Go Organic

Organic?

Ever since Chiropractic Solutions began changing patient’s lives around by combining chiropractic with dietary recommendations, patients have been asking about organic foods. Is organic better? Where are the best organic foods? How do I know if something is organic? And the questions go on and on. Well let me give you an insight into the “organic world”.

According to Wikipedia, organic foods are produced according to certain production standards. For crops, it means they were grown without the use of conventional pesticides, artificial fertilizers, human waste, or sewage sludge, and that they were processed without ionizing radiation or food additives. For animals, it means they were reared without the routine use of antibiotics and without the use of growth hormones.

Of course I always want you to keep perspective as you compare things you will put into your body. First, compare the food options you have: non-organic spinach is better than organic ice cream. If you are comparing apples to apples though, yes organic apples are generally better. Why I said generally better is because if you have a neighbor who has a small apple orchard, it is better to pick fresh off of the tree than have your fruit sent halfway around the world so you can eat it without pesticides. Just balance all of the fuel used in shipping to the pesticides. Therefore, there are times when local can be better than organic.

Now when you go to the store to find organic items, make sure it truly is organic. “Natural” is not organic. Unfortunately “made with organic ingredients” isn’t totally organic either. You can’t even rely on the price sticker or other signs put up in the store. The only way to know if it is 95% or more organic is to find the USDA Organic seal on the product. The USDA is in charge of the definition of “organic” and does organic certification also. Choosing foods with this seal may be the best for your health!