by Sergio Neuroice
In our grandparent’s time, all food was grown organically. There were no pesticides available, and the only fertilizer was the natural kind. You’d eat what was in season and preserve the leftovers so that food was still available in the winter.
These days it is possible to eat a staggering variety of foods from all over the world, whether it is within the growing season or not.
This is great, and means that you can always get the right balance of health giving foods all year round-but there is a slight problem. Mass produced food is literally covered with all sorts of harmful chemicals, from fertilizers to weedkillers, and these things are very harmful to the human body.
Of course, with today’s busy lifestyle it can be a struggle to even fit mealtimes in, let alone ensure that they are the healthiest and best foods that you and your family can be eating.
There is no denying that supermarkets are essential, and are a convenient and cheap way to ensure that you are getting a balanced diet (of course, in an ideal world we would all have the time and space to grow our own foods-though this is not very practical in today’s world!) but you should always make sure that you buy organic foods for the best and tastiest diet.
Chemical residues are found on almost all non organic foods, and therefore in the human body where they cause headaches, stomach problems, lack of energy and even more sinister side effects (for example, some of the growth hormones found in non organic cow’s milk and meat have been linked to cases of cancer in people).
Organic food is not treated with anything artificial, making it by far the best choice-you can take in the valuable nutrients from the food, without the harmful chemicals.
Of course, it is hard to switch everything all at once to organic. There are some foods with a greater concentration of toxins and it is important to buy these, at the very least, organically.
The following is a general list of foods with a higher risk of being filled with chemicals:
1) Green Leafy Vegetables
Salad leaves, spinach, and kale are all very healthy foods which are good for you, but only if bought organically.
If you eat these things from a non organic source then they will be packed with pesticides which will build up in your body causing symptoms of toxicity. Leafy vegetables are a particular culprit for pesticide residues due to their large surface area, and the fact that they cannot be washed well before use.
(Of course, you can never scrub ALL traces of pesticides from vegetables, and the fact that you cannot scrub salad at all makes it one of the worst carriers of chemicals.)
2) Meat
Non organic meat, in particular beef and chicken, carries a far higher risk of causing health problems due to the large amount of artificial chemicals used to produce it.
Factory farmed cows lead a very unnatural lifestyle, being indoors for the majority of the year and fed on non organic food (which can be from genetically modified sources) and dosed with antibiotics and growth hormones.
Factory farmed chickens lead dreadful lives; overcrowded and unhealthy they are dosed with antibiotics to try and avoid disease. All these chemicals then find their way into your body when you do not buy organic meat.
The chemical residues are found mostly in the fatty tissues of the animal, of which there are more due to the inactive lives they lead. Organic meat, on the other hand, is grown from animals who are allowed to get most of their nutrition from grazing and natural sources and is tastier and leaner.
3) Fruit
We all know that we are supposed to eat “five a day” of these healthy snacks-but for your own sake, make sure it’s organic! Fruits, especially berries and apples, are one thing that you should never eat non organically as they contain huge amounts of chemicals from the growing process.
Artificial fertilizers, weedkillers and pesticides are found on berries and other fruits, and apples are routinely dosed with radiation to keep them fresh. This is not something you want to expose your body to!
4) Dairy
The dairy industry is huge; it’s not just milk that is widely used in just about every household, but the by products like cream, butter, yoghurt, and cheese… the list goes on and on!
Milk from non organic cows contains a frightening level of various different chemicals, from growth hormones to antibiotics, and as already mentioned the possibility of GMO from the cows’ feed.
Traces of pesticide residues are found in all non organic dairy products and then into the human body; organic milk contains no chemicals and is therefore so much better for you.
5) Eggs
As eggs are so widely used, they deserve a section all to themselves. Eggs are yummy and versatile and are a very good source of protein and vitamins, making them a staple on the shopping list. If they are a regular on yours, do try to make sure that at the very least you buy free range eggs.
Organic is best, of course, but even the difference between free range and caged chickens makes the eggs better for you. Caged and factory farmed chickens are routinely dosed with antibiotics to combat the problems caused by overcrowding, while free range chickens do not need this level of interference.
As well as being bigger and more tasty, with richly colored yolks and lots of nutrients, organic free range eggs are far better for you and won’t introduce chemicals and toxins into your body.
A healthy lifestyle is not JUST about eating a balanced diet and getting enough healthy things like plenty of fruit and vegetables. With all the information about organic food at your fingertips, make an informed decision and be sure that you buy as much as you possibly can of your most regularly eaten foods organically.
You’ll seriously start to notice a difference in your general health and organic food has the great added bonus of tasting so much better!
(Believe me, Sergio’s blog over at neuroice.org is the place to be if you’re passionate about health topics such as fat loss tips and quick ways to lose belly fat. Sergio is doing his best to help people all over the world get into really incredible shape and health fast!)
If you live near an organic farm you can often take advantage of highly nutritious edible weeds such as stinging nettles, purslane, and lamb’s quarters. For example, stinging nettles is rich in minerals (iron, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, silica, potassium) and rich in vitamins (folic acid, A, C, K). It provides many of the nutrients necessary for bone formation and maintenance.The organic farmer may even pay you with free vegetables for weeding.
Based on several studies, eating organic foods can also help improve dental and oral health. Great article!
Such good information. Organic fruits and vegetables should always be your first preference when going grocery shopping for your family.