Just Because It Says Organic Doesn't Mean It's Good For You
I always choose organic produce over the conventionally grown variety.
Organic vegetables and fruits have been found to have more nutrients (thus are better for you) bees and other insects have a chance to feed and pollinate the way they are supposed to do in a pesticide-free eco-system.
Labels Carry Clout
With that said, it has now become very popular for processed foods to carry an "organic" label, where sugar laden fruit bars, cereals and juices advertise that they were made with 100% organic or organic-fed ingredients. Unfortunately this leads lots of people to think that Organic = Healthy and then they are surprised when they over-indulge in these organic products and see weight gain. These processed foods may be organic, but they still contain a crazy amount of sugar, sodium, and other preservatives.
It's great that people are thinking about where their food is coming from, but to take it a step further, we should all be thinking about taking the extra time to prepare our meals and eat whole foods as much as possible. Think about eating the way people did a hundred years ago... not an easy task I know. A hundred years ago there was a designated person in the family whose only role consisted of spending hours to prepare daily meals. That is definitely not the case now. Now we are busy juggling work, families, long commutes, training and fitness, traveling, rent and mortgage payments, debt, taking care of aging parents, busy social lives and the list just goes on. There's just no time to prepare meals from scratch and eat healthy 100% of the time.
While we cant' aim for 100% all of the time, taking small steps to fit in the time to cook has to happen slowly. Try scheduling the time to prepare one meal a week for a month and see how that goes. Then try for two meals a week. Slowly switch processed snacks (even those that say organic) to whole foods that you don’t have to open a package to eat.
What are Whole Foods Again?
If you are confused about what I mean by "whole foods", I'm talking about foods that are as close to their natural form as possible. A friend of mine said something super clever a while back and I think it fits really well here. He said, "If it comes from a Plant, eat it. If it's made in a Plant, don't". This couldn't be more true and the next time you are out grocery shopping think about filling your cart with only whole foods and switching out some of your usual food products for the following:
Instead of "organic" chicken nuggets processed with added fats, flavorings, and preservatives, buy an organic grain-fed chicken and roast it in the air-fryer, oven, or slow-cooker with veggies and herbs. Here is the best Whole Chicken in a Slow Cooker Recipe.
Instead of "organic" chicken broth (which contains lots of sodium, preservatives and even sugar), make your own broth using the leftover bones from the whole chicken you made in the slow cooker. Homemade bone broth has amazing gut healing properties, very important for building your immunity or for anyone dealing with candida or leaky gut syndrome.
Instead of a bag of sour cream and onion potato chips, buy organically grown potatoes and make a Hasselback potato with fresh garlic and sour cream. Here is one of my favorite Hasselback Potato Recipes from another person named Sunny.
Instead of a raspberry pop tart or "organic" breakfast bars, choose fresh berries as a side to pan-fried eggs from a cage-free and organic fed chicken. Make sure you fry the eggs in coconut oil or grass-fed butter, not margarine (margarine is so so so processed, it might as well be a chemical sh*t storm).
Instead of making a smoothie with “organic” protein powder, make a quick blueberry smoothie made with organic blueberries, plain yogurt, and a frozen banana. It’s delicious, nutrition, and has natural probiotics without all the heavy metals that a lot of protein powders have.
Instead of "organic" vitamins and supplements, choose organic fruits, vegetables, and beans to provide the fiber and vitamins your body needs.
Remember we have to start with small, easy steps and start slow. And as always... everything in moderation, even moderation!
To eating positively well,
Sunny