Have you tried eating organic yet? Many individuals and families are now eating foods that are grown organically because of the many benefits doing so gives them. Organically grown foods develop their own natural defenses to survive as they are growing, making the foods richer in antioxidants. Organically grown produce does not contain the pesticides and other toxins that non-organically grown foods do so they are healthier for you.
What is an organic food?
In order for a food item to be considered organic, it needs to be grown and processed in a certain manner. Food is certified as organic when farmers follow a strict set of regulations that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) set forth for them. Organic farmers follow natural farming practices, feed their livestock 100% organic products, and use only biological pesticides if pesticides are necessary. They do not use genetically engineered seed stock. Organic farmers do not feed their livestock growth hormones. They also do not use any synthetic pesticides in their fields.
Where do you find organic foods?
Organic foods are becoming more available as more retail establishments want to please individuals who are striving to eat healthier. Organic foods can be found in grocery chain stores, farmers markets, natural foods stores, and online.
When buying organic, unless you are buying at a farmers market, look and read labels. If buying at a farmers market verifies that the food you buy is grown organically.
If buying from a store know what to look for on the label.
If a label says that the food is 100% organic this means that all of the ingredients in the food are certified to be 100% organic.
If the label just says organic, than at least 95% of the food item has to contain organically grown ingredients.
If the label says that the food item is made with organic ingredients than at least 70% of the ingredients are organic and the rest must come from a list of USDA's approved foods.
Some evidence points to the fact that organic foods contain more nutrients, especially antioxidants than non-organic foods. Organic foods must meet the same strict guidelines set forth by the USDA that the non-organic foods must meet. Organic foods are safer for the environment to grow than non-organically grown foods are because organically grown foods use environmentally friendly pesticides and fertilizers. Organic foods are typically a little more expensive than non-organically grown foods but the prices are coming down because they are becoming more available.
Foods that are commercially grown and contain high levels of pesticides are the ones that you should start out going organic on and slowly switch your family over to all organically grown foods. Here is a list of some of the foods that are grown with high levels of pesticides:
Apples, bell peppers, celery, cherries, grapes, nectarines, peaches, pears, potatoes, raspberries, spinach and strawberries.
Foods that are grown with lower levels of pesticides are:
Asparagus, avocados, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet corn, kiwi, mangos, onions, papaya, pineapples and sweet peas.
Whether what you eat is organic or non-organic it is always a good idea to wash the fruits and vegetables before you eat them.
You can remove some pesticides and dirt by running the fruits and vegetables under running water. Soaking them is not as effective as running water over them. If a vegetable or fruit has an outer layer such as lettuce, peeling this outer layer can reduce the amount of pesticides that you consume. Do not peel apples, pears etc., because you will be peeling away fiber and nutrients.
When you choose a variety of foods you lessen your chance of being exposed to a single pesticide. A variety of foods also increase the amount of different nutrients in your diet.
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