Hopefully you’ve experienced it. Hopefully it’s part of your daily life. Hopefully you are a big fan of The Big O. I am of course talking about…Organic food! :0
Like everything else in the world, I hear much debate and controversy about eating Organic food. While I fully respect peoples’ concerns about the level of truth in organic labels, I get quite saddened when a person completely writes off organic and says it’s a ‘scam’ or a ‘rip-off’. I do not wish to start a heated debate on this topic, because A) I don’t believe in negative/hateful content and B) I simply want to encourage people to think twice about their food purchases.
Whether you are an advocate for buying organic foods or you are still a skeptic of that little USDA organic green label, here are a few simple things I find helpful to remind myself when I find the urge to reach for the cheaper product on the shelf.
Just read the label! We have all heard the phrase “if you can’t pronounce it, don’t buy it”. Well, it’s true! Most organic labels have extremely simple ingredients, all of which are produced with little to no toxins in them. It is unfortunate that our country has one of the lowest standards of what is considered ‘organic’…but by buying organic foods, you are still making a better choice than if you were buying the cheap chemical loaded products. Sometimes I certainly want to reach for the product that is $3 cheaper..until I flip over the label and read what’s in it. Your health is worth every penny!
Organic doesn’t HAVE to be expensive! I will fully admit, back in the day, I always used the excuse “it’s too expensive” as to why I did not shop organic. Guess what? Visit your local Farmer’s Market and you will get MAJOR bang for your buck! I am certain I can get almost twice the amount of fresh, farm grown veggies from my farmer’s market than I can at the grocery store. Now I’m shopping organic without paying the extra $$ for the green USDA label. The icing on the cake: these veggies have come straight from the farm and into your hands without sitting on a truck for who knows how long and loaded with who knows how many pesticides and preservatives. Talk to your local farmers and see how they grow their crops. Become educated. Support your local farmers!!
I always go to the Market Square Farmer’s Market. But there are plenty more in Tally!
Never EVER lecture someone on eating organic if they didn’t ask you about it. By you reading this article, you have essentially ‘asked’ for more information. Therefore, I can share as much as I want on the topic. If you start to lecture someone on how bad their food or household products are, regardless of your best intentions, you will defeat all purposes. You will most likely only make yourself sound condescending or worse yet, self righteous. People have to decide on their own terms to become more educated…if you want to help, simply take it upon yourself to share your favorite recipes and ideas i.e. a blog! Show people how FUN it is to be healthy and organic!
Moral of the story…don’t be so resistant to shopping wiser. Show our producers that we want more and more healthy products on our shelves. Our shopping trends will shape the future of our food.
If you still aren’t a believer, that’s OK. Just make sure you are aware of your health….if you aren’t feeling well very often, it may be time to rethink your habits. I can assure you my tummy feels MUCH better these days due to my healthier shopping choices. 🙂
Cheers to safe and healthy eating habits and households!
MySoulBalm 