Rebalancing your hormones is incredibly important to being and feeling healthy again. In the last episode, we talked about chemicals in the home, now let’s talk about what to buy at the grocery store. This topic really comes down to two main options – organic or non-organic. Let’s talk about your options…
Listen to the episode:
The Cons of Non-Organic Food
Non-organic foods can have many different pesticides, herbicides, and other chemicals on them. Though the USDA and FDA have mandated that the amounts of chemicals used must be below a toxic level, there are three problems with this…
One: if every food you eat has chemicals on it, at the end of the day, you’ve probably consumed enough chemicals to be way above the “safe” levels.
Two: there has been little to no research on how a chemical used on one food interacts with a chemical used on a different food. It might be that these man-made chemicals are more dangerous when eaten together.
Three: as I’ve said over and over, we don’t understand the detriments of altering the natural, God-given design of things in nature. It often takes 50+ years to see in the research if one chemical is dangerous in the long-term. Many of the man-made chemicals used over 50 years ago have been since banned because of their long-term health detriments, like cancer and birth defects.
So, the best thing we can do to protect our health and our family’s health is to buy foods from the grocery store that have lower amounts of chemicals.
The Difference Between Non-Organic Foods and Organic Foods
This is what brings me to organic foods. Organic foods that have been certified by the USDA are supposed to be grown or raised using (more) natural pesticides and herbicides. However, I’m afraid that most who use the organic label don’t fully understand why, so they often end up replacing chemicals that have been deemed harmful with ones that haven’t been deemed harmful (most likely yet). Just because something is labeled “plant-derived” or “plant-based” doesn’t mean it’s safe. Now, though organic foods may replace one man-made chemical for another, they still typically have fewer chemicals on them than non-organic foods.
What to Buy at the Grocery Store
Now that you understand why organic foods tend to be safer than non-organic, let’s talk about what to buy at the grocery store. I recommend buying minimally-processed organic food, as financially able, in place of non-organic food. Organic for the reasons we just talked about, and minimally processed because the less processed a food is, the closer it is to its natural design. Make sure you buy from companies you trust, too, because a label doesn’t mean the company is trustworthy.
How to Switch to Organic
A good place to start when switching to organic is to replace your staples, as able. Grab your health journal with your list from last week’s episode and make a new list of foods in your fridge, freezer, and pantry right now that you can’t live without. Starting with one food item on your list, ask yourself – how can I make this one item healthier?
For my family, milk is a huge staple. I asked myself how can I make our 2% non-organic milk better, did some research, and switched to organic whole milk. Recently, I’ve come back to our milk and asked the same question – can I make it any healthier? Now we’re drinking raw milk when we can get it and have money in the budget for it and supplementing with organic whole milk as needed. I recommend doing this with your food staples – doing the research, and replacing them – before moving on to the foods you eat less often.
In the Overwhelm…
I want to encourage you a bit here. This process can be extremely overwhelming when you first start out. Just focus on what you can do and make one change at a time. One of my favorite quotes that I tell myself when I start getting overwhelmed is from Elizabeth Elliot – “Just do the next thing.” I’m also reminded of what Jesus says in Matthew 6:34, “So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
I‘m going to end on that positive note – don’t stress out about the changes you feel the need to make. You’ve been living around chemicals your whole life and have survived. Your health may be suffering from it, but if you start limiting your exposure, then you’re already doing better today than yesterday. God will sustain you, so in those times of overwhelm, remember – just do the next thing. You’ve got this!
Resources
I have some resources for you on the blog for this episode. One is the Environmental Working Group’s lists of produce with the most and least amounts of chemicals on them. Another is where you can get access to the list of foods I’m working on improving in our house. (Subscribe to my email below to get my list.) And lastly, an article I wrote giving you the sides for and against organic and non-organic foods. That way you can decide for yourself what to buy and eat.
[convertkit form=2199132]
That’s all for this episode! Remember, just do the next thing. “See” you in the next episode!
Other Resources
Want to learn more about how to eat and live according to God’s design? Subscribe to my podcast on Podbean, Apple, Google, or Stitcher.
Ready to start working on your hormone health but don’t know where to start? Consider working with me, then, and I will help you do just that!