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Health & Fitness

Blog Post: 7 Reasons to Eat Organic and Local

It's time to take the plunge. Eating organic can be just as easy and affordable as buying traditional food, but is better for your body and better for the environment.

 

If you have ever considered switching to organic foods, now is as good a time as ever. Previously organic food had a reputation for being more expensive than chemically grown produce. But with CSA’s (community supported agriculture), and companies like Abundant Harvest who are cutting costs by delivering direct to consumers, organic is more affordable than ever. Even the major chain stores now have a huge variety of organic food that costs the same or less than non-organics. Following are some reasons for eating organic:

It tastes better

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Fresh organic produce tastes better than the organic or non-organic fruits and vegetables you can get in the stores.

It’s better for you

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Food that is grown in organic soil (soil which contains no synthetic fertilizers or pesticides) has more nutritional value than conventionally grown food. Synthetic (chemical) fertilizers cannot produce soil with all the micro-organisms and nutrients that occur in nature or in organically fertilized soil. So while the food looks the same on the outside, it is radically different on the inside.

To reduce exposure to chemicals in your food

Reducing exposure to pesticides, fungicides and synthetic fertilizers that are being used in ever greater quantities is probably a good idea. Our food is supposedly safe to eat, but nobody knows the cumulative effects of trace amounts of chemicals in our bodies. Many cancer patients are concerned enough about it that they are eating organic.

To avoid GMO’s

Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO’s) are currently unregulated, and are already in many of the foods we eat. They have been shown to cause cancer and other ailments in lab rats, increased allergic reactions in humans, and may alter our body chemistry. The majority of corn, soy, and canola products in this country are made with GMO varieties, as are half of the sugar beets. But with no labeling requirements, the only way to be sure your food has not been genetically altered  is to eat organic. If a product is certified organic it cannot contain GMO’s. For more information see the Institute for Responsible Technology website.

To reduce global warming and pollution

Food transportation accounts for 25% of greenhouse gases, so we can help the environment by eating locally. The production of chemical fertilizers and pesticides also contribute to global warming, and the run-off of nitrogen from farms using synthetic fertilizers is polluting our waterways.

To support  sustainable agriculture

The use of chemical fertilizers depletes the natural soil and is unsustainable since it relies on chemicals that are not renewable.

To increase resistance to antibiotics

Human resistance to common strains of antibiotics has decreased from eating livestock that are given daily doses of antibiotics in their food whether they need it or not. Daily antibiotics are not fed to animals grown organically.

Get informed. Your Food Choices Matter.

Now that you can get an organic version of just about any product you want, it's important to shop organically to keep these products on the shelves. You might not feel you have much of a vote, but you do. Every time you swipe a product at the checkout line, you are casting a vote to keep it in the markets. If you want healthier food and more organic offerings, the proof is in the shopping basket.

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