Healthy B.P.M.

Once you make the commitment to eat healthy, plan on spending a little extra time at the grocery store. Signs are posted everywhere labeling food as natural, organic, and a number of other things—but what’s the difference, really? Learning the lingo can help you decide if you should shell out extra money on a product of it is simply a marketing ploy.

Natural is often marketing ploy to convince you to buy the product. I’ve even seen it associated with fresh fruits and vegetables. I have to assume that someone in the marketing department meant organic. After all, all fruits and vegetables are natural, right? Unless it’s a laboratory engineered one of a kind invention, and I’d think twice about that one.

Organic foods are grown without chemical pesticides and fertilizers. The land it’s grown on has to have been pesticide free for at least three years prior as well. The packing plants or processing plants also have to certified organic. There are two main benefits to organic foods. First, you are helping the environment because no chemicals are being introduced into the soil or air. Secondly, you are avoiding ingesting chemicals, which contributes to your health. However, organic products are usually more expensive. If you’re on a budget, skip over organic fruits and vegetables that you can peel, like oranges and bananas. After all, once you’ve discarded the peel, you’ve also discarded the chemicals. Instead, opt for organic items where you’d likely eat the peelings.

Another trend is for store brands to carry their own organic line of staples like oatmeal, dry cereals, popcorn and even salad dressings. Sometimes you can have too many choices. Overwhelming sets in and you just figure what the heck. Unhealthy eating was a lot simpler, but hang in there.

Another tricky label you will see is “no hormones.” This is usually in regards to milk or meat products and is false, since all animals naturally produce hormones. Hormones are what helps an animal (even a human) regulate body organs, reproduce, and otherwise function. All meat products have hormones. What the labels really mean is that no hormones were unnaturally given to the animal, which is sometimes done to increase milk production. Regardless of hormones, however, the milk and meat is safe for a person and not a violation of an animal’s rights.

Lastly, a label on eggs and meat can indicate if the animal was caged or penned. This is more a matter of animal rights. These products may be a bit more expensive, but if this is a cause you’d support, this is the way to go. Reading and deciphering the labels to make the healthiest and most economical choice can sometimes be time consuming. It all comes down to what you want. Don’t follow the crowd either way, do what’s right for you. You’re the one you really have to live with.