Chef Alain

I have been promoting organics since before it was cool to do so. Back in the early 1980's, I ran a small health food shop in beautiful Montréal. Natural products were not as readily available as they are now, we got a lot of our inventory from California, where organics were already making strong inroads. Now, organics are everywhere, so go ahead and buy these for your family. They are so much better than the regular stuff. 

Here are the top 10 reasons why you should buy organic and locally grown:

2. It's healthy

Many people tend to view organics as a matter of what they do not contain (pesticides and such), but organics are equally about what they DO contain. Organics are grown using traditional farming techniques, which involve - amongst other things - rotating the plots so to avoid growing the same vegetables in the same area year after year, which depletes the soil of its nutrients. Each food absorbs different nutrients from the soil. When the same food is growth in the same place, that nutrient gets depleted, and you end up having to resort fertilizers. In organic agriculture, rotating the land and resting the land, allows the soil to replenish itself naturally, so it's ready to grow mega nutritious food the next time around. 

3. No nasty additives

When it comes to processed foods, organic certification includes the avoidance of many additives (for instance artificial flavours, colours, sweeteners etc.). So when you buy organic, you're not only buying clean and nutritious food, you're also avoiding things you didn't want to buy in the first place.

4. Avoids pesticides

This is the most commonly known reason for buying organics. Organic agriculture means farmers must not use artificial pesticides, herbicides, insecticides and such. Instead, they use age-old knowledge such as using the different plant's built-in defenses against bugs, planting these nearby, to give other plants a chance to grow without being chewed up by bugs.

5. GMO-free

Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) are not allowed under organic standards. This is one of the most important yet least known reason to buy organics. GMOs are foods that have been genetically modified to be more resistant to bugs, to grown faster and easier and ultimately, to produce higher yield. Avoid GMOs by buying organic. Let's make sure our food remains healthy and wholesome the way it was created in the first place.

6. Reliance on drugs removed

The addition of growth hormones, antibiotics and other drugs is standard practice in animal food farming. These have been linked over and over again to an impressive host of human disease. organic meats and dairy do not contain such drugs.

7. No hidden costs

There was a time organics cost more. And some organics still do. But the gap is closing. Organics are now very competitive with conventional foods, but look at how much more you get! When you buy organics, you get what you wanted to buy in the first place. You,re not buying hidden pesticides, insecticides, drugs and additives.

8. High standards

Organic food comes from trusted sources. Be sure to look for certification symbols on your organic foods. There are a number of certifying bodies and you can spend a lot of time learning about this. But the bottom line is look for some kind of stamp, logo, symbol, that shows you that the food in question is certified.

9. Care for animals

Organic farming even considers animal welfare. Vegans and vegetarians reject the concept of eating animal foods altogether. But if you do eat animal products, isn't it nice to know that the abuses of the conventional animal farming industry are not taking place in organic agriculture?

10. Good for wildlife and the environment

Oh gee. If you're not convinced by now, think of the planet we live on. Buying local (less transportation) and organic agriculture is THE ticket to help our planet heal itself of the abuses of the past.

Be sure to try some of the adjacent links to visit some of my organic supporting friend's websites.