All Natural vs. Organic

Hello!


I don't know about you, but when I go to the grocery store, I get super overwhelmed when looking at all of the labels and not knowing the real difference between "All Natural" and "Organic." A few days ago, I gave a list of the top 10 things to always buy organic, but what about the rest of it? What about canned goods, cereal, etc? Do those things reallllllly matter if they are organic or not? Well for the longest time I struggled with not knowing what to buy between the two, so I thought I would research it out and see what I could find. 


As it turns out, it really does matter and it makes a huge difference. The definition of "Organic" refers to food grown without synthetic pesticides, insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, hormones, fertilizers or other synthetic or toxic substances. No artificial flavors or colors have been added. Organic food does not include foods that have been irradiated or Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). According to Webster's new world dictionary, the word "natural" means, "produced or existing in nature; not artificial." By that definition, anything derived from plants, animals or elements found on planet Earth could earn the "all natural" label. Sound a little bit different? Basically, they can't call it natural if a process has changed the ingredient to something that is no longer found in nature (corn vs. high fructose corn syrup). 


To break it down, "all natural" is simply a marketing ploy to sell their product. Do you really think "Natural" Cheetos are healthy for you? Or that they even contain different ingredients than the normal ones? Maybe, maybe not. The FDA does NOT require that food companies list the chemical contaminants found in their food so how will ever truly know? Food that is labeled "All Natural" can contain: pesticides, herbicides, toxic heavy metals, trace amounts of PCBs, toxic fluorides, hidden MSG, high-temperature cooking byproducts, synthetic chemical vitamins, or other non-natural substances. 


The more I research the more I yearn to live a completely organic, sustainable lifestyle. I hope you feel the same way too! Make wise decisions while buying your groceries, clothing, personal care products, and household products. Leave no room for toxic chemicals and take control of what happens to you and your family because unfortunately the government is not making that easy. While the other governments in the world are saying, "It hasn't been proven safe," the US government is saying, "It hasn't been proven dangerous." Just a little something to think about. Go organic and live green. 


Besos,


Courtney