Why is organic food so important? Consider this: In a study done by the Environmental Workers Group(EWG), one conventional strawberry was shown to have 22 different pesticides on it. Conventional farmers spray crops to keep bugs off. Strawberries certainly seem to be on the top of the list of dangerous fruits to consume based on the research. Plus, who doesn’t LOVE strawberries.

An impressive quote from the EWG states, “The average American eats about eight pounds of fresh strawberries a year – and with them dozens of pesticides, including chemicals that have been linked to cancer and reproductive damage, or that are banned in Europe.”* For the full article, see link below.

https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/strawberries.php

The most important thing to consider is the purity of the food we are putting into our bodies and especially our children’s growing bodies. I try whenever possible to shop organic. The best and least expensive way to do this is at local farmer’s markets because they often use organic practices even if they haven’t been certified. It’s a win-win to support local community growers as well as purchase high quality, fresh organic produce.

There are some fruits and veggies that can be purchased conventionally because they have been shown not to absorb the pesticides. Sometimes this is because of the thicker skin. The EWG refers to two lists on it’s website. The Clean Fifteen® and the Dirty Dozen®, as seen below.

Why Go Organic?

In answer to the question, “Why go organic?”, I say, because we are worth it. We spend our money on many items that don’t necessarily impact our health and longevity. In the case of food that ultimately becomes our walking, talking blood cells, we are worth the extra cost. Today I encourage you to make the extra effort to purchase organic foods, especially if they are on the dirty dozen® list. It just might save you from paying for expensive doctor’s visits in the long run.

Another thing to consider in terms of organic shopping is that everything organic is also guaranteed to be GMO free. This means your food purchase was not created using genetically modified organisms. Why is this important? Because simply put, we don’t know enough about GMOs at this point in time. I have heard both sides of the argument and in the end, I still say, play it safe. I’ll spend some time in another blog to share what I have learned about GMO safety. For now, since I have your best interest in mind, it’s about trust.

*”Pesticides + Poison Gases = Cheap, Year-Round Strawberries”By Sonya Lunder, Senior Analyst TUESDAY, APRIL 10, 2018