The simple answer is “Absolutely!” But you probably want to know why. Without going into all the extensive background information it would require to tell the whole story, this is the gist. Pesticides. We all know the old adage, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away,” right? Wrong. Apples are covered in organophosphate pesticides, which are used extensively on almost all conventional fruits and vegetables. So, if you aren’t scrubbing your nonorganic produce to death before eating it, then you’re having pesticides for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
You never see bugs in grocery stores, hotels, or restaurants because they are sprayed everyday with pesticides. It may seem like a good thing at first because pesticides appear to keep our environment cleaner, but in fact, they are doing extensive damage to our bodies. In the book called Clean, Green, and Lean by Dr. Walter Crinnion (2010) – which I’ll be referring to often in my upcoming blogs – he writes that “studies have shown that children who live in homes where organophosphate pesticides – the most commonly used class of pesticides – are used have a higher rate of brain tumors.”
Not only do we have to be concerned about the pesticides on our produce, but there are also chlorinated pesticides on meat and dairy products. These nasty chemicals are responsible for slowing down our thermogenesis – the rate at which our fats are burned to make energy. Ever wonder why you can’t seem to lose weight, despite eating healthy? This is one explanation that most people don’t consider or know about.
Finally, another reason why nonorganic produce, like apples, aren’t as good for us as we might think is because they are grown in soil that has been degraded by pesticides and toxic fertilizers (Crinnion, 2010). These pesticides strip the soil of its nutrients and leave our produce void of all the vitamins and minerals we are told are important to our health. Organic produce typically have more minerals and phytochemicals because they have to work harder to fight off pesty bugs and disease (Crinnion, 2010).
I recognize that organic food is much more expensive than conventional options, yet think about all the money you will have to spend if you develop an acute or chronic illness. Many of our patients have spent thousands upon thousand of dollars seeing numerous physicians to try to find a cure for their diagnosis and symptoms. What if they had made the investment up front in organic foods? Perhaps some of their time and money would have been saved.
Next blog: The Dirty vs Clean Dozen: What foods should you buy?
