Beyond Organic - Other healthy foods

Organic foods are a great source of healthy food that hasn’t been altered or been sucked dry of their nutritional potential. But organic isn’t your only choice for healthy foods. There are other options beyond it. Many farmers who wish to harvest better crops, who don’t want to go to the trouble of qualifying for organic accreditation, simply find new and improved ways to grow naturally. This can work in your benefit as well.

When making the choice between buying organic food and regular, most people opt for the regular, in due part to it being more economical and within budget. However, there is an alternative to organic, healthy food.

Grass Fed

If you opt for healthy foods or grass fed meats, you will be one more step closer to the healthy lifestyle you wish and it won’t break your wallet.

Grass fed is a simple term that distinguishes livestock fed on their natural Pasteur from livestock fed with grain and chemically induced supplements. With grass fed livestock you find a healthier animal then you do the supplement fed livestock. This negates having to give the livestock antibiotics and other drugs that end up in our meat, because they get sick less.

All Natural

All Natural, or naturally grown foods, are those that are grown with organic principles in mind. The guidelines for food to be certified organic are fairly strict, and can take some time to put in place. So many responsible farmers instead produce all natural food which is free of horomones, pesticides and other unnatural ingredients.

However, the label ‘all natural’ can be a bit misleading since its use isn’t regulated by the FDA. But steps have been taken to make the label more legit. There is now a new level of measurement for all natural healthy foods. Certified Naturally Grown is a new certification program that’s directed at farmers who sell locally and directly to consumers. The guidelines used for certification are drawn from the National Organic Program requirements for organic food.

The main factor to look for in your choice of healthy foods is the absence of the chemicals used to enhance the product. The chemicals and additives are what do the most damage to your body. They leave you feeling lethargic; they release properties into your system that leave you feeling hungrier. This in turn makes you eat more. They can also weaken your immune system which leaves you open to everyday illnesses.

People who eat healthy food have higher energy levels, get sick less and have boosted their metabolism enough to lose that excess weight they have been trying to part with.

Overall, whether it is organic or some other option that you choose to aide you in becoming a healthy eater, it would be a wise decision in the end. It has become a revolutionary way of thinking in the last few years and it would be beneficial to us all to join the cause.

Where to go: Food Co-ops and CSAs for Healthy Food

There is no doubt that going organic in your lifestyle can bring a renewed healthy outlook on your life. It has been accounted for rising energy levels, less health problems, and overall just feeling well. If you are looking to introduce organic products to your diet or simply find out more about it, there are some key places designated just for that. Co-ops, Natural food stores, CSA’s (Community Sponsored Agriculture), are located across the nation. They provide the product as well as the information. Here are a few examples of Co-ops, but these in no way cover all that there is.

1. Ozark Natural Foods Co-op, Fayettville, Arkansas
2. Rainbow Grocery Co-op, San Francisco, California
3. Valley Food Co-op, Alamosa, Colorado
4. Green Planet Co-op, Oakville, Connecticutt
5. Newark Natural Foods Co-op, Newark, Deleware
6. Sunseed Food Co-op Inc., Cape Canaveral, Florida
7. Daily Groceries Co-op, Athens Georgia
8. Boise Consumer Co-op, Boise Idaho
9. Montgomery Farms, Bell, Florida
10. Those Crazy Goat Ladies, Sibley, Iowa
11. Grant Family Farms, Wellington, Colorado
12. Homegrown & Healthy LLC, Glenrock, Wyoming
13. Agold Farms, Boerne, Texas

If none of the above listed food Co-ops or CSAs are in your area, any one of them would be able to provide you with other sources. If you are online, simply type the key words NOP Co-ops into your internet search engine. You could also try www.greenpeople.org/healthfood.htm which has more info on finding healthy food options and give extra resources on natural food stores.

Whether you choose organic, all natural or grass fed food options the most important part is that you are taking action to incorporate healthy foods into your diet. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed, but that’s a good sign that the information is becoming available and that there are now more healthy food options out there. So enjoy the goodness of food the way nature intended it to be.