Healthy Eating Misconceptions: Organic Is Always Better

Eating healthy plays a huge role in maximizing your fitness level. Your body needs good clean fuel to operate at its best which is obtained through eating healthy foods that work with your body, not against it. There is a lot to learn and understand when it comes to healthy eating. In recent years the organic food market has been growing tremendously and many people believe that they only way to eat healthy is to eat organic. This is not the case; there are many things that go into calling something organic as opposed to things that are conventionally grown. Organic foods are given their name based on the way they are grown or raised. Animals and plants that are considered organic have to be farmed under very specific guidelines. These guidelines make them more environmentally friendly and sustainable. Harmful chemicals and artificial substances are not permitted in organic farming. A great deal of research is being done on conventional foods and organic foods and the nutritional benefits of things that are organically grown are not significantly different from those that are conventionally grown. In recent years the USDA has come up with a system that allows a farm to be certified organic through the USDA. When organic foods first entered the market there was no regulation on these items and any farm could throw an organic seal on their foods. With the USDA guidelines this has changed tremendously. There are also various levels of organic rating that a farm can obtain based off of how closely they follow the USDA organic guidelines. Foods that are grown conventionally tend to have more use of pesticides and other chemicals that help them grow to their max potential in a less natural way. This does not make them bad foods, just differently grown. At the end of the day all fruits and vegetables should be properly cleaned before eating them. Proper cleaning and preparation of foods will remove any chemicals that may have been used in the growing of those foods. As a consumer we see the biggest difference between organic and conventionally grown foods in the price tag. Organic foods tend to be much more expensive than their conventionally grown counterparts. It is okay to surpass the organic foods for the conventional ones. It is more important that you are putting good clean foods into your body for proper fueling. We want you to look and feel your best ever and clean eating is a big part of that, organic or not!