Organic food…. Is it worth the extra money? Will you get sick and diet if you don’t eat organic? Is any of the hype around it worth worrying about, at all?!
It’s Time To Put The Hype To Rest!
Ok, here’s the deal. Organic food is great, but it’s not the end of the world if you decide to eat an apple that wasn’t from an organic farm. In fact, in many cases it doesn’t even matter whether you shop for organic food or not – because they’re the exact same.
“The exact same?! What the hell are you talking about? It says organic on the package…”
Yeah I’m sure it does… And those “Naturally Flavored” Chicken In A Biscuit crackers are really a natural food. (Think about that for a second… Chicken, in a biscuit?!)
The truth is, you can get away with quite a bit in the food and supplement industry unfortunately. So you really have to be careful, because you can’t trust everything you read on the label.
Which brings me to point Numero Uno, in the organic debate:
KNOW YOUR BRANDS.
There are many brands out there that are now going organic, but it’s actually not much different from their regular food items. Many times it’s a piece of string or a little picket fence that’s separating their organic and non-organic crops… But when they’re spraying crops and produce down with pesticides and chemicals – the wind doesn’t stop blowing to make sure the organic crops stay dry. The chemicals easily pass over onto all the crops!
This is why knowing your brands is very key, because this way you can be sure to buy quality brands that are clearly and truly organic from the time the seed is planted til the time it hits the supermarket.
This may not be all of them, but here’s a small list of brands you can TRULY trust:
- Health Valley
- Green & Blacks
- Cascadian Farms
- Flying Pigs Farm
- Organic Valley
- Purity Organic
- Applegate Farms
- Stoneyfield Farms
- Milk Thistle Farm
- Horizon Organic
Again, there are likely other organic brands out there that are either not on this list or that are great for you and are just not certified organic. That’s where this next part comes into play…
LOCALLY GROWN
Unfortunately you need to do some work in order to get certified as an organic brand or food item, so many brands do not go through that process but are still great sources of pesticide and chemical free foods.
Well, usually they’re not really “Brands” – They’re just farmers and ranchers. Local farmers and ranches are a great place to get quality food and meats, in fact some will argue that they’re even better than store bought organic companies. The reason why is simple, they’re sourced right next to where you’re located at and that means one major thing…
They do not travel across the country or world in a truck, plane or train to get to your kitchen!
There are truckloads of produce and meat that get shipped worldwide and at the end of the day, organic or not they have the opportunity to get contaminated by bugs, bacteria, and more. So sometimes it’s less about it being organic and more about it being close to home.
So in my personal opinion and knowledge from the research I’ve studied – it can be even better to buy local, if possible. If you have farmers markets in your community, go to them and do your best to buy produce there instead of the grocery store.
When it comes to meat, this is even better! Most local butchers could tell you exactly where the cow is from, what it was fed, and probably its name too! Not only is locally sourced meat better for us, it tastes 2x better as well.
So when it comes to going organic, my suggestion is that you try and go local first.
But let’s talk fat loss or muscle gain, because many of you read my blog to change your body composition vs. just get healthy. Does going organic matter at all when it comes to changing how your body looks?!
CALORIES MATTER
Look, in an indirect way health absolutely matters. If you’re eating better quality and sourced food, your body will absorb and digest nutrients much better and that alone will directly impact the way your body burns fat and builds muscle.
But we also need to be fully aware that calories matter and it won’t matter how much organic and locally sourced food we consume, if we’re overeating we’re overeating. And when we overeat, we get fat. Period.
As unfortunate as this is, it’s science and we cannot debunk it.
Because in my personal opinion and preference, I’d much rather eat twice as much and only consume organic if it meant I wouldn’t get fat!
With all that being said, it’s important to shop organic with what matters and to not stress about what doesn’t matter. An all or nothing mentality with this stuff will not produce the results you’re searching for.
If you decide to only eat organic or not at all, you will likely say “F#ck it!” and end up going on a food bender all weekend the second you fall off the organic bandwagon. And for that exact reason, it’s important to just focus on doing the best you personally can to eat organic.
The biggest takeaway here is simple… Quantity and Quality both matter, tremendously, if you want to drastically change your body composition. There just is no way around it.
If you’re stuck in either spectrum, but specifically in the calories and macro’s department, and you want a specifically prescribed nutrition plan for you – Click Here Now and Apply for a Strategy Call. We’ll break down your personal goal(s), the specific roadblocks holding you back, and exactly how we can get you to the end result.
“EAT THIS, DON’T STRESS ABOUT THAT”
We’ve broken down each important aspect getting into this topic, now comes the application of it all!
See it’s important to relax and stay calm when reading all this, because we absolutely know you will not have a heart attack by eating oatmeal that’s not certified organic.
But we do have evidence to prove that the less pesticides on the food you consume, the healthier you will be and potentially less risk you will be taking – For that reason, we should practice a 50/50 balance (AT LEAST). This is life we’re talking about here and I don’t know if you’ve realized, but we only get one…. Uno… Singular… This is the only. For me, that’s more than enough to treat my body as well as possible.
So here is the table-chart for you to follow, take to the grocery store with you, or just memorize, so that you can know exactly what to eat organic and what to not stress too much about (unless you can afford to buy it all organic/local, of course).
EAT ORGANIC |
DON’T STRESS IT |
HERE’S WHY |
|
Red Meat
|
White Meat |
A lot of the chemicals, pesticides, and hormones injected into produce and animals bind to fat cells – for this reason, fattier meat may be more harmful when not local, grass fed and/or organic. |
|
Fatty Fish
|
White/Lean Fish |
Same ruling here applies, fatty fish has a higher likelihood of getting contaminated and for that reason – it’s smart to buy fatty fish like salmon wild caught. |
|
Eggs
|
Egg Whites |
Notice a pattern here? Eggs are a higher fat food, when the yolk is still attached and being consumed. It’s also where 95% of the nutrients, vitamins and minerals are located. So when consuming eggs, it’s crucial to be buying cage free, organic, and non-soy/corn fed. |
|
Dairy
|
Dairy can be a very nutritious food, it’s filled with tons of healthy nutrients our bodies need. In fact, it wasn’t until the massive amounts of processing and filthy farming came around that the increase of lactose intolerance swept the nation. Many people I’ve worked with claimed to be intolerant to dairy and when we try REAL quality organic dairy, they were absolutely fine. I highly suggest shopping organic and minimally processed when buying dairy (check the ingredients, shouldn’t be a paragraph long!). |
|
|
Skinless Fruit
|
Fruit With A Skin/Shell | This one may not be surprising at all… The skin helps protect the fruit from bugs, pesticides, chemicals, etc… So when shopping for fruit, buy fruit that does not have a skin or shell organic and for the fruits that do have a skin or shell, don’t stress it – just wash it! |
|
Grass-Fed Butter
|
This one is key for multiple reasons; one being that it’s a high fat food. But it’s also filled with tons of nutrients and those nutrients are going to be higher in a less processed version of this food. The more processing, the less likely nutrients will be to stick around. Add to that, the digestion and absorption you’ll experience will be better when this is organic and grass-fed. |
|
|
Skinless Veggies
|
Veggies With A Skin/Shell |
Same exact concept as the fruit, because when the veggie itself does not have a skin or shell – it is more likely to be contaminated or damaged. |
| Coffee
|
Coffee is the number one highest pesticide sprayed crop in the world. So that’s why this should be organic! Coffee has a ton of nutrients inside it and we want real, raw, and organic versions of it! |
