Ay, Ay, Ay! I have been avoiding doing this video for a very long time. I just don't like
those controversial videos. I like love and friendship and happiness. But it's
time for a bit of an educational rant because I just cannot take it anymore
and it's a range from people who think organic rice krispie treats are better
to thinking that you have to eat 100% organic to be healthy. Healthy is
relative term and organic might not fit into everyone's life style and that's ok.
So let's talk about a few myths. Now I could literally give you an essay on
each of these but I want to make it a digestible video so please if I miss a
note that you think is important
feel free to tactfully share it in the comments below. So first up is organic
food is pesticide free. If food is labeled 100% organic that means if it is meat,
eggs, or dairy it is free of antibiotics and growth hormones. If it is prouduce
it's grown with fertilizers and free of synthetic components and is non GMO. But
that doesn't mean that zero pesticides or herbicides are used or
that farms crops aren't exposed to pesticides even if its inadvertently. If
food is labeled with the USDA organic label then 95% of the ingredients must
be organic, not 100%, 95. So that other 5% could be sprayed with pesticides and
even the 95% could be sprayed with pest controls or chemicals that the USDA "approves of"
to be safe for humans even if they aren't safe for animals or bugs or
weeds. If the label is "made with organic ingredients" it only requires 70%
of the content to be organic. So a bag of corn chips could be made with
organic corn but non
organic oil. So about 25% of a chip is oil and that means it's still meets the
standard to say "made with organic ingredients". So you really do need to
understand the different labels if you're concerned with things being
organic. But do you need to be concerned? Now this video is not here to tell you
to not eat organic food or to eat organic food is just a debunk some of
the myths flying around and discuss what's really going on.
Organic food is expensive so if you choose to buy organic food make sure
that it's worth your wild. If organic food costed the same as conventionally grown food
sure, buy it organic! It isn't gonna hurt you but do you need it to be digging so deep in your wallet?
Maybe not. A few other myths: organic food is more nutritious. So actually there
isn't really much evidence showing that consuming organic food will lead to
improved health or lower risk of disease.
The occasional study here or there show that organic tomatoes have more vitamin
C or something like that but overall nutrients aren't particularly different and
the qualities that are different
don't factor much into the nutritional quality. The truth is that the loss of
nutrients is much more dependent on how long the produce is sitting out on the
shelf. Which for organic food can be a long time because a lot of organic food is transported for long
distances. Remember organic does not mean local and local does not mean organic.
Another myth: organic food is better for the environment. So yes obviously keeping
farmland free of pesticides is great but organic farming isn't as productive
as conventional farming. It requires way more land
to produce the same amount of food and many organic farms still do use some
pesticides if they can keep it under that 95% seal. Another one: organic food tastes
better. So most studies actually say no. Most people can't tell the
difference. I personally do notice a bit of a difference with a few things. So
berries, strawberries, spinach, tomatoes, those are things I can tell a difference
with but in all fairness it happened over time. When I was eating a diet that was
mostly made of processed food I couldn't tell the difference. Now that I eat a primarily
whole foods diet with a lot of fruits and vegetables my palate has adjusted a
bit and there are some organic pieces of produce that I can tell a difference
with but it depends on what it is and where you get it. That being said
remember that not all organic farms are the tiny local farms run by the
wonderful people that you encounter at your farmers market. There are many there are
huge and the conditions aren't really much better than the conventional farms. When
I'm at the store I personally try to go for local before I go for organic even
if the local food isn't certified organic it often is still grown with
organic conditions but the local places can't afford the certification. It's best
to ask where the produce is coming from like we talked about in my farmers
market video. I also try to go by "the clean 15" and "the dirty dozen" which are
lists that tell you which produce have the most or least pesticides. I will buy the
dirty dozen foods more often organic or local then I will the clean 15 and I will
link both of those lists in the description box below.
Now onto the real fun, processed organic foods.
So organic Oreos, organic rice krispie treats, organic Cheetos, organic
cereal, organic gummies... It's ALL CRAP! I hate to break it to you but organic doesn't mean healthy or even
less processed. An organic chip is just as processed as a non-organic chip. It has
just as many calories and fat as the non-organic chip but it costs three times
more. Nutritionally it is not doing anything for your body. Processed foods are
not fuel. Whether they are organic or not. So what am I trying to say? Don't
waste your money on organic processed snack foods and if you're thinking duhhhh
hear me out because studies show that most people do think that organic
cookies and snacks are healthier and less calories and fat. That's not how it works.
Organic doesn't mean anything when it comes to processed foods. If you're someone
who buys organic processed foods my advice to you stop worrying so much about organic
start trying to wean off of the processed snacks. If you wanna buy organic produce if it
makes you feel better go for it but don't convince yourself that the processed
organic snacks are any better for you. Remember they are not food as fuel
choices. If you really want to make efforts to be healthier consider trying
to get more whole foods into your daily diet. So I will conclude my rant there. Again
this is not an anti-organic video, it is simply an it is how it is video. We are
redefining health here and I think it's important that we get rid of the stigma
that you can't be healthy if you're not organic. It would be safer and easier
frankly for me to come on this channel and tell you to eat organic even if I
didn't believe it because I'd get less hate, but the truth is it's important for
me to tell you that I don't eat all organic food and that you don't need to
feel discouraged about your journey if you can't buy organic food because that's ok.
You're still doing a great job and your body appreciates your hard work and I
appreciate you and I love you. I hope you guys have a great wonderful fantastic day and
rest of your week and I will see you tomorrow for a very special collaboration video
so be sure to come back
you don't want to miss it. And remember it's all a matter of Mind Over Munch.