Does "Organic" Really Matter?

FOOD LABELLING 101

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Short answer, yes.

BUT WHAT COMES FIRST?

What matters more is that you’re eating mostly real, whole foods with one ingredient (the food itself).

Food labelling should never be a barrier to entry for anyone wanting to eat healthier. Part of making healthy eating more accessible is understanding the foods that are most important to buy organic and which are fine to buy conventional. This allows us to put our money where it matters.

That being said, if you have the financial means to buy 100% organic, you absolutely should. Avoiding pesticides, antibiotics, and other harmful chemicals is a priority that falls right behind eating real food (more on this later). However, organic or not, if you do one thing, focus on eating whole, 1-ingredient foods and avoiding anything processed or packaged. Health doesn’t happen overnight, so if you’re on a budget, start with changing ingredients and cooking real food at home. Do most of your shopping in the outer aisles of the grocery store. A good general rule of thumb for avoiding processed food is “if it is a plant, you’re good; if it’s made in a plant, run”.

People often say “I don’t have money for organic”, or “I can't afford healthy food”. To that I would say, what is more expensive: a frozen pizza, or 6 apples? Buy real, unprocessed food and simple protein, and you won’t break the bank. You don’t need the almond flour crackers, the sea moss gel, the cassava tortillas, the spirulina, or other superfoods, tonics and tinctures for health to be attainable. Pick and choose what you purchase organic (much more on this later). Bring it BACK TO BASICS. In college, I had a monthly budget of $350 (including extracurriculars) but wanted to cook for myself instead of eating cafeteria food. I ate fruits, vegetables, nuts, hummus, salad, chicken, and steamed broccoli and brussels sprouts with butter and lemon pretty much every day. I’ve never been healthier or spent less money.

In this post, I break down what we want to avoid in food and why, common food labels, and how to settle the organic vs. conventional debate (and other opposing claims) once and for all.

FYI—THERE IS NO “SWITZERLAND” FOOD.