A Follow-up to "Fueled by Fiber"
What's the hype?
Is buying organic really necessary?
Ever heard of the "DIRTY DOZEN?"
Keep reading for Dr. Plumser's thoughts.
A few weeks back, I talked about fiber – what it is, where it can be found and the best ways to incorporate it into your diet – naturally, and without supplements. In this post, one of the things I touched on was organic food. At the time, I asked you to think about this statement…many of my patients and wellness clients don’t want to spend the extra money or claim that purchasing organic is a “splurge.” Yet, when we dive deeper, I find that they have an inventory of supplements at home.
Again, let’s consider this…Purchasing organic foods will cost, on average, $16 more per month than lower quality foods. Supplements, including the veggie capsules, will cost up to $100 per month.
Now, I’m not saying you need to purchase everything organic or that you should toss all your non-organic produce in the trash. But…what if I told you that by purchasing the organic variety of a few key items you could improve your health and reduce your reliance on those same supplements. What if I told you that the supplements would become the “splurge?”
IF YOU WANT TO GIVE IT A TRY, WE ALL NEED TO START SOMEWHERE.
Each year, there is a refreshed list of produce considered to be “dirty” – meaning farmers require more pesticides to produce them OR “clean” – meaning farmers require the least amount of pesticides to treat them. This list ranks the amount of pesticides in 48 popular fruits and vegetables, and it’s based on thousands of samples consolidated by both the FDA and the US Department of Agriculture.
In previous posts, I’ve talked about the presence of some toxins, like arsenic, in the body and the impacts it can have on your body. Starting to replace some of your diet with organic foods will help you to naturally start to detox your organs and reduce levels of toxins in your body.
If you don’t want to blow your grocery budget but want to try it out, I suggest that you focus on organic meats, plus the organic version of the “dirty” produce.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
Try purchasing organic chicken and organic, grass-fed beef (we can talk about grass-fed at another time).
For produce, start buying organic for the 12 items identified by the recent survey: strawberries, spinach, kale, nectarines, apples, grapes, peaches, cherries, pears, tomatoes, celery, potatoes
You can continue to purchase non-organic for common items with typically lower levels of pesticides, including avocado, onions, pineapple, asparagus, broccoli and cauliflower
In summary, I do believe that investing in organic foods can be an investment in your health and longevity. As part of our wellness programs, we test our clients for levels of toxins in the body and help them to get back on track, both through personalized detoxification programs and custom nutrition support.
If you're interested in learning more about our customized nutrition and wellness plans, please give us a call at (732) 254 - 1003 or join one of our upcoming webinars (https://www.eliteintegrativehealthcare.com/signup)