Organic Food

Today has been a pretty successful day. We beat the rain this morning in Aqua Fitness class so that was great. Apparently we are in the midst of quite the tropical storm. The Peanut Butter Cookies were a hit at the staff meeting today! I'm so proud. :) I'm still learning a lot about baking and cooking so I'm excited these turned out so well, especially since they are vegan. For a late lunch, I am enjoying a Black Bean Soup from the Harris Teeter here near work. It has 22 grams of protein thanks to all the beans. That's what I'm talkin' about! Another reason I prefer this soup over others is because it's organic.

So if it's organic, that means it's healthy right? Not necessarily...let's talk about what it means for something to be organic.

How do I know if it's organic? Foods can be partially or fully organic. If they have a label like this one- they are at least 95% certified organic. Without this label, the food may be labeled as organic and may contain organic ingredients, but are not truly and fully an organic food. Gotta love those tricky food industry labels.

Look for this symbol!

What does it mean to be organic? Organic foods are not made with any synthetic additives such as pesticides, fertilizers, chemicals etc. In organic farming, the cows producing the milk or being used as meat are not fed or given any of these hormones, chemicals etc either. Organic foods are in a more natural form without typical additives that might be in the final product of a food in order to increase shelf life, size or appearance. These foods also do not go under and type of radiation.

What are the benefits of eating organic? Eating foods in their most natural form is always the healthiest way to go. Raw foods, that have been untouched by chemicals and hormones are always going to have the most nutrients and be best absorbed by the body.

Not only that, but how do we know exactly what these chemicals, hormones and additives found in almost all food, are doing to our bodies? In the very short term, maybe not a whole lot. But studies are currently being conducted on the long-term effects of these synthetic additives and their association with increased risk for cancer and other diseases. We are literally (and willfully) poisoning our bodies.

What are the negatives? Organic food can be difficult to find if you are not located near a health food store, and is typically more expensive. If the organic lifestyle is too much for you, check out this list from Reader's Digest of the 13 foods you should ALWAYS buy organic.

1. Potatoes- Retain pesticides even after being washed and peeled.

2. Baby foods- Babies are at most risk for pesticides because their immune systems are strong yet.

3. Peanut Butter- Non organic pb is high in pesticides and also may contain aflatoxin- a potential carcinogen (cancer causing).

4. Milk- Cows are fed hormones, antibiotics, and pesticide grains which all can end up in your milk! Also- the higher level of fat content in the milk, the higher the level of pesticides.

5. Apples- near the top of the high pesticide list and most commonly consumed by kids ages 1-5. (Think apple juice and apple sauce).

6. Meat- Animal fed meat is often laced with antibiotics and synthetic growth hormones. Reader's Digest says, "the use of antibiotics in food production could contribute to the rise of antibiotic-resistance bacteria." This would mean bacteria able to cause disease in humans but untreatable by the antibiotics we are prescribed by our doctors. Not good!

7, 8, 9. Nectarines, peaches and pears- 94-97% of these have been found to be infected with pesticides.

10. Spinach- More than 83% of it's surface contains pesticides

11. Strawberries- The skin on these are perfect hibernating place for pesticides.

12. Bell Peppers- Absorb pesticides like a sponge

13. Eggs- Pesticides can be passed from the chicken to the egg. (Organic eggs come from birds who eat organic feed.)


If you aren't buying organic, make sure to wash your produce very well. Remember- just because the food is organic, only means that it is chemical/synthetic hormone/pesticide free. Poptarts can be organic, which does not change their nutritional value, so unfortunately, they still aren't the best breakfast choice we have.

Do you buy certain foods organic? If so, what and why?