organic ingredients
I think it’s very important to be conscious of what we are putting in our bodies. What we eat is essentially what makes us. Even if you don’t like cooking, it’s beneficial to know what the ingredients in your food are. All foods that I eat are organic. It’s my personal preference, because I think it’s better for my health and beneficial to the environment :)
Aside from eating only organic foods, it’s really important to me to scrutinize ingredients labels. For me, the less ingredients, the better! If I see any additives, preservatives, I will not buy the product. Often times there are “hidden” ingredients, that you discover only by looking at the ingredients labels. For example some products say “100% pure…” (fruit juice, tomato sauce, etc.) on the front of the packaging, but when you check the ingredient list on the back it has preservatives or other random ingredients added, that you wouldn’t have even thought of. It’s just important to be mindful of what products you’re buying and to be aware of what is actually in them. When I buy tomato sauce, I want the ingredients to be just organic tomatoes. Check out my post “Additives” for things to watch out for :)
What is organic food?
In the Oxford English Dictionary, organic food is defined as, “of food: produced without the use of artificial fertilizers, pesticides, or other artificial chemicals,” (oed.com) meaning that organic food is produced in a much more natural way compared to conventional agriculture. The truth is, unless you grow your own food, you can find pesticides, fertilizers, etc. in mass-produced organic foods, what is important is that organic farming does not add additional harmful chemicals. In other words, there are less chemicals added to organic foods than to conventional foods. Certified organic farmers are held to high standards, and need to comply with certain standards in order to keep their certification. “Organic producers use natural processes and materials when developing farming systems—these contribute to soil, crop and livestock nutrition, pest and weed management, attainment of production goals, and conservation of biological diversity” (usda.gov).
Sources:
oed.com. “Organic.” oed.com https://www.oed.com/viewdictionaryentry/Entry/132431. Web. Accessed 24 May 2020.
usda.gov. “Organic Practices Factsheet.” usda.gov https://www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/Organic%20Practices%20Factsheet.pdf. Web. Accessed 24 May 2020.