Why Buy Organic?

I read Omnivore’s Dilemma back in 2007 or 2008 when I was still in college. I found it fascinating, as organic food was still quite a new concept to me. I remember thinking it would give me the answer as to whether or not we should start buying organic food.

My takeaway? I remember telling my husband (boyfriend, or maybe fiance at the time?) that the biggest reason to buy organic was for the environmental impact it makes. Also, I remember thinking that wasn’t really such a big deal (2020 me is like ‘WTF, Michelle!’). Either way, we started making some changes to how we shopped. We found a local farm and I would buy most of our produce there. I remember being really focused on buying local. I even remember holding up a long line while I waited for them to tell me where the peaches were grown (not everything sold at farm markets is local, btw).

OMG, now that I think about it, I also remember asking the grocery store once if they had any non-organic carrots since organic was all I could find. They told me they only carried organic because the cost was pretty much the same. I shrugged, said ok, and bought organic carrots ever since!

I really should re-read that book, over 10 years later when my perspective and knowledge about healthy food and climate change has evolved so much.

But maybe you’re like I was 10+ years ago, wondering if organic food was really “worth it”, trying to figure out how to budget it in and why.

Here’s a breakdown I’ve put together simply from what I know and what I’ve learned of the years of reading books, watching documentaries, listening to podcasts, getting certified in nutrition, making changes, and feeding a growing family.

Why buy organic – health reasons

I’m not going to get into all the details on this, and instead keep it simple. Non-organic food is laden with toxic chemicals – pesticides, herbacides, fungacides, etc. Some of these chemicals are known to cause cancer, and it’s very likely that every one of them is messing with your gut microbiome. If it’s killing organisms on the earth, why wouldn’t it be killing off the organisms in your gut?

In addition to causing cancer and throwing your all-important gut out of whack, when you eat chemicals and toxins, your body needs to detox them. Our bodies are amazing, they are set up to detoxify all kinds of bad stuff that we don’t need. The goal isn’t to be 100% toxin-free (I’d say that’s impossible), the goal is to help your body out as much as possible so it can detoxify as much of, if not all of, the “bad” stuff you’re taking in. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather free up my liver’s capacity so I can eat a bowl of ice cream or enjoy a craft beer every once in a while 😉

Lastly, GMOs. GMO stands for genetically modified organism. A common use of GMO food is when seeds are genetically modified to be resistant to weed killer (ie. the line of GMO seeds called “Roundup Ready”), so the farmers can then douse those babies in toxic chemicals without worrying about killing their crops. So, whether or not your reading all the latest studies on the potential harmful effect of GMOs, we probably want to avoid GMO simply because it may be likely to have higher levels of toxins present.

Why buy organic – sustainability reasons

To me, this is still the main reason to buy organic. Growing organic food means you need to understand the ecosystem of the soil. To understand how crops, weeds, and insects work together to form healthy earth. Instead of relying on “kill everything!”, organic farmers need to focus on supporting life. Organic farmers often think of themselves as soil farmers, because healthy soil will means less weeds and less pests, and more nutritious food.

Is buying all organic food the “answer”? No, but it’s a great start to understanding where your food comes from and how that can affect your health and the planet.

If you want to learn more about how to shop for healthy, planet-friendly food come find me on Instagram @mlbfamilywellness – can’t wait to connect with you!