The Benefits Of Going Organic

In recent years there has been alot of buzz about going organic. I try to buy as many organic products as I can afford (tomorrow I will write about going organic on a budget) and feel that my family benefits from this. When I first started understanding the importance of organic products I was appalled about what really goes on in the food industry. I am by no means even remotely perfect at buying organic but I am making an effort. If an organic super spy came to my house they would throw me in the your an organic fraud jail. I think I could plead innocence because I do not profess to be more than a wannabe so you genuine health nuts go easy on me. I really do the best I can as far as purchasing organic and you will see why below.

What Does Organic Really Mean??

An organic product is raised, grown, and processed without the use of synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, antibiotics or hormones. Only farmers who produce food according to USDA organic standards and become certified by an independent third-party accredited agent can label their product as "certified organic" (with the exception of very small farms with sales under $5000 annually).

Why You Should Consider Going Organic

**Organic products meet stringent standards. Organic certification is the public’s assurance that products have been grown and handled according to strict procedures without persistent toxic chemical inputs.

**Organic farmers build healthy soil. Soil is the foundation of the food chain. The primary focus of organic farming is to use practices that build healthy soils.

**Organic production reduces health risks. Many EPA-approved pesticides were registered long before extensive research linked these chemicals to cancer and other diseases. Organic agriculture is one way to prevent any more of these chemicals from getting into the air, earth and water that sustain us. More here.

**Taste Better and Truer Flavor. Scientists now know what we eaters have known all along: organic food often tastes better. It makes sense that strawberries taste yummier when raised in harmony with nature, but researchers at Washington State University just proved this as fact in lab taste trials where the organic berries were consistently judged as sweeter. Plus, new research verifies that some organic produce is often lower in nitrates and higher in antioxidants than conventional food. Let the organic feasting begin! More here.

** Reduce The Toxic Load: Keep Chemicals Out of the Air, Water, Soil and our Bodies. Buying organic food promotes a less toxic environment for all living things. With only 0.5 percent of crop and pasture land in organic, according to USDA that leaves 99.5 percent of farm acres in the U.S. at risk of exposure to noxious agricultural chemicals.Our bodies are the environment so supporting organic agriculture doesn’t just benefit your family, it helps all families live less toxically.

I found some additional information on which foods you should purchase if you are on a budget and can only choose a few organic items and I will put that in tomorrow's post. So, if you are like me and have to pick and choose you will know which ones are more important than others as far as organic goes. I also support my local farmers market which is a great way to buy produce at a reasonable price. So, please check back tomorrow and check out organics on a budget.

I am still working on my Bikini Boot camp with personal trainer Christopher Warden (see his widget on bottom right) and as soon as we get all the pieces together I am going to do posts on getting bikini ready. I am thinking of some videos, menus, exercises and you can join me if you want on my quest to run around the pool in a bikini in broad daylight with confidence.

Heidi