Dr Josh Axe tells it like it is. He advises which food to prioritise if you really can’t afford to buy everything organic, and suggests how to stretch your budget to incorporate organic foods.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmHtPFMhMX0

If you eat meat and dairy (cheese, yogurt, milk, butter) always, always make sure they are organic. The reason for this is bio-accumulation. In short, pesticide residues accumulate in animals. So if a cow is fed tons of grains sprayed with pesticides, those toxic residues will accumulate in ever increasing amounts in its body. That toxic load is then passed onto you when you consume meat or dairy products from that cow. Over time your body has to store increasing amounts of toxins which, says Dr Axe, will ultimately lead to disease and health problems.

Later on in the clip, Dr Axe draws attention to EWG’s ‘Clean 15’ and ‘Dirty Dozen’. These are the fruit and vegetables that have the lowest and highest levels of pesticides. For the complete list go to EWG’s web site. The list is worth memorising or printing so that when your buying your produce, you know the difference between organic must-have’s and nice-to-have’s.

Seemingly Dr Axe has little patience with most people who say they can’t afford to eat organic food. If you drink coffee from Starbuck’s or Costa’s, or eat takeaway burgers and chips, use those pounds/dollars/euros to increase your budget for organic foods.

Other tips from Dr Axe to stretch your organic budget include:

  • Buy organic food in bulk where you can.
  • Visit farmer’s markets. Not only will they have organic produce, but it will be locally sourced making it fresher and more nutritious.
  • Set yourself a budget, and work within it. You may have to forego organic versions of higher priced luxury items like sun dried tomatoes or pine nuts. Spend wisely.

Dr Axe talks about the effects of pesticides on human health and mentions increased cancer risk and behavioural issues like ADHD in children. There are many others which he doesn’t mention, but these two are bad enough anyway. Many pesticides are neurotoxins, toxic to the human brain.

It’s not difficult to source organic food any more. It’s everywhere. There really is little excuse for not looking after your health and your planet by living and buying organic. The benefits of an organic diet outweigh by far the few extra pence or cents you may have to spend. Think upon it.

Filed under: Organic Lifestyle

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