We are lovers of food and as such, would prefer to use these pages to discuss delicious recipes and dining experiences with you. Alas, we need you to be an informed health-seeker, so we’d be remiss to keep mum on the topic of the sheer volume of toxins finding their way into your precious gut. Your body’s cells are literally constructed of the food you eat; it’s not hyperbole to say “you are what you eat”. We cannot emphasize enough that there’s no amount of support, whether it be from chiropractic adjustments or nutritional supplements, that can makeup for a bad diet. Most of you know that means if you’re going around eating a lot of sugar and processed and fast foods, it will ultimately be impossible to keep you healthy. Do you also know, though, that you need to concern yourself with the health-destroyers showing up in ostensibly health foods?
Let’s assume for the sake of argument, that you’re “eating clean” on a daily basis. All whole, minimally processed foods at each meal. Excellent job! We’re so proud. But now it’s time to look at next-level concerns here. Even our vegetables, fruits, meats, nuts, and seeds are insulted daily with a panoply of environmental toxins. We’ve got pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics, air pollution and water pollution in agricultural runoff. The denizens of industrial agriculture would have us believe that there just isn’t enough of the damaging elements of these things left in our food by the time we eat it, but they have no idea how much each person is consuming, or even how much there really was on and in the foods to begin with, so the old “the poison’s in the dose!” defense doesn’t hold any longer.
To avoid poisoning yourself with your “healthy” food we recommend considering the following things when you’re shopping for food. Remember, too, that you’re voting with your wallet! When you purchase food that really does allow you to claim you’re “eating clean” you’re sending a message. As more of the messages that we demand food that truly supports health are sent, the more of that food we’ll have access to, affordably.
- Was it grown organically? (This can be a budget-buster for some people. Helpfully, the Environmental Working Group maintains an annual Dirty Dozen/Clean 15 list to help you make smart organic vs. non-organic food purchases)
- Is it fairly local, or did it have to travel a long distance to get to me?
- Is it in season where I live? (this has a profound effect on the health of our microbiomes!)
- Was it grown using fair labor practices? (Ethically, this is certainly a good question, but we’ve found that cruel labor practices sometimes lead to deadly e-coli in our lettuces)
- If you’re buying animal products, what were they fed and how were they raised? (Does this become a budget issue as well? Always opt for quality over quantity!)
- Will I/we eat this before it goes bad? (Save your money; make a menu plan before you shop!)
Supporting local, organic farmers whenever you can will result not only in a healthier body for you and anyone you’re feeding, but in healthier, more connected communities in general! If you’re finding that your home if full of toxin-containing foods, remember that changing just one thing will make a difference. So, when you run out of something, replace it with a better version. Eventually, you’ll have all new and much healthier options at your fingertips!