I heard today on a David Wolfe talk that to get the vitamin C in ONE wild orange you would have to eat 10 organic oranges, or TWENTY conventional oranges. Now that's a difference!!

New Vegetarian and Natural Health NVNH (Australia's leading vegetarian magazine) had a study published in it a couple of years ago that showed vitamin and mineral contents of some common foods. It was startling. In some cases specific vitamins tested 20 times more in organic vs conventional. So really it's not just fewer chemicals we pay for... it's also for massively more nutrients (assuming you can get decent fresh organic produce) and also supporting people who care for our environment.

Where you can it's great to get organic. Foods that test higher in chemicals are greens, berries, grapes and stone fruit (because it's so delicate). Foods like lettuce and celery are so high because the chemicals sprayed get caught and dry out in crevices between leaves and are concentrated. Same for broccoli.

We find here that organic in regular supermakets is very expensive, however there's an all organic farmers market each Sunday we do our shopping at (Gold Coast Organic Market at the Miami High School (Australia) from 6-10:30 each Sunday for those of you that live near here). When I lived in Toronto Canada I found an organic market each Saturday just north of the city in a primary School (a Waldorf school I think). When you're able to buy direct the price is cheaper, and the food is often a couple of weeks fresher. Many main cities also offer organic box delivery with a mixed assortment of fruits and veggies delivered each week (a selection of what's in season). These boxes are a great way to increase your consumption of organic for a really reasonable price. Organic food at our market is often CHEAPER than conventional at regular grocery stores, and we get to know the people that grow our food. I LOVE it!!! It's a good social time to meet up with friends too.

What most important is that we're conscious of the quality of food we eat, and do our best to eat the healthier we can and still enjoy it!

Happy eating!
Sheryl