Why Eating Organic Is Important & The Best Place to Start
Jun 13, 2021
The term organic is not just a buzz word or a fad. For me, choosing organic means that I am choosing the highest quality product that is available. The important thing for you to remember is that being labelled organic does not guarantee that the food is healthy for you to consume (there are organic gummy bears). It is still important that you make food choices that are in line with your health goals.
Toxic load from conventional produce
One reason that I think organic is the best choice is because it reduces the toxic load of pesticides in our body. It has been documented that these pesticides stay in our system and are stored in our fat reserves indefinitely. We also know that these residues can be passed through the maternal blood supply as there have been studies done indicating that infants can already have hundreds of different types of chemicals in their bodies at birth.
The Environmental Working Group
There is an organization called the Environmental Working Group (EWG) and every year they grade fruits and vegetables with the highest and lowest amounts of pesticide residues. They make recommendations on which fruits and vegetables you should only eat if they are organically grown (The Dirty Dozen) and which ones you can eat that are grown with conventional methods (The Clean 15). As a general rule, anything with a peel that has been grown conventionally is safe to consume.
Nutrition Content
The second reason to consider organic is because of the nutrient content. When they do studies looking for micronutrient profiles such as certain vitamins and antioxidants, they will routinely find a higher presence in organically grown produce. So while organic food tends to be more expensive at the check out, you will be reducing your toxic load and you may be getting more nutrients per serving; therefore, ultimately investing in your long-term health.
How to start eating eating more organic produce
If purchasing organic produce is new to you, I suggest that you identify one or two items on the Dirty Dozen list that your family consumes most often and begin replacing the conventionally produced options that you traditionally purchase with those that are organically produced.
Choosing organic animal proteins
Choosing the best product available is also important when it comes to animal proteins.
We know that the nutrient value of animal and fish proteins that are grass-fed or “wild” is much different than those products that are raised conventionally. You only have to consider what conventionally raised animals and fish are fed to realize the impact they can have on your health. If they are being fed soy and corn, you are consuming these pro-inflammatory products as well. It’s also important to realize the widespread use of antibiotics is greatly reduced when we consume organic sources of animal protein.
Next Steps
So to keep it simple, start with easy swaps and slowly build towards including as much organic produce and protein as you can. Remember an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure - and you’re worth every penny.