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From supporting a biologically diverse, healthy environment to limiting the toxic and long-lasting chemicals in our surroundings, there’s no shortage of reasons to buy organic. Take a look at our top reasons for choosing organic.
Why do you choose to buy organic?
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I buy organic for my son Noah and myself to honor his love of the earth and my own, and to nurture our health as we nurture the health of the earth. From the farmers and laborers who work the soil, whose health is precious to us, to the animals who sojourn alongside us in our journey through life, I see a continuum of sacred beings who need and deserve soil, water and air that will sustain them, rather than poison them. Noah, at 7, is a dedicated environmental activist, and he does this in a range of ways: by testifying on behalf of “green” legislation, by using the wonderful Laptop Lunch system for school lunches (eliminating any need for plastic or paper bags), by being mainly vegan, by recycling, and in many other ways – most of all, simply by approaching the natural world each day with a loving heart. For myself, organic is also a survival mechanism. As a graduate of the “Breast Cancer School of Health Awarness”, I am simply not willing to introduce toxins into my body. My child needs me to be as healthy as I can be. Why organic? Good heavens, why on earth not?
August 29th, 2007 at 8:22 am
I am a cancer survivor and shopping at Whole Foods helps my well being.
August 30th, 2007 at 7:00 am
The reason I choose organic is that as a Cancer survivor, one thing I have learned is that it is extremely important to try to keep the body as alkalinized as possible, and to not feed the Cancer. Juicing produce, whether it be veggies of fruit gives important nutrients to the body that help fight toxins, and get rid of free radicals. However, if you juice with non-organic, you are also juicing the pesticides along with it and these are poisionous.
Saluca
August 30th, 2007 at 7:01 am
I have many reasons to give my family organic food but one of them is they either do not have any kind of anabolic or hormones that can alter the biochemical balance of our organism, critic for the healthy and normal growth of the children.
Aurora, Framingham Ma.
August 30th, 2007 at 7:08 am
I suggest to all my friends how food is so important to their well being. I invite them to dinner and then they are convinced that it is worth the trip to shop at Whole Foods.
August 30th, 2007 at 7:13 am
I have always searched for organic foods when possible.I appreciate the outstanding quality and taste of organic and the assurance of knowing that the product does not contain any harmfultoxins for my body.
Thanks to Whole Foods making healthy choices is easy.
August 30th, 2007 at 7:50 am
I love thinking about all of the pollinators buzzing around flowering crops in a state of euphoria. I watch this in my own organic garden and it gives me a sense of wonder and hope.
August 30th, 2007 at 8:28 am
Why do I chose organic? Organic farmer’s and farming practices treat the Earth’s soil with respect. We all used to love to play in dirt when we were kids; making mudpies, mudwrestling, planting seeds and watching them grow. I’m a grown-up kid and I still occasionally play in the dirt, and if my husband and I ever have children down the road, I want my children to play in beautifully dark brown soil that doesn’t contain pesticides and other scary things.
August 30th, 2007 at 8:39 am
I buy organic because I know in my head and heart that it will contribute to my overall well-being. I would rather pay a little bit more for organics than pay for medicine or a trip to the Doctor.
I am much more selective in my purchases and have decreased what I throw away . I thoroughly enjoy the Whole Foods experience and don’t consider it only food shopping, the employees are all friendly, interesting and engaging and the array of foods are superb and interesting.
August 30th, 2007 at 8:42 am
I choose organic milk because I believe that that regular milk contains hormones that stimulate/prolong lactation in cows. These naturally are hormones that can affect us in deleterious ways and may contribute to breat and prostate cancer.
August 30th, 2007 at 9:37 am
Why did I go organic? I went organic in several different ways. First I fell in love with the taste of some Organic Potatoes sold at Whole Foods, then I found out that many organic foods are grown right here in Pennsylvania. That means less gas used to transport the food. It just tastes great to me. It also is helping me with my Cholesterol, by bringing it down and keeping it down. Delightfully healthy.
August 30th, 2007 at 10:04 am
For me, one of the best ways to promote green living ideas is to share ideas with your immediate family and friends to get them on the bandwagon – for Christmas this year I am giving food gifts (homemade preserves, etc.) in mason jars with an attached note on ways to reuse the jar – I’ve done away completely with aluminum foil, plastic bags and wraps and use recycled glass jars to store everything. Hopefully, the ideas I pass on to my friends and family and will encourage them to conserve and pass the ideas onto others – think locally = think global – don’t be afriad to start small with your own small community
August 30th, 2007 at 10:06 am
For many years, we grew our own vegetables organically, and bought from nearby farmers who also grew organically. Certification wasn’t done in New Jersey back then, so knowing the farmer helped the decision.
Now that we no longer “grow our own,” I still prefer to buy organic wherever possible, not only for the safety, but for the taste. Just tastes better!
August 30th, 2007 at 10:26 am
Organic farmers grow their foods without synthetic herbicides, pesticides, hormones, or genetically modified organisms (GMOs). I think that has to account for long-term health benefits for my family including normal neurological and growth development in my children. And best of all… it tastes great!
August 30th, 2007 at 10:29 am
I think of the food I eat as a prescription for good health. I choose organics because the food we choose to put in our bodies can have as powerful an effect as a prescription medication. If it is NOT organic, it’s like taking a pill and not knowing what’s really in it (toxins? chemicals? hormones?), and that is an unsafe risk to take.
