Should I Go Organic?

Have you noticed when you go into the grocery store that there are starting to be whole sections of foods labeled as natural or organic? Everything from products like eggs, meat, fish, milk, and produce have an organic section. Signs are posted everywhere labeling these foods and they make it seem as if there is a big difference. The difference I immediately recognize is the price but should I shell out extra money on a organic product or is it simply a marketing ploy?

Natural is a term that you will see associated with a number of fruit and vegetable products. This is definitely a marketing term used to get you to buy the product. Think about it, aren't ALL fruits and vegetables natural?

Next on the list is the organic label. These are foods that are grown without the use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers. Farmers who grow organically help the environment by not introducing chemicals into nature.

You might be interested in purchasing organic foods to avoid ingesting those chemicals normally sprayed on vegetables and fruits to make them grow or pesticides to kill the insects and keep them from destroying the produce. Because organic foods are suppose to be chemical free, they are therefore likely to be healthier foods.

However, you have to balance your desire to purchase organic products over what you can afford to pay for your foods. Buying organic is usually more expensive. If you’re on a budget, skip over organic fruits and vegetables that you can peel, like oranges and bananas. In many cases, once you have discarded the peel, you’ve also discarded the chemicals. No matter what you buy, make sure that you rinse off and even wash your food when preparing to eat it.

You might also see the label “no hormones.” This is usually associated with milk or meat products. This is another labeling that is not true since all animals naturally produce hormones. Hormones are what helps an animal (even a human) regulate body organs, have young, and otherwise function. All meat products have hormones.

What these labels really trying to inform the consumer is that no hormones were unnaturally introduced to the animal. Often times hormones are introduced to animals to help them increase production. For cows it is done to increase the milk production; in chickens it is done to increase the egg production. Hormones are also introduced to cause the animal to grow bigger than it naturally would do on its own.

Finally you may come across meat that has a label that indicates whether the animal was caged or penned. There is argument over whether this makes a difference in the quality or nutritional value of the meat. Some argue that a stressed animal produces hormones that make the meat less desirable to eat. This statement has not been scientifically proven. It simply boils down to a matter of animal rights. These products may be a bit more expensive, but if you want to make human decisions, that is the way to go. Reading the label and making healthy choices can sometimes be difficult, but learning how to do so can help you make the best choices for you diet.