What Should I Buy Organic??
It’s actually simpler than you think to know what to buy organic + what’s okay to buy conventional.
First of all, organic refers to food grown + produced according to specific agricultural methods that prioritize sustainability, environmental health, + natural processes. Organic farming avoids the use of synthetic chemicals, such as pesticides + fertilizers, + emphasizes soil health.
For Meat, this means that animals are not treated with antibiotics or hormones + they are not fed any grains, corn or soy that have been sprayed with chemicals.
For Produce, this means farmers used natural means to promote crop health/manage pests; as opposed to using synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides or genetically modified organisms (GMO’s).
The problem with these chemicals are the active ingredient, glyphosate, which has been linked to cancer, interference with hormone function, + disrupting the environment in your gut (digestive system), which can lead to inflammation + the deterioration of your gut lining. Over time this can lead to what has been called “leaky gut”. This condition is where what is passing through you is actually leaking into your blood stream - toxins + all. When these particles are floating in your blood rather than being excreted, this can lead to a whole host of chronic diseases.
Spoiler Alert: your gut + brain are intimately linked together, so if your gut is inflamed, most likely your brain is too! Not good!
WHAT TO BUY:
For produce, I just follow the EWG’s (Environmental Working Group) guide: The Clean Fifteen + The Dirty Dozen. What determines these lists is how much crops are sprayed with herbicides or pesticides.
Clean Fifteen = crops that are sprayed the least (okay to buy conventional)
Dirty Dozen = crops that are sprayed the most (best to buy organic)
The EWG is great about updating this list every year as things change based on the latest USDA data on pesticide levels.
I also buy any animal products (meat, milk, cheese, butter, etc.) organic as well, as this indicates that whatever the animals are consuming is free of herbicides + pesticides.
My last tip is about spices + seasonings. You definitely want to buy these organic, especially if you are in the gluten-free camp.
Food companies add flour, or other synthetic materials, as an anti-caking agent so that the spices easily dispense out of the bottle. As we’ve already discussed, we don’t want to be ingesting glyphosate, which is why I encourage you to choose an organic option here.
I know doing a complete overhaul of your spice cabinet could get pricey. So I would suggest starting small with upgrading your onion powder, garlic powder, + black pepper to start. These are going to be the most commonly used to give a good base flavor. From there, just pick up a spice or two each time you go to the store until your cabinet is stocked with glyphosate-free flavor makers.
P.S. I have never noticed my organic seasonings clumping or not coming out easily. Should this be the case for you, simply flip over the bottle where you will see little ridges along the bottom. Grab another seasoning with those ridges, + rub the ridges along each other in a circular motion, until the spices dispense. Voila!
For more tips and information on how to LivWell, check out my guide + cookbook here:
Be Well!
— Em