Eating an organic diet is important to your health.
By now, you have most likely heard some sort of recommendation for buying and eating organic food.
However, the reason behind this recommendation is not universally known nor are the reasons why it matters well understood.
There are two important reasons why you should switch to buying and eating organic food.
The first reason is Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs).
The second reason is the overuse of pesticides and herbicides on conventionally grown foods.
While these are two different concerns they are very much tied to one another.
A quick review of the two is that GMOs are genetically modified organisms that have been created and altered in a lab for various traits.
GMOs are infused with foreign DNA, viruses, and bacteria.
Creating modified plants that you would not naturally find in nature.
Some of which when eaten by insects cause the insect’s stomach to explode killing them.
Hypothetically this process solves the problem of insects eating and destroying plants and crops.
Unfortunately, there is now mounting evidence indicating that eating GMOs is causing serious digestive problems and other long term health conditions in many people.
Why buying and eating certified organic matters.
Certified organic food means that it is grown, harvested, and processed for consumption without using toxic chemicals such as herbicides and pesticides.
GMOs are also not allowed in certified organic food.
Conventionally grown food in the U.S. has come to mean that it was grown using herbicides and pesticides.
These chemicals have been used sporadically in the process of growing food, in the U.S. for some time.
However, It wasn’t until the early 1990s that large scale farmers began using a process known as desiccating their crops.
Desiccating means spraying their entire crops (usually wheat and grains) with pesticides and or herbicides.
Glyphosate is the main ingredient in Roundup which is the most widely used herbicide.
It is used by most large scale farmers in order to bypass nature and shorten natural harvest timeframes
Essentially desiccating causes the plants to dry out allowing for earlier harvest timeframes, which is great for the farmer’s profit.
Not so great for the health and nutritional value of the plants.
The practice of desiccating in farming.
The long term effects of this practice both to public health and the environment are still up for debate.
Due to the widespread use of Glyphosate (Roundup), residues from the chemical have been found virtually everywhere.
It has been found to be in just about all processed food, the air, and in most of our water sources.
Some people will say that there are no studies showing that the use of these products on our food supply is dangerous.
There has been massive corruption and cover-ups from the chemical companies that produce these chemicals.
I won’t get into all of those details for this article. There is a lot of information on this topic available, if you’d like to do your own research.
You don’t have to be a doctor or a scientist to understand that soaking our food in pesticides and or herbicides is not good for our health.
If you want more information on the health risk of GMOs and glyphosate check out the Institute for Responsible Technology https://responsibletechnology.org/ and this video: https://responsibletechnology.org/health-dangers-gmos-roundup/
Buying and eating organic can be more expensive than conventionally grown food.
It is true in some cases (not all cases) that buying organic can be more expensive.
Once you start opting to buy organic food the higher cost will probably cause you to re-evaluate your food choices.
Most likely you will begin to eliminate items from your shopping cart that are not essential and that have no nutritional value.
This will reduce unnecessary costs allowing for more of the budget to go towards good quality food.
Switching to an all or mostly all-organic diet is a process.
My suggestion is that you start off slow.
Don’t try to overhaul your diet, pantry, and fridge overnight.
Doing so will most likely lead to frustration due to the cost difference and taste adjustments.
Start off buying the fruits and vegetables that you and your children eat and enjoy most.
That way you are not setting yourself up for failure by placing yourself on a diet or plan that is too rigid
Organic fruits and vegetables do spoil faster than conventionally grown produce.
Only buy what you will eat within a week’s timeframe.
Organic fruits and vegetables do tend to go bad faster than conventionally grown fruits and vegetables.
If your family consumes a lot of processed or ready-made food switch to buying an organic version of that product (if available).
Some of the large food chains are now producing their own versions of processed food products using organic ingredients.
You can find organic versions of cereals, cookies, and other snacks.
Keep in mind that certified organic means that all of the ingredients used to make that product come from organic food sources.
It does not mean or guarantee that the food (processed food) is nutritious and good for you.
The cost of buying organic is worth it.
Living on a monthly budget is something that I understand.
Opting for organic food as much as possible and applying the 80/20 rule to our food budget is worth the cost.
We purchase and cook most of our home-cooked meals using organic ingredients 80% of the time.
Allowing us to eat 20% of the time conventional food.
Usually that 20% is when we eat out occasionally or in between grocery shopping.
You don’t have to reach 100% switch to organic to notice the differences in your digestion and overall health.
I have had drastic improvements in my health since I began opting more and more for organic food.
The digestive issues and chronic stomach pain that I suffered from for many years is now gone.
If you are on the fence about buying organic food, I urge you to do more research on the reasons I have mentioned here.
Consider your current health and that of your children.
If anyone in your family has digestive issues, then you should seriously consider or at least trying to go organic to see if that helps the situation.
I suffered for over five years and saw many doctors.
After being given several possible diagnoses, in the end, it turned out to be chronic gastritis (severe inflammation of the stomach lining).
I am grateful to have learned the truth about how conventional food is being grown and how it affects digestive health.
Switching to organic food has really made a huge difference in my health and well being.
I was able to reduce the inflammation and I am now pain-free.
Being free from that pain and discomfort is priceless!
