Okay, let's talk about the term organic. I'm sure you've heard that term. And let's see what that means and why it's better for our health, and the health of our planet, to buy organic foods whenever we can. Now, sometimes you might see the word natural on foods that you buy in a supermarket. And this term natural can actually be pretty misleading. Because it's not very specific and they aren't many regulations around what can be called natural. But organic means something very specific, especially when we're talking about fruits and vegetables. It's a term that's certified by the government, by the USDA, or the United States Department or Agriculture. For fruits and vegetables organic means that the crops were, were grown without any synthetic pesticides or fertilizers and that they don't involve genetically modified organisms. Pesticides and fertilizers are used to help us grow large amounts of food to feed lots of people, but in the way in which we're using them they're having serious environmental and health impacts. Fertilizes and pesticides are made from fossil fuels, meaning that they release greenhouse gases into our environment. Often, farmers will also put on much more fertilizer than plants actually need and this can be very dangerous because the extra fertilizer runs off into rivers and streams and eventually ends up in our lakes and in the ocean. You might think that the idea of extra nutrients in the water is, is a good thing, but it can actually be very harmful because it creates areas called dead zones where there's not enough oxygen to support marine life. Now when farmers apply too many pesticides, this can also be really harmful. Because pesticides, in large doses, can lead to something called pesticide resistance. Okay, so what does that mean? Well, pesticides usually will kill off the majority of pests in any given population of pests. But the few who are able to survive, if these guys continue to reproduce, then over many generations, the results will be, the emergence of something called superbugs. And this can mean serious trouble for us. Now because organic farming doesn't use any of these aggressive synthetic pesticides or fertilizers, we don't see the same kind of bad side effects. Okay, so we've seen why organic is better for the environment, but what about Why it's better for people? Firstly, organic farming methods protect the people who are working on the farms. Farm workers are regularly exposed to pesticides. And in the short term this can result in, toxicity or poisoning. And in the long term it can cause diseases like cancer, it can cause birth defects, and even learning disabilities. So organically-grown fruits and vegetables are free of these toxic pesticides. Not only do they protect the farm workers, but we're also not at risk for consuming pesticide residues with the food that we eat. What about the phrase locally grown? You might have heard that phrase as well. What does that mean and why is it something that we should be looking for if, if at all possible when we're shopping? So there are different definitions of local or locally grown and it ranges from foods that are grown within a hundred miles to within 400 miles. But basically, the closer you can get to your own kitchen garden, no matter how small that garden is, the better. You can get local foods either at a farmer's market, some grocery stores will carry local produce and they'll label it and tell you where its grown. And in contrast to that, when we buy, for example, fruit that's not in season in our part of the world, that fruit is often flown in from far away, and it brings with it a sort of a downside. So let's talk now about why local food is better. Firstly, local food helps support your local economy, especially when you buy it at, for example, a farmers' market. The money you spend on local food stays within your community, instead of going to support large corporations in other cities or states or even other countries. Secondly, local foods are fresher because we take less time to get to you. Locally grown foods also usually have a lower carbon footprint because they've traveled a shorter distance from the farm to your fork. Also, when we transport and store food for long periods of time the, the nutrient content, so the, the amount of vitamins in that food, especially when it's fresh produce, is reduced. So the less transport and storage the better. Many people also say that buying food at the farmer's market actually gives them produce that tastes better. So a lot of people say that this farmer's market produce just tastes fresher and is more enjoyable to eat. And we have to remember that buying local doesn't have to mean spending more. When you buy local food that's in season, it's often the same price or cheaper than what you would pay at a grocery store. So the take home message is really, we need to do the best we can with the resources that are available to us. Whenever possible buy organic, if possible by locally grown or plant a small kitchen garden, even better. And in general that will result in foods that are not only better for us but better for our planet as well.
