Why Choose Organic?

Organic food is more expensive, but is it worth it?

It's the truth. Organic food is generally more expensive. While it would be ideal to eat an all-organic diet, that isn't possible for everyone. For that reason, I want to share with you which foods I believe are the most important to choose organic, and why.

What is organic?

According to the Mayo Clinic, the word "organic" refers to the way farmers grow and process agricultural products, such as fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy products and meat. Organic farming practices are designed to meet the following goals:

• Enhance soil and water quality

• Reduce pollution

• Provide safe, healthy livestock habitats

• Enable natural livestock behavior

• Promote a self-sustaining cycle of resources on a farm

Organic foods should never contain synthetic pesticides or fertilizers, Genetically Modified Organisms or irradiation. (More on Irradiation later). Basically, when you think organic, think generally more nutrient dense, and fewer chemicals.

If it's not possible for you to buy all organic food (cha-ching), here are the ones I would try to prioritize:

Butter. Animals store their toxins in their fat, so this is an area that you'd want to buy organic whenever possible. Grass-fed butter is another good option. My husband was born and raised in Ireland, and when he moved to America, he couldn't believe that the butter here was white! Grass-fed Irish butter is a rich yellow color, which represents nutrients.

Coffee. Since coffee is generally sprayed heavily with pesticides, try to buy organic coffee whenever you can. If you missed my other blog about how to make your cup of coffee as clean as possible, you can read it here: https://www.pleasantwellnessmi.com/post/coffee-good-bad-or-ugly

Wheat and other grains. Glyphosate is sprayed on certain crops (wheat is a big one!) before it's harvested, but that glyphosate is toxic to the body. I run Zyto/Biocommunication scans on clients at each consultation, and glyphosate often shows up as a stressor. If you eat bread, swap to an organic option to reduce your exposure to glyphosate.

Each year the Environmental Working Group puts out a list of their Dirty Dozen (foods that are important to either avoid, or make sure you're buying organic) and Clean 15 (foods that are generally on the safer side to purchase conventionally). You can view their website here: https://www.ewg.org.

Back to Irradiation. It's a process that is meant to reduce bacteria on food and increase shelf life, but it destroys the enzymes that are there to digest that food. Having said that, ALL produce, including organic, that comes in from out of the country, is irradiated. For this reason, I would prefer locally grown food over organic, if I had to choose. Look for a Farmer's Market or Community Supported Agriculture in your area, or better yet, grow your own! I started a container vegetable garden this year, and LOVE going to my deck each day to get some spinach for my smoothies, lettuce for my salads or green beans for dinner!