I get this question a lot. And I’m sure it’s gone through your head too. Is it really that important to eat organic? It’s so expensive. What if I can’t afford it? What then?
This is not honestly the easiest question to answer. The correct answer is, yes. Organic is the best way to go. Of course you should eat organic. Get everything organic! But what if you can’t afford it? I know there are different situations for everyone. Some people can afford to have organic everything. Others can’t afford hardly to pay for groceries at all, let alone buy everything organic. How do you manage that?
Well, I will give you some ideas today on what you can do if you are low budget and can only buy the bare minimum. But to answer the big question first: Is It really important to eat organic? The answer is yes. And I’ll explain why. Then you can decide for yourself how important it is to you, if you want to eat organic.
Most non organic foods have GMOs (Genetically Modified Organism), pesticides, herbicides, and other chemicals inside of them. Farmers will spray these chemicals onto their crops as they grow, to prevent the bugs and the birds from getting to them. However, while it usually works to prevent the bugs and birds from eating them, those chemicals are just sitting on those crops, soaking into them. Then when you buy them in the grocery store, every bite is filled with those chemicals, which will cause problems to your gut microbiome, your heart, your brain, your energy, your blood levels, and increase fat gain rather than boost fat loss, which would more likely be your goal for eating the produce.
GMOs have a negative impact on the nervous system, the digestive system, and the reproductive system. It has been shown to be a huge cause of autism, sleep disorders, ADHD, depresseion, anxiety, impulsiveness, and much more. When scientists found when they switched some people with these problems, to organic, was that they felt better almost immediately. Their depression, anxiety, ADHD, autism, and more, were gone almost immediately. Now, I’m not saying that this is the case for everyone. Organic will help you, but it is not necessarily going to be an immediate effect for everyone. Everyone is different. But organic products will help you. There are different things that could help you even better than you think too. For example, you might need to go grain free or gluten free as well. But organic is definitely an important start. Reducing the toxicity that you’re putting into your body, will allow your body to heal itself, and rejuvenate itself.
Now we’re going to talk about how to afford organic. One thing you can do, is start a backyard garden. It can be cheaper to grow some of your own fruits and vegetables than it is to buy them. Plus, it’s far more satisfying to eat something that you grew, than something you bought in the grocery store. I don’t think I can even describe the satisfying feeling, until you’ve tried it yourself. It’s very empowering.
Then, you can also be selective about organic items when grocery shopping. Not everything has to be organic. It’s better if you can manage it, but it’s not always possible. You can look up this list for The Dirty Dozen online easily. Dr. Axe is a good source to find out more about this. This is the list of what is most important to get organic. If you can get nothing else organic, these are important! But here is a list for you:
The Dirty Dozen:
1. Strawberries
2. Spinach
3. Kale
4. Nectarines
5. Apples
6. Grapes
7. Peaches
8. Cherries
9. Pears
10. Tomatoes
11. Celery
12. Potatoes
This is the important list of non negotiable must have organic foods. These are what you need to get organic. Then, there’s also the Clean Fifteen list of what you can get non organic. This can help with your budget too.
Clean Fifteen:
1. Avocados
2. Sweet Corn (I personally prefer this organic because it can have GMOs, but you can get it non organic)
3. Pineapples
4. Onions
5. Papayas
6. Frozen Sweet Peas
7. Eggplant
8. Asparagus
9. Cauliflower
10. Cantaloupe
11. Broccoli
12. Mushrooms
13. Cabbage
14. Honeydew Melon
15. Kiwi
And that is the clean fifteen list. So hopefully this will help you manage to get higher quality food into your body. This will make you feel better, have more energy, burn fat, and boost your metabolism. I hope that this was beneficial to you, and I hope that this helps you. Have a wonderful day!