When you go to the grocery store, do you drop by the organic food section or walk past it? Do you know what is the difference between the food on the organic aisle and the other aisles? Simply put, organic food is free of chemicals, antibiotics, and growth hormones. In other words, they are truly 100% natural.

There are 3 main reasons why people eat organic food. Let’s take a look at what they are.

1. Better Health
   For most people, the biggest motivator for switching to organic food is that it’s better for the body and health. Feeding your body with food laden with chemicals and pesticides puts you at a higher risk of developing health problems such as cancer. It is disconcerting to know that eating an average apple means eating about 9 pesticides, and this is after you’ve washed it. With organic food, you can be sure you are not harming your body with such toxic substances. Some say that organic foods contain more nutrition. However, this is still up for debate. A recent study by the Department of Human Nutrition, University of Copenhagen do not support that claim. On the other side of the coin, a US study by the Organic Centre found organic food to have 25% higher nutrient levels compared to conventional food.
2. Better Environment
   Organic farmers do not utilize chemical fertilizers and pesticides to produce their yield. Instead, they use eco-friendly methods such as crop rotation, green manure, compost and biological pest control. Organic farming may not produce as much yield as conventional farming but they contribute to soil and water conservation as well as reduce pollution. Certain pesticides and chemical fertilizers can damage the soil and nearby surroundings. By choosing to eat organic food, you are indirectly doing a small part in protecting the environment.
3. It Tastes Better
   Does organic food really taste better? The difference in taste is more pronounce in certain foods, not all. Many people have commented that food such as chicken, bananas, strawberries, celery, milk and carrots does taste better when they are organic.

According to a Harris poll dated October 2007, a majority of people believe organic food benefits the environment and health. However, the percentage of Americans buying organic food “all or most of the time” is only 7%.

Approximately 30% buy organic food occasionally. Why is that? Organic food may have its benefits but not many are willing to pay twice or three times more for it. The good news is that there are ways to avoid blowing your budget when buying organic food:

• Buy in clubs or co-ops
• Buy directly from farmers
• Buy in bulk
• Buy store brands instead of name brands
• Plant your own organic garden
• Buy in season
• Don’t have to switch over to organic food 100%. The following fruits and vegetables are listed by Environmental Working Group (EWG) as the top 12 most contaminated: peach, apple, sweet bell pepper, celery, nectarine, strawberries, cherries, kale, lettuce, imported grapes, carrot and pear. So give priority to these foods when you are deciding which to buy or grow organically.

So, is switching to organic food a good move? Yes. If you think so too, then don’t hesitate to make the switch. It may be pricier but there are ways to keep the expenditure down.

Related posts:

1. Going Organic
2. Why Choose Organic Foods?
3. The Organic Difference, Part 1

Chances are you may have heard of farm sharing programs or Community Supported Agriculture programs (CSAs). They have received a lot of publicity and media exposure in recent years for their ability to help bring real food back to the table every night and support local economies at the same time. CSAs are instrumental in helping people to access fresh, local foods directly from the farmer that grows it.

Small farmers are at a disadvantage these days. They simply cannot compete with large scale farms that sell to major grocery store chains. Small farmers usually have to sell to their neighbors, at the roadside, or at farmer’s markets. They have had to work hard to find a customer base and unlike large agribusiness operations, small farmers might find themselves out of business the very first time their crops are destroyed or fail to thrive. Realizing that small farm operations might soon be gone with the wind some of them got creative and decided to extend an invitation to their local communities in the form of CSAs.

Local consumers have answered their call. The offerings of a large chain store have often traveled thousands of miles from farm to plate and this certainly impacts their freshness, taste, and nutritional value. The transportation of food across the world also impacts our planet negatively, contributing to pollution and the emission of greenhouse gases that cause global warming. The importance of eating fresh, local foods is more apparent then ever and the CSA arrangement is helping meet this need.

CSAs work when farmers pre-sell a portion or a share of their harvest to local residents. The residents usually pay a fee seasonally and in return they get a box of fresh, farm fruits and veggies every week. The farmers have more freedom, security, and flexibility when their costs and products are paid for up front. The consumer benefits by having continuous access to local and healthful foods. The consumer also absorbs some of the risk involved in farm management because if the crops fail or are destroyed by natural disaster or some other unforeseen circumstance the farmer has already been paid and he or she will not be forced out of business. The consumer, although unhappy to see no product for their investment, is satisfied in supporting his local community and protecting his local food sources.

