Organic Eating: How to Get Started

Eating organic food isn’t just a trendy dieting fad.  Many people like to buy organic so that they can cut down on pesticides used in food production, and sometimes GMOs (genetically modified organisms) as well.  If you’re interested in trying to organic food as much as you can, there are a few things to remember.

Understand What Organic Means

It’s important to understand the different definitions of organic.  In the US, organic crops have to be grown without synthetic pesticides and GMOs.  Livestock should be raised with outdoor access and mustn’t receive hormones or antibiotics.

Why Eat Organic?

The question of why you should eat organic food is an easy one to answer.  Laws on food safety and hygiene can be very different to the standards required in other places, such as the EU.  If you want to avoid pesticides or meat containing growth hormones for a healthier diet, organic food is the way to go.

Buying on Your Budget

One barrier to eating organic food is the cost of buying it.  It’s often more expensive. However, you can save money using a few methods.  These include visiting farmers’ markets, joining a food co-op, or joining a Community Supported Agriculture farm.  You can also grow your own if you have space.

Know Which Foods Have Most Pesticides

Get educated about how food is grown if you want to start eating organically. Some foods are more important to buy organic than others.  For example, strawberries tend to have a lot of pesticides, whereas avocados don’t.

Information Provided By AlgaeCal’s Dirty Dozen Infographic



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