Why Organic is So Important

Having a diet high in fruits and vegetables is very important for optimal health, there's no denying that. The question is are all fruits and vegetables created equal? More specifically are non-organic products equal to their organic counterparts? The answer is no. But what is lacking in these non-organic foods that makes them an inferior food source?

Obviously choosing any fresh fruits and vegetables over prepackaged processed foods will result in a diet higher in the vitamins and minerals that are so crucial to a healthy life, but you're still missing out. The truth is not only are you getting less of the health benefit as typically advertised, you're also getting more than you bargained for...and not in a good way!

As with most any successful business, profit is the driving force behind its existence, and the produce companies that supply your local grocery stores are no exception. So in order to make more you have to sell more, to more people. And in order to sell more you have to produce more, but how do you do that? This is accomplished with scientifically engineered fertilizers meant to replenish the soil for more frequent harvesting. The problem is the driving force behind these fertilizers is profit (more crops), and not what's best for the land. This constant depletion of key nutrients from the soil leads to an inferior crop, which is more susceptible to disease. So how is this rectified? By heavily spraying these crops with pesticides. Unfortunately this is not healthy for the person eating it.

Only it doesn't stop there. In order to get the crops to the masses they must be harvested prematurely which means they're not getting all of the nutrients from the plant as they should. So how then do you sell an under ripened inferior product? You spray them with dyes and waxes to make them look desirable to the consumer; once again not healthy for the person eating them.

You wouldn't knowingly buy green oranges, green "red delicious" apples, or any other significantly under ripened food, but the truth is you probably are. Most of the oranges, apples, peppers, tomatoes, and other heavily sprayed produce that fill the shelves at your local grocery store are an under developed over engineered version of what nature intended. So when your standing in the produce aisle trying to decide what to buy, do the healthy thing and buy organic when possible.