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Organically Yours: Five Reasons to Buy Organic

Nowadays many people are decidedly making smarter choices when purchasing food for themselves or their family. Organically grown foods have been increasing in popularity as people are choosing to live a smarter and healthier lifestyle. Organic farmers around the world are doing their part in preserving the quality of our ecosystem and to improve our health by growing food the way nature intended. Organically grown food gives us a naturally healthy and purely delicious food that is completely free of harmful chemicals and pesticides. Conventionally grown foods tend to carry a heavier load of pesticide than the organically grown food and these can be very harmful.

Here are five reasons why you should choose to buy organically grown foods.

1.  Organic foods are free of additives and preservatives and therefore taste more delicious and pure.

2.  Buying organic foods helps to reduce the dependence on all the non-renewable resources.

3.  The organic food industry promotes healthy farmland and supports those small family owned farms that produce the organic food.

4.  Growing organic foods help to keep chemicals out of the water supplies and help protect the farmers and other workers from having contact with harmful chemicals and pesticides.

5.  Organically grown food is exceedingly safe for children because it is free from harmful pesticides.

Next time you’re shopping for groceries, think about how buying organically grown food can benefit you and your family. Think about choosing a food that was grown as nature intended, compared to one that had frequently been covered with poisonous pesticides and other chemicals. Would you buy food knowing that it had once been saturated with harmful chemicals? At one point in time, that was something you never would have thought about, but now today in the information age, people are more aware of what they are putting into their bodies. Now people are aware of how food is grown and produced and now people have a choice.

Some great organically grown foods to buy are apples, grapes (imported), nectarines, pears, peaches, red raspberries, strawberries, bell peppers, celery, potatoes and spinach. There are even many other foods coming to market as organic foods such as eggs, cheese, yogurt, ice cream, milk, juice, bread, soup, meat, nuts, pasta and many baby foods.

Being organic is referring to the way the agricultural products of fiber and food are processed and grown. The ecological system heavily relies on the rich soil to produce plants strong enough to withstand diseases and other pests. Organic farming means that the use of any chemicals and toxins are prohibited and work only in favor of the earth friendly habits that work with nature. In livestock, preventative measures are taken to keep the animals productive and healthy because the use of antibiotics is forbidden. Genetically modified organisms are also strictly prohibited in the organic production.

Only three categories are allowed by the USDA when labeling organic foods:

1. 100% Organic - Means the food item is made purely and 100% of organic ingredients.

2. Organic Made - Means the food item is made of at least 95% organic ingredients with the remaining 5% heavily restricted and with no genetically modified organisms.

3. Made With Organic Ingredients - Means the food item is made of no lesser than 70% of organic ingredients with the remaining 30% heavily restricted and with no genetically modified organisms.

The USDA has set strict regulations when labeling organic foods. An organic food must contain at least 95% of organic ingredients in order for it to be labeled as “organic.” Any foods that have less than 70% of organic ingredients can not make any claims on the front of the package that it is organic in any way, but may list the specific organically grown ingredients on the side panel.

The primary barrier to most consumers of buying organically grown foods is the price. Eating healthier is sometimes more expensive than the chemically treated foods. However, as the organic food industry is steadily rising as the varieties and availabilities are increasing, the prices are becoming more competitive and more appealing. We all owe it to ourselves and our families to stay healthy by eating healthy, and it should not have to cost you an arm and a leg to do so.