Some CSAs also allow you to pay for your farm share or a portion of it in trade for labor. You might be put to work weeding, harvesting, packaging CSA boxes, or delivering food. This arrangement keeps costs down for the farmer and the consumer all the while helping the consumer to connect with the food cycle that feeds him or her in an intimate way.

Other benefits of joining a CSA include the opportunity to eat new and different foods and to try new recipes so as to exhaust your weekly share before a new one arrives. This usually means the whole family starts eating healthy veggies and leafy greens more frequently. Joining a CSA in your area might be one of the best things you can do support your local economy and make a commitment to healthy eating!

Related posts:

1. Going Organic
2. The Organic Difference, Part 2
3. Is Switching To Organic Food A Good Move?

By now you’ve learned that the way food is grown has a huge impact on its nutritive value and quality. You’ve also learned that many of the current commercial agricultural practices do not produce high quality food. You want to give your family the best but can’t switch everything to organic all at once. So where’s the best place to start?

Buy Local

An important guiding principle should be that whenever possible, you should buy your food from a local source. Much of the motivation for adding preservatives to food, picking fruit when it’s ridiculously green, and in other ways extending its shelf life has to do with the need to transport that food over long distances and have it still be presentable by the end of the trip. If you buy your food locally, you eliminate the need for your supplier to have the food he sells you subjected to all that abuse. If many people make a point to buy their food locally, the market will eventually catch on (though don’t hold your breath). There are, of course, exceptions to this, like if you want wild salmon and don’t live anywhere near Alaska. So, buying local is a guiding principle, not a rigid law.

Farmer’s Markets

There are many ways you can start buying locally. One is to shop at farmers’ markets. Farmers’ markets are where local growers set up a booth at a specific time, usually weekly, to sell their produce. It is often in season fruits and vegetables, but it can also be meat, honey, dairy products and even art work. When shopping at a farmers’ market, you are usually buying food directly from the grower, so you can talk to the grower about how that food is grown. Rather than relying on a label such as “organic” you can learn exactly what cultural practices go into producing the vegetables or meat you are eyeing. You will undoubtedly find that while many small growers won’t go to the trouble of getting themselves officially labeled “organic,” they are organic for all practical purposes.

Community Supported Agriculture

Another way to shop locally is to become a member of a community supported agriculture farm, also known as a CSA. You buy one or more shares in the CSA and that entitles you to a weekly portion of fresh fruits and vegetables that you can pick up at the farm or another prearranged pickup location. CSAs can also deal in dairy products, flowers, honey and other things. Most CSAs are organic, and you can speak to the grower about the specifics of how the food is grown. By buying a share of the CSA produce, you are assuming part of the risk for the grower. If it’s a great season, you will enjoy your piece of a bountiful harvest. If it’s a poor season, the weekly pickups will be smaller. Of course, CSA farmers do their best to ensure a good harvest, but the fact that they share the risk does allow them to put more effort into producing quality over quantity. They can also try to grow different crops and use different cultural practices without having to shoulder the entire burden of risk. As a participant in a CSA, you will become more educated about what goes into producing the food you eat.

Grow Your Own

Of course, the ultimate solution would be to grow your own, or at least a portion of what you consume. You don’t need a lot of land or equipment to get started. In fact, you can easily grow herbs, sprouts and micro-greens right in your kitchen. It may not seem like much, but the taste and superior nutritional value you get from eating fresh harvested food that you grow yourself is well worth the effort. If you have a yard, no matter how small, consider turning a bit of it into an organic vegetable garden.

Take An Active Role

As a general rule, taking a more active role in your food production is an important step to improving its nutritional value. Part of the reason food quality has been allowed to decline so much is the increasing separation of the consumer from where the food comes from. By reconnecting with the source of your food such as by shopping locally at farmers’ markets or becoming a member of a CSA, or by growing your own, you can have much more say over its quality.

Related posts:

1. Is Switching To Organic Food A Good Move?
2. The Organic Difference, Part 1
3. The Organic Difference, Part 2