Why Choose Organic?

      It has been previously believed that organic produce contains many more vitamins and antioxidants than non-organic produce.  Soil depletion, the use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers all play a role in the removal of precious vitamins and minerals in our food supply.  Lately this assumption has come under attack, but whether or not this is true, I will still continue to purchase organic produce for many reasons—the main one being my concern about too much toxic exposure.

     We are fearfully and wonderfully made.  God put many systems in place in our bodies that will eliminate or reduce toxins that we consume, inhale or “rub on” on a regular basis; however, lately we are bombarded with toxins from every angle.  Fertilizers, pesticides, bug sprays, chemical cleansers, paints, candles, air fresheners, food additives, artificial sweeteners, food dyes—the list goes on and on.  When we expose our bodies regularly with these things, we get what is called “toxic overload”.  Our liver and other cleansing organs cannot handle any more toxins, so they begin spilling into our blood stream and “hiding” in other places, such as joints; or showing their ugly head in the form of tumors, skin eruptions and/or autoimmune diseases (diseases which attack our own immune systems, such as lupus, fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis, to name a few).  Therefore, anything I can do to reduce the toxic load in my body, I must do.  Some toxins cannot be avoided and are a part of my everyday world; however, eating organic foods when possible is one thing that I can do to improve the health of me and my family. 

     Yes, organic produce costs more than regular produce, but it is all relative to what is important.  I would rather pay more for organic produce and eliminate chips, soda, and/or other foods that do nothing but harm to my body.  I have a list of the foods with the most pesticides used.  I never buy non-organic produce of the foods that are high on the list, but the ones at the bottom, if the price difference is too much, then I will purchase non-organic.

     Another reason I choose organic produce is to help the organic farmers.  The more demand, the more the output and the more prices will be reduced.  Plus, these farmers are not run by big business and really have to work hard and believe in what they do in order to tolerate the red tape involved in farming organically.

     On the flip side, if I have a choice of buying non-organic produce from a local farmer versus organic from a farm in California, I will choose the non-organic.  The local, smaller farmers do not usually have to use as many pesticides and fertilizers as the large industries; and once the produce is picked, it begins to lose its vitamin content and precious enzymes.  Therefore, buying produce picked a few days ago locally versus picked last week and shipped across country (which also uses a lot of fuel to do so), in this case would make more sense. 

     Those of you that have children with allergies, asthma, and learning disorders will be interested to learn that reducing the toxic burden in children has been known to help.   Any time their little bodies have to spend eliminating toxins, it is wasting precious energy that can be used for healing other disorders in the body.  Not to mention the contribution that the fertilizers and pesticides make to exacerbate the symptoms.  Did you know that having your home chemically treated for bugs is a very real danger for small children and animals? (This is a subject for later discussion.)

      I will have fulfilled my purpose in writing this article, if it has given you some food for thought (no pun intended).  If you are feeding a family, this is a big responsibility and should not be taken lightly.  One in three children will develop diabetes; and I read last week that this is the first generation that will not outlive their parents—this is major news and worth serious consideration.  Purchasing organic produce when warranted (scroll down to next page to see chart) is a one small, but huge step you can take on your journey to healthy living.

     Soon I will talk about genetically modified and irradiated produce.  Eating these types of produce has been shown to have health consequences.  I only purchase corn and soy products if they are listed as being non GMO, otherwise I might be opening a Pandora’s Box of problems in the future.

From my heart to your health,

Debby

PS  I highly recommend the movie, Food, Inc.  It is an excellent documentary on the meat, dairy and produce industry.  A must see for anyone interested in healthier living!