Eating organically..... in a nutshell, it just sounds like a lot of work & EXPENSIVE. And I would be lying if I disagreed with any of that, because it most definitely is both of those things. But at the end of the day, when I focus on the impact that holistic, organic & natural foods have on my body everyday, I never want to look back. It's worth all the money in the world to know that I am taking care of myself and living my life to its best potential.
Growing up I never even bothered to look at food labels, try to learn how to cook, help mama in the kitchen (sorry mama), or let alone even try to eat a vegetable everyday. And yes, part of that was due to childhood and the idea that I was "too cool" to eat vegetables or that I would rather just run around all day and eat skittles and ice cream for dinner. Sounded awesome for a while, but clearly not sustainable. Unless I wanted to end up on TLC's "My 600-lb Life," I realized I might want to reconsider, especially as I grew into adulthood.
Eating organically has slowly (very slowly) been something that I have taught myself how to do. It has most definitely been a challenge, especially when I was navigating through it all in college and the main thing my friends wanted to do was to go to pool parties, drink beer and eat pizza and cheesy bread. Don't get me wrong -- I love a pool party, pizza, friends, beer, AND cheesy bread, but again, not a sustainable lifestyle, or factors that were helping me to make better choices. After many ups and down, I came to realize that eating healthy is all about finding out what works for me: all the way from what does work, what doesn't, what foods I can live without and learning how to LISTEN to my body. Our bodies are a powerful thing, did you know that? At the end of the day, when I finally starting tapping into various health books, recipes, and everyday lifestyle choices, I saw my life begin to change. All because of some food...which is pretty cool if you ask me.
I could name probably 50 reasons why I have since then maintained an organic lifestyle, but that would be a long, boring a$$ blog post. So, I want to share with you my top 5: (and who knows, maybe I will convince you to make some healthier choices!):
1) Organic living reduces toxins in your life! Conventional products are treated with so many pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics and synthetic ingredients (2-12+ on average at a time!) that are extremely toxic by nature, and consuming these products exposes YOU to these dangerous poisons too. I don't know about you, but I don't want to eat poison. In addition, residues of these products are linked to so many health problems, such as ADHD, autism, obesity, and even cancer, to name a few. No thanks. Organic all the way.
2) Organic foods taste better! Have you ever eaten a conventional strawberry and then an organic one right after and tasted the difference? You should, because you'll never look back. Being lower in heavy metals and other chemicals allows organic foods to be richer in antioxidants and nutrients, which not only add to their taste, but also provide benefits for maintaining a healthy immune system. Win-win if you ask me.
3) Natural weight loss (hell yeah!) Without all of the chemicals in your system, your metabolism works so much harder and is constantly converting your food into energy, keeping it functioning at its best. Toxic build-up in the body can compile up to 10 pounds of weight!!! Eat more organically and I'm positive that waist line will thin down.
4) Organic living improves water quality! Not the most exciting reason... but I love water... and I want mine to be the best it can be. Rainfall landing on conventional crops will carry all of the chemicals with it, which in turn, will eventually end up in our water supply, into our hands with our water bottles, and into our bodies. Organic farms greatly prevent this from happening with their reduction of pesticides from the start. In the end, a much better solution for our health! It all ties in together...don't let anyone fool you!
5) Energy! Yes - it's a little more expensive. Yes - it's time consuming. Yes - it's frustrating at times. But I will argue that the increased energy is worth it. I never thought I would, but I actually crave vegetables and healthy fats during the day now because I know the effect they have on my life and on my health...and on my SLEEP. Sleep is great. When you choose organic foods, your metabolism operates at a much higher rate because of the reduced toxins in your body, healthy weight loss that is occurring, balanced level of hormones and more effective sleep patterns. All good things!
So, in a nutshell: eating organically has MANY benefits - those you will see both on and off the scale and in front of and away from the mirror. It's worth a shot at least in my opinion.
If you have been wanting to try it out for a while now, but are unsure where to start, no worries! I'll help you. We can conquer it together! Shoot me an email and we can get started. Keep your eyes peeled for more recipes soon!