September is national "Organic" month. This is a time to think about the produce we are eating, making sure its the healthiest versions we can have.
In this week's "Your Best Life" Leslie Draffin speaks with Natural Grocers Nutritional Health Coach, Helena Linzy to find out the health benefits of going organic.
"Going organic means choosing to buy foods that are grown without the use of chemical pesticides” Linzy said. “And this doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to eat a diet that is 100% organic.” Shes says researchers have found that following a diet that is 80 percent organic can reduce pesticide consumption drastically.
There are many other benefits when switching over to a more organic diet as well.
“Plants produce these wonderful nutrients known as phytonutrients to defend themselves against stressors like UV rays and pests. However, conventional produce is artificially protected from these stressors through the use of pesticides” Linzy said. “They support health is by supporting healthy levels of inflammation throughout the body and this, believe it or not, is essential for overall health in general.”
Linzy said eating organic also supports the health of our environment. “Organic farming uses regenerative and sustainable farming methods and this supports the health of our soil. And when soil is healthy, it is able to sequester more carbon dioxide so that it is not present in the atmosphere.”
Linzy said there are certain foods that should always be eaten organic such as strawberries, spinach, and tomatoes. This is according to the 2019 Environmental Working Group's 2019 Dirty Dozen List.
“At Natural Grocers we believe so firmly in the importance of organic produce that we ONLY sell 100% organic produce and therefore, you don’t have to worry about the risk of cross contamination or spend time trying to figure out what produce is organic” Linzy said.
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