My Obsession.....My Journey

**DISCLAIMER**
I am not a doctor, nor do I claim to be an expert in the following post in any way.  All I know is that I have spent hours in research over the following topic and I want to share with my family and friends what I have found!  Enjoy!

So I have begun a new journey....
I have always struggled with my with health....not in a "weight loss" kind of way...but it a "feeling good/healthy" kind of way.  Recently I began doing research on clean, natural, organic eating and living....and I AM SOLD!  Richard and I have been talking about it and he is also on board.  We have begun to realize how our diet and the food we put into our bodies truly effects everything we do.  As we researched, we were both scared and sickened by the reality of our food and what it is actually doing to us.  I am sure that there are skeptics out there and people who say "who cares we are all going to die"....but while we are here on this earth we have chose to be good stewards of the bodies that God has blessed us with (and feel great while doing it).

The first misconception that people have when they hear clean, natural, organic is.....WAY TO EXPENSIVE.  Can eating and living this way be expensive??  Yes but it doesn't have to be.  If nothing else, look at eating and living this way as a prevention to future medical bills.  This is a lifestyle, not a whim.  You will have to make meals from scratch, be more creative in your grocery shopping, look for friends who want to share the expense of a garden or the purchase of a cow from a local farmer.  There are ways to make this type of living and eating fit ANY budget!
ADVICE:  A friend recently told me that you have to figure out what is important and start there.  Don't try to change everything all at once...baby steps!

So...do I have you convinced yet?


Eating Organic:
 Definition:  Organic foods are made according to certain production standards. No pesticides, insecticides, antibiotics, hormones, or any other type of chemicals are used with growing or raising the product.  

The first step you should make is switching to organic when purchasing any of "The Dirty Dozen".  These are foods that when researched had the highest amount of pesticides and chemical residue on them.  (They are in order from greatest to least):

1.  Apples (including apple juice and apple sauce)
2.  Celery
3.  Strawberries
4.  Peaches
5.  Spinach
6.  Nectarines
7.  Grapes
8.  Sweet Bell Peppers
9.  Potatoes
10.  Blueberries
11.  Lettuce
12.  Collard Greens

*If you cannot find organic Strawberries or Nectarines.....Organic Pineapple is a great substitute.

If your budget allows there are a few other foods that you should consider switching to organic:

Meat  
  ***Say NO to meat that has had pesticides, synthetic growth hormones and antibiotics injected into it!  There is generally no pesticides found in beef muscle, it is injected into the fat. The same holds true for other meats.  Pork fat and chicken thighs have the most pesticide residue. Lean meat comes up clean.  So if you can't purchase meat directly from a farm and your grocery store does not sell organic meat....buy the leanest meat possible.
Eggs
Milk
Coffee (Fair Trade)
  ***If you are a Folgers brand coffee drinker.....BEWARE.....they are NOT fair trade.  Please consider spending a little more money and buy coffee from a fair trade company. 

Here is a guide to helping you while you are shopping: 

When you buy organic foods, look for the “USDA Organic” label. Only foods in the categories “100% organic” and “organic” may display the USDA Organic Seal. Other foods with varying levels of organic ingredients may be labeled as follows:

“100% Organic”

100% organic single ingredient such as a fruit, vegetable, meat, milk and cheese (excludes water and salt).

“Organic”

Multiple ingredient foods which are 95 to 100% organic.

“Made with organic ingredients”

70% of the ingredients are organic. Can appear on the front of package, naming the specific ingredients.

“Contains organic ingredients”

Contains less than 70% organic ingredients.

Check back in over the next several days as I blog about eating clean (yes there is a difference from organic), shopping for organic/clean products, websites, recipes and other great tools!