Thanks in large part to Hollywood, organic foods and living an organic lifestyle has become more popular over the past few years, even a fad you could say.  But this is one fad that hopefully will not go away.  There has been some controversy in the past over whether or not organic food really is that much better for you or if it is just a trick to get you to pay more for more of the same toxic, chemical laden foods.

“Organic” food refers to the farming practice of growing the food naturally, without any added artificial fertilizers or chemicals.  This may cause a smaller crop or less of a yield because of a lack of these fertilizers, but that is partly why the cost goes up, because the production goes down.  The USDA has a certification for organic foods and what can be legally called “Organic”.

1. The food may be labeled as “100% Organic” if it has absolutely no synthetic ingredients and this food qualifies for the Organic Seal
2. Foods labeled “Organic” contains 95% organic ingredients and is elligible to use the USDA seal.
3. Foods labeled “made with organic ingredients” must contain 70% organic material and is not elligible to have the organic seal

So the extra money you’re paying for your organic lettuce is to pay for the trouble of farming it naturally and not adding in the synthetic chemicals which increase the return to allow the farmer more of a profit.  The pesticides and chemicals you ingest in ordinary grocery store vegetables and fruits build up in your tissues over time and cause problems with liver function.

Start slow on this and like we’ve said before, go one step at a time.  Don’t break the bank and go crazy on organic foods all at once.  The biggest things to try and change first are: produce, milk, and your meats (not necessarily in that order).

Milk and meat that isn’t organic contains all the pesticides from the vegetables or grains they were given and on top of that are usually given large amounts of growth hormone to stimulate growth and milk production which goes into the meat and ultimately into you!  Try to buy organic milk when you can and if you want another option for the best quality milk in your area, go to www.realmilk.com and look in your area for dairies that produce good quality, organic, raw milk.

In the meat department, Whole Foods carries a decent selection of organic meats.  Central Market is also an option, but you have to be a little pickier with what you want as some non-organic meats are mixed in.  In our area, Burgandy Pastures is a great company to purchase meat. Another carrier is Rusty’s Beef which we’ve just discovered and are excited to try their product.

The best way to try organic and to save some money is to join Monica Brown’s Organic Coop.  This is an excellent way to plug into local organic distributors and to get organic food delivered to you on a consistent basis and to get things you wouldn’t ordinarily try so that you can experiment!! In future blog posts I will feature Jim and Monica Brown and their coop so you can get to know them better.

Start replacing some of your inorganic foods slowly with better quality, better tasting, healthier organic alternatives…..your body will thank you!

So where do you buy your oranic foods?? Let us know!

Dr. JB

Tags: Monica Brown, organic beef, Organic Coop, organic food, Organic Milk, Rusty's Beef