Is Organic Food Worth the Price?

Laura Lee

Jan 16, 2020

Admit it, how many plant-based, all-organic Instagram influencer accounts do you follow? It’s okay, this is a safe place to come clean. And, truthfully, we all do. How can one not be drawn to the colorful page of a beautiful, fit woman telling us what to eat, what to wear, how to live to look like her and to, most importantly, feel as good as she does. We all want to be healthy and happy, and some of these Instagram influencers swear by an all-organic diet. However much they praise the label, most of us don’t really know what organic really is. All we know is that its typically more expensive than the same food without the organic label. And we’re left wondering what makes organic food different and is it a better choice? Let’s dive in.

Variety of vegetables in farmers market in Ann Arbor

Via Unsplash

What does organic even mean? Organic is all about how the food item was created, prepared, and/or raised. When you buy organic, you’re guaranteed that there are no genetically modified ingredients, and no chemicals were used to kill bugs and weeds, and that all pesticides are natural instead of synthetic. Also, it means nothing was fertilized with sewage sludge, or exposed to radiation which some manufactures do to sterilize food. There can be no chemical food additives that some food has to stay fresh for an unnatural amount of time. When it comes to meat, it means that there were no hormones pumped in the animals.

There are some misconceptions, however, regarding organic. Organic doesn’t necessarily mean that the ingredients are nutritious. So for those who care about healthy foods (everyone) then its best to choose organic whole foods like fruits and vegetables. Also, try to ditch the packaged foods like organic max and cheese. If you do want that organic mac and cheese then check out the ingredients. If you can read all the ingredients then you’re on the right track.