All About Organic

Our ancestors’ only option was to eat organic, but today’s culinary choices can be overwhelming to navigate. What makes a food organic? Is organic food truly better for your physical and mental health? Is it dangerous to eat non-organic?

Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Eating organic can not only benefit your personal health, but also the health of the environment. Learn how incorporating organic foods into your diet can beneficial in more ways than one.

Cleanse Out Toxins with Organic Foods

Plants and animals deemed “organic” have not been treated with pesticides, herbicides, growth hormones, antibiotics or ionizing radiation. A typical non-organic diet involves meat and produce that have been exposed to pesticides and herbicides, which are toxic to your body.

Consuming food containing residual toxic chemicals can cause both acute and chronic health problems. Short term symptoms include eye and skin irritation, nausea, sore throat and headaches. Long term health issues include respiratory problems, cancer, depression, anxiety and other concerning repercussions.

Before you fret, find comfort in the fact that eating organic foods can significantly reduce pesticide build up in our bodies. In fact, a 2005 study demonstrated a dramatic decrease in urinary concentrations of pesticides in participants in as little as 15 days.

A conventional diet can harbor a dramatic amount of toxicity in your body over the years. Cleanse your body of toxic residues by substituting organic foods whenever possible.

Save the Earth with Organic Foods

Organic produce is clearly better for our personal health and wellness, but did you know it’s better for the Earth, too? Organic farmers use natural techniques, like crop rotation, companion planting and animal manure, to encourage the growth of their crops and maintain the integrity of the soil. These Earth-friendly tactics replace widely used synthetic fertilizer, weed killers and pesticides.

Organic agriculture considers the lasting effects that crop-growing has on the environment.  Organic farmers take a proactive approach, aiming to grow crops while simultaneously establishing an ecological balance to keep the land happy. This prevents problems of soil fertility or pests from arising, rather than addressing issues after they emerge.  

Organic farming doesn’t just benefit the air and soil, it also keeps water clean. In 2000, the National Water Quality Inventory concluded that the largest factor affecting the water quality of natural rivers and lakes is pollution from agriculture.

By eating organic goods, you can lessen the damage that harmful agriculture causes to the environment. Organic farmers maintain their crops and livestock responsibly, reduce pollution, conserve water, increase soil fertility and use less energy.

Choose Organic Meat

Huge factory farms may result in higher quantities of meat, but the poor living conditions and questionable treatment of the animals has multiple downsides. These animals are often given antibiotics, growth hormones and fed animal byproducts.

Feeding livestock animal byproducts can increase the risk of mad cow disease, and that disease can spread rapidly because of the close quarters the animals are confined in. Some factory farms combat this with the over-use of antibiotics, which can back-fire and create antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria that are difficult to stop. In fact, studies estimate that half of the beef and poultry produced in the U.S. is infected with staph bacteria, despite the use of antibiotics. Yikes!

Along with being safer and less likely to spread infection and disease, organic meat also provides more health benefits than factory-raised alternatives. Pasture-raised meat contains a greater level of vital omega-3 fatty acids, which help protect heart cells and prevent high blood pressure.

Be mindful, eat organic

Ultimately, it’s important to be mindful of what is in the food you eat. The only way to fuel your body properly is with good nutrition and wholesome ingredients. Take a step in the right direction by eliminating harmful toxins from your grocery list. If you use nutritional supplements, make sure to always shop for pharmaceutical grade products. Check out ProGlow Protein for pure, nutrient-packed products that are physician-approved!