The Best Foods to Eat Organic
It’s time to change what you eat now it’s a new season – enjoy the best organic food with this interesting Guest Post.
Many people are looking for ways to include more greens and other fresh foods in their diet as the seasons change.
It would be great to buy organic food – but are there really any benefits for the higher price of organic food?
Let’s take a quick re-look at some organic basics.
What are the Health Benefits of Eating Organic?
Here are some of the great health benefits that eating fresh, organic food can have for you this spring.
1. Less Exposure to Chemicals
One of the biggest attractions for the best organic food is the reduced intake of chemicals that inherently goes along with eating organic. Conventional foods are produced with a variety of chemicals these days. Farmers (especially those in large, very commercial operations) use pesticides and other chemicals to foster growth in their crops and reduce the amount of the crop that is lost to non-human diners. In addition, livestock is frequently grown with growth hormones and antibiotics to encourage the greatest size possible.
While eating conventional foods won’t kill you, the chemical contents of food grown in the conventional way inevitably have a negative effect on the body. Eating meat that was grown with the help of antibiotics, for example, can cause a reduction in the amount of healthy bacteria you have in your stomach, thereby increasing the likelihood of illness. In the case of pesticides, these chemicals have been proven to cause a variety of neurological problems, particularly in children.
2. Better Immunity
Eating fruits and vegetables of any kind is important for maintaining a healthy diet. But, if you want to get the most benefit possible from these foods, you should look to the increased antioxidant content of organic foods. Antioxidants help support the immune system and can ward off serious illness and disease, and studies have indicated that organic foods tend to have a higher antioxidant content than fruits and vegetables that are grown with the help of chemicals. Included in those antioxidants is a greater level of vitamin C, which is one of the best nutrients for supporting the body’s immune system.
The Best Organic Food
As part of your healthy diet this spring, there’s good reason to include a variety of organic foods. But if you are a little bit afraid of the increased cost of eating organic, here are a few foods that you should always consider eating organic.
Apples, Peaches and Strawberries: More pesticides are found on these than on any other fruits. Farmers utilize pesticides and other chemicals on fruit in order to ward off bugs and fungus, but the pesticide residue travels with the fruit as it heads to the supermarket. Eating organic apples, peaches and strawberries can help you eat a healthy diet because you will be able to avoid the many types of pesticide that can be found on these fruits when grown conventionally.
Wine and chocolate: Think about going organic even when you are looking for a treat. Organic wine is beneficial because there isn’t much oversight when it comes to looking out for pesticide content in wine, and grapes have some of the highest pesticide residue of any fruits (behind apples). In the case of chocolate, this dark delight comes from cocoa which is often treated with pesticides. Eat organic chocolate to avoid the worry.
Valerie Johnston is a health and fitness writer located in East Texas. With ambitions of one day running a marathon, writing for Healthline.com ensures she keeps up-to-date on all of the latest health and fitness news.
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Related: Is it worth paying a premium for organic chicken?
I do agree that eating healthily is something we should all strive for and especially if the amount of commercial pesticides and fertilizers is eliminated by eating organic fruit etc. I have tried organic wine but did not find it to my taste. The unfortunate part is that organic foods and fruits are not widely available in many parts of the world outside of Europe and North America.
You’re right Will, it’s not always easy to find organic food (depending on where you live) and that’s a problem.
This year I’m trying to grow some of our own veggies to off shoot the cost (and hassle of trying to find organics). Hoping to have little problem with the critters, and will use natural pesticides as much as I can. I’ll have to look for organic wine!
That’s great Lauren, I always think the more people growing their own, the better! Companion planting is also a great way of keeping the critters at bay. Organic wine is pretty hard to come by (where I live anyway), let me know if you find some you like! I like your website, lots of good advice on beekeeping there! Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
[…] food means reduced or no pesticide residues, no GMOs, and less damage to the environment. It’s green and eco […]