better than non-organic foods necessarily. Some foods are just naturally more prone to have more or less of the pesticides in the part that gets consumed because of the part we eat or the thickness of the peel/skin. There is a list of foods that is highly recommended that we buy organic because of the high levels of pesticides found in/on the non-organic ones. This list is known as the “dirty dozen”. These are the foods that you should buy organic if possible to cut down on your pesticide exposure.
The Dirty Dozen
- strawberries
- spinach
- peaches
- pears
- apples
- kale, greens
- nectarines
- grapes
- cherries
- peppers
- celery
- tomatoes
If you can’t afford to buy all of your produce organic, then at least try to buy as many of the above from the organic selection. There are also foods that are less likely to have high amounts of pesticides that are not organic. These foods have been referred to as the “clean fifteen”. You can feel fairly safe buying these without worrying about whether they are organically grown or not.
The Clean Fifteen
- avocados
- sweet corn
- pineapple
- onions
- papayas
- frozen sweet peas
- eggplant
- asparagus
- broccoli
- cabbage
- kiwi
- cauliflower
- mushrooms
- honeydew
- cantaloupe
Besides buying certified organic foods from the grocery store when possible and recommended, you should also try to buy from local growers at places like farmer’s markets. Remember fresher is better. The fresher it is the more nutrients it will contain. Also, small local farms might actually grow organically, but not advertise it. A lot of small farms can’t afford the expense to become a certified organic farmer, so they can’t advertise being one even if they grow organic. Just ask the people you are buying from. You might be able to get organic produce without the organic prices.
Making a Change
Now that you know what and why to buy organically, you might be wanting to make some changes. I’m not telling you to go to your fridge and throw out everything that’s not organic. Just be more aware when buying your food next time about which foods would be a better choice to buy organic. If you can’t buy organic make sure you are thoroughly washing it before consuming it.
Organic foods do tend to be more expensive, so of course that plays a factor into your decisions. But, if buying them leads to a healthier life for you and your family it might just be worth the extra cost. If money is no issue for you, then definitely go for organic.
Don’t fall for the advertising tricks though. Just because food says organic, it doesn’t mean healthy. If a food is highly processed or contains a lot of fat and/or sugar, but says it’s organic, that doesn’t mean that it’s good for you to eat.
Do you already buy organic or going to start after reading this? Let me know!
