Buying Organic Versus Non Organic

Time To Start Buying Organic?

It is April 14Th and a rainy Tuesday morning here in central Florida. This past weekend Stephen C. Sharp was questioned by some family members on the reason why he always opts for organic versus conventionally grown fruits, meats, and fish if nothing else.
For all the new food and health conscious people out there as well as the veterans Stephen gives his list of the most essential foods to purchase in organic form rather than conventional supermarket style.
Starting with the fruits, well lets just say paying a few extra cents for organic fruits such as oranges, apples, and peaches is well worth it. Organic certified fruits are grown without any dangerous pesticides and fertilizers which makes them many times more nutritious and healthy to consume. Non organic fruits tend to be one of the foods that contain more pesticides than other food crops. These higher levels of pesticides linger on the fruits and seep into the fruit. Even after washing your fruits extensively the pesticides will still be present in the fruit. If you still decide to eat conventional fruits remember to stay away from the last 1/4 of the fruit's inside edible area. Studies have shown this is the part of the fruit that is highest in pesticides and contaminants. So this is why Stephen always chooses organic fruits for his family and friends.
The second food group that Stephen always purchases organic is meats. Very simply stated meats that are organic certified come from animals that eat foods with absolutely no by-products, synthetic growth hormones, antibiotics, and other harmful chemicals. These animals are usually allowed to graze and eat fresh grass as part of their diet. The farms they are raised on contain fresh earth and the end result by far outweighs the potential risks of the cheaper non-organic meat. While organic meat is by far more expensive a simple reduction in the amount of meat we eat per week can easily balance out the extra cost. Buy you meat organic and smile more!
The third item on Stephen's list is fish. While it is very hard to classify any ocean free fish as organic, as they may swim thousands of miles of ocean and eat smaller fish which are obviously not organic, the one important factor here is wild caught. Stephen has done much research on the health concerns with regard to farm raised fish versus wild caught fish. Stephen chooses wild caught fish hands down for his family and friends. The whole concept of raising fish via farm is great but much work needs to be done to make these fish less harmful and chemical free. Farm raised fish ponds are treated with dangerous pesticides to prevent the fish from getting lice. They also are fed food pellets that contain artificial colors. Binders, which hold the food pellet together are also used. These pellets may contain other fish and animal parts as well as other artificial flavors. The other worrisome topic with seafood is the PCB/Mercury contents in fish. Stephen limits his weekly intake of seafood to not more than one pound total per week. He only buys fish that are lowest in mercury levels such as haddock, tilapia, sardines, and anchovies. He does though enjoy an occasional can of white albacore tuna packed in spring water maybe twice per month. He always cooks his fish well to remove any PC B's present and will turn down raw fish such as sushi almost every time.
We hope this guide will help get you and your loved ones on the right track to choosing and eating healthy. The benefits of the above mentioned foods in organic form far outweigh the potential health hazards with prolonged consumption of those foods not classified as organic and wild caught. Have a healthy and happy Tuesday.

Florida's Organic Bits

FloridaHerbHouse.com