Do I need to eat Organic??

People ask me this all the time. Do I need to eat organic fruits and veggies? Well the answer is yes and no. If you have the ability to eat all organic foods all the time, then go for it, but the average person is on a tight budget and this can get pricey if you are purchasing at a supermarket.

You can tell an organic food by the PLU sticker on the item.
If it starts with a 9 followed by 4 digits, it is organic, meaning grown without synthetic pesticides or chemicals. Organic is really talking about the method of growing the food.

If you are peeling it, and not eating the skin of the fruit/vegetable, its ok to buy conventionally grown and wash it well. Soft skin foods, like tomatoes, carrots, grapes, apples, pears, peaches, ETC are the food that you should consider organic. In addition, the veggies that you eat the entire thing, like lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, those that have no peel.

I don't typically purchase bananas that are organic, but I do make sure they are not GMO.

So whats the big deal with GMO? This area remains controversial, with some saying it's not a problem, however there are still studies underway that show that ingesting GMO foods are so altered that our bodies don't get benefit and long term harm is still a matter for discussion.

Many countries have outlawed rBGH, the hormone given to cows to increase milk production, however the US has not.
GMO corn and soy products have been modified to resist pests, so that less pesticide can be use. Do you really want to eat a food that contains some form of pesticide from within?
Tomatoes are GMO to increase their shelf life, to prevent rotting. Well, whose shelf life is more important? Yours or your tomato?

Much of these GMO actions are driven by financials. To help companies save money and make more.
Monsanto is another controversial topic, in which all seeds much come from that company and farmers are not able to use their own seed to plant.
We personally purchase heirloom non-GMO seeds from a website , for which we grow our own wheat grass, sprouts and such. It's easy and they add  nutritional value to the food.

So, I encourage you to have a good look around the kitchen and the store, and choose what's right for you. Get more educated and reap the health benefits later...more to come...
In health,
Barb