Organic Vs. Inorganic

Do you know what are are eating?

or·gan·ic /adjective [.relating to or derived from living matter.]

In 2018 it seems like everything in the grocery store has an "organic" or "gluten free" label plastered on it. We wonder around the store and wonder 'how the F can a moisturizer be organic?!" Unfortunately the standard to qualify products as 'organic' have become far less strict. However when it comes to food.. the most common choice of organic vs inorganic what is the real difference?

First off, when you are comparing two veggies one of organic and one of inorganic there will be many differences. Size is usually the first striking feature, price being the second. Organic is always more expensive for what seems like less of a product. Any logical person can connect the dots that organic is more expensive because it is organic.. the process from soil to store is a lot longer and requires more care therefore the price for consumers needs to reflect the extra work. This leads me to my second point.. why are the veggies and fruits so much smaller when they are organic? Really, what is organic?!

'Organic food is the product of a farming system which avoids the use of man-made fertilizers, pesticides; growth regulators and livestock feed additives. Irradiation and the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) or products produced from or by GMOs are generally prohibited by organic legislation.

That is the most simple way to put into words what organic food really is. All the visual differences between organic and inorganic can be explained right in that synopsis. Organic food is grown wholesomely. The size difference is from the use or therefore lack of growth regulators. The size of fruits/veggies in the inorganic sections are HUGE.. have you ever grown strawberries in your backyard? They never look like the ones in the grocery store no matter how much you water them. But if you are never exposed to the difference in sizes you assume the huge grocery store strawberries are 'normal' Likewise for any inorganic produce in the store, everything is oversized. I call it the 'more bang for your buck' size.

Here is some food for thought (pun intended), your conventional head of broccoli by the time it makes it to the shelf has 33 pesticide residues on it with 5 being carcinogens, 6 are neurotoxins and 15 disrupt hormone balances in your body. A standard head of broccoli has no significant size difference to an organic head of broccoli. Simple switch buy organic. Organic broccoli is not exposed to any of those pesticides in fact if it were to come in contact with any of them it would no longer be considered organic.

Carcinogens: a substance capable of causing cancer in living tissue.

Neurotoxins: a poison that acts on the nervous system.

Hormone Disruption: Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDC) are compounds that alter the normal functioning of the endocrine system of both wildlife and humans.

All these fun little guys show up on your everyday fruits and veggies. But did you know that rinsing fruit and vegetables under water only helps rid the food items of soil, microorganisms and potential human pathogens such as e.coli, listeria and salmonella, according to Sanja Ilic, an assistant professor and food safety specialist at Ohio State University. So you are not ridding your produce of any of the pesticides sprayed on them - they are insoluble to water.

We as consumers have incredible purchasing power. Every time you buy something from anywhere you are invisibility voting "yes" to that product. Yes, I want more shirts this style in the store. Yes, I want late night movie times to stick around because that works best for me. Yes, I want GMO, pesticide infected, growth hormone injected strawberries at the store or Yes, I want simple, wholesome, pesticide free strawberries at my disposal. Look at the phenomenon of fidget spinners - at first it was impossible to find one but after enough people purchased them you could be walking through a bedding store and at the cash register you could buy a fidget spinner. We as consumers said "yes, I like this toy and I want this toy" and businesses responded flooding the market with fidget spinners. Every time you purchase organic you are saying you value your health or at the very least you are educated enough to understand organic is the healthier choice. Therefore organic produce sections have been expanding. Organic farms in general have increased by 67% across Canada since 2006 because we as consumers have made the decision that we want our food to be clean.

To tie this up, when you choose organic not only can you be certain you are getting the closest thing to garden grown produce possible you are also choosing a healthier body and brain. Overtime the effects of the pesticides although "controlled" from veggie to veggie will gather in your body from constant consumption and begin showing up in your overall health.

I choose organic because I understand my purchasing power. I choose organic because I support the natural growing process & I prefer quality over quantity. But ultimately I choose organic because I choose my health. We are exposed everywhere to toxins we cannot control but you have control over your groceries therefore you have control over what toxins, pesticides or bi-product enters your body. Educate yourself, understand why there is a different section in the first place. Sure your grocery bill will be more expensive by choosing the organic product but when it comes down to overall health and performance can you really put a price on that?

- Ash