Non-conventional food definitely costs more, however, the advantages of organic food far outweigh their cost. If you really value your health and want to optimize it, this is the only way to eat.
One other option is to eat locally grown produce where you can get to know the farmers and see for yourself what practices they use. Many use organic methods but are not USDA certified because the process is so expensive and time consuming.A third option, of course, is to grow your own food so that you can totally control what goes on it and in it. See Grow Foods Yourself for more info on that subject. Doing this allows you to be sure your food contains no genetically modified organisms or chemical pesticides. The advantages of organic food are better health and vitality.
You will be helping the environment as well by not patronizing CAFOs (Contained Animal Feeding Operations) or other big agribusiness atrocities. We vote with our dollars and if no one purchases this type of food, they will have no choice but to go out of business or change their ways.
The Advantages of Organic Food
The Organic Consumers Association has this to say about the advantages of organic food as opposed to conventionally grown foods:
“Organic foods, especially raw or non-processed, contain higher levels of beta carotene, vitamins C, D and E, health-promoting polyphenols, cancer-fighting antioxidants, flavonoids that help ward off heart disease, essential fatty acids, and essential minerals. On average, organic is 25% more nutritious in terms of vitamins and minerals than products derived from industrial agriculture.
Since on the average, organic food's shelf price is only 20% higher than chemical food, this makes it actually cheaper, gram for gram, than chemical food, even ignoring the astronomical hidden costs (damage to health, climate, environment, and government subsidies) of industrial food production.”
The Dangers of Conventional Farming
The atrocities of our modern day agricultural methods are only getting worse. Here is an excerpt about it from Dr. Mercola’s site:
“The U.S. government is encouraging farmers to spread a chalky waste from coal-fired power plants on their fields to loosen and fertilize soil. The material is produced by power plant "scrubbers" that remove acid-rain-causing sulfur dioxide from plant emissions.
The substance is a synthetic form of the mineral gypsum, and it also contains mercury, arsenic, lead and other heavy metals.”
There Is Help Out There!
If your budget is just too tight to buy all of your food organic, and thus get all of the advantages of organic food, then check out this “Dirty Dozen” list of the most pesticide laden foods and then buy those organic. This list was compiled by the Environmental Working Group.
12 Most Contaminated
Peaches
Apples
Sweet Bell Peppers
Celery
Nectarines
Strawberries
Cherries
Pears
Grapes (Imported)
Spinach
Lettuce
Potatoes
12 Least Contaminated
Onions
Avocado
Sweet Corn (Frozen)
Pineapples
Mango
Asparagus
Sweet Peas (Frozen)
Kiwi Fruit
Bananas
Cabbage
Broccoli
Papaya
I once bought some strawberries at a local pick-your-own place and when I brought them home, I ran them through the Lotus Sanitizing System that I own. After four times through it, they still were not clean, so from now on, I never buy conventional strawberries.
I tried growing my own in the Spring of 2009 and got some of the most luscious tasting fruit I have ever had! I’m a beginning gardener so I hope to do better this year as I gain more experience and appreciate more the advantages of organic food.
If you have to buy conventionally grown produce, be aware that the thin-skinned fruits and vegetables (such as celery, strawberries, peaches, etc.) are the most likely to take up pesticide residue. You can use a mixture of vinegar and water to wash lettuce, kale and other leafy greens.
On hard skinned produce, use running water and a vegetable brush to get off as much as you can. If you are going to soak any of it, be sure to use a swishing motion in the water since it helps to dislodge unwanted things such as dirt.
Here is an article from Colleen Huber titled “How to Cook Whole Food From Scratch – and Keep your Day Job!” that gives you great tips on healthy eating. It's good information.
And of course, this whole site is geared toward showing you how you can eat healthy on the run and get the most advantages of organic food. I have tried to make it fairly easy for you. All it takes is a different mind set and the information that can be found here.
Of course, part of the problem of conventionally raised food is what goes on in Washington, D.C. all the time. Here's a good site that gives more information about Food Supply Politics.
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