August 30th, 2007 at 10:30 am
Buying organic for me is a no-brainer. It’s better for me, better for the earth, and tastes better (especially organic milk). Although it is a little more expensive, I feel like it is worth it because of the overall benefits. Plus I like the fact that I can “vote” with my dollars for more organic, wholesome choices. If consumers show that they are willing to pay an extra couple of dollars for something that is certified organic, more companies will take notice and begin offering more certified organic products.
August 30th, 2007 at 10:39 am
Choosing organic is not only better for our health but it helps me introduce, to my young daughter, ways in which we can be responsible for our impact upon the planet.
We keep organic summer herbs on hand all year round by chopping them and freezing them in marked ice cube trays. When we are making stews, soups or sauces, we just pop a frozen cube into the mix.
August 30th, 2007 at 11:00 am
when my first child was born almost 20 years ago…there was an alar contamination in jar baby foods. After that I started buying organic baby foods and eventually became almost totally organic. Twenty years ago it was very difficult to find organic foods. Thank goodness for Whole Foods….they make organic shopping a pleasure. As a biochemist I know how important it is to keep the levels of contaminants in our foods as low as possible…and that levels acceptable for the adult body are far too high for the body of a child. That is why I buy organic for my 5 children.
August 30th, 2007 at 11:01 am
I have pretty simple reasons for shopping organically – my eldest son who has been diagnosed with ADHD, Bi-Polar disorder and Tourette’s disorder.
When he eats organically, the symptoms of ADHD are significantly reduced and he can function without meds, needing only a DHA supplement to sharpen his mind a bit. Since I see the likelyhood of ADHD occurring in my youngest daughter, eating organically makes their lives less stressful.
August 30th, 2007 at 1:13 pm
Not only does organic food taste better, and is better for our planet, but I like knowing what is in my food. If it’s a chemical that I can’t pronounce, then it doesn’t belong in my food. Less chemicals = less stress on my body as well.
August 30th, 2007 at 5:15 pm
As a Pediatric RN for over 30 years and parent, I choose organic or try to know where products come from(some farmers cannot affort the fees associated with being certified organic) just as I avoid using pesticides in my household, yard, and the community/school gardens I am involved with. Children have greater exposure to toxins than adults due to the fact that pound for pound of weight, children drink more,eat more and breathe more air than adults; they have increased consumption due to their rapid metabolism rate. Children are biologicaly immature and their abilities to detoxify and excrete certain toxins is much different from that of adults. They are less able to deal with toxins and their developing nervous systems, immune systems, and other structures are more vulnerable. Children exposed early on to carcinogens and toxins have more years of life than an older adult exposed and so more time to develop chronic diseases. Young children have almost constant hand to mouth behavior and play close to the ground, increasing their exposure to toxins on plants, dust,carpets and vapors.The use of chemicals over the past 30 years has doubled and yet limited research has been done on the impact of this use on our children and the world we are handing over to them.
August 30th, 2007 at 6:24 pm
The real question is, “why wouldn’t you choose organic?”. If it is available, the only reason not to is the price difference, but can we really put a price on our health?
August 30th, 2007 at 6:58 pm
I have learned so much about my body and what it needs to be healthy in the last few years. Many trips to the doctor is just not worth it when I eat something wrong. Organic is the only way–Thank you to Whole Foods and your help to find foods that I can eat and all the organic foods you carry. It is almost like having my own garden.
August 30th, 2007 at 9:34 pm
The one thing that turns the less educated away from “organic” is price. My friends all balk at the price of organic products – of course, if I can get them to try some organic fruit, for example, they do admit that the flavor is so much better.
But there’s one other thing that people overlook, and that’s the quantity one consumes. I found by tracking my food expenses that I spent no more buying at Whole Foods than I spent purchasing at regular markets before. And the product taste and quality, quite frankly, is like such products used to taste during the forties when chicken tasted like chicken and milk had the cream on top.
The fact is, you get so much more nutrition from whole foods that you don’t eat as much. So you actually wind up spending less. The other fact is, if you educate yourself about such foods, you get your aminio acids, which just help you to eat less even more. Not to mention your health, which gets better as well. With good suppliments – as needed- and good eating habits, there’s many minor, and some major illness you can cure. We are in a great revolution with our food sources, realizing that dead foods are no more than pulp poured down into our bodies that wind up stealing our lives. Nope!, Whole Foods is the only way to go. For example, I call store bought white bread “puffed wood.”
August 31st, 2007 at 7:35 am
I shop organic for my children. At first, it was to protect them from pesticides and such. But when my son was born, he was allergic. He had reactions when I drank grape juice (I breastfed him), so I eliminated it. Other foods followed. When he started solids, more foods had to be eliminated (a total of 15 to date) and he developed eczema. I learned of other children who had reactions to pesticides & preservatives. And then Joseph’s 4 yr old sister also started having eczema in response to certain foods. I realized that we needed to eliminate all chemicals from all foods, or both my children would develop severe allergies to everything! Since then, all our food has been organic as much as possible. In addition, we rotate what we eat to avoid developing more allergies. This requires having access to a wide variety of organic produce & meat. My son is almost 4 now, his sister nearly 8. He is doing very well, and his eczema is pretty much gone. We are still working on his sister’s eczema. The food allergies are still there and affect the kids’ social activities. Special foods must be provided for school activities, club mtgs, and parties. But Whole Foods has many allergen-free foods in addition to their organics, which makes this task much easier. Hooray for Whole Foods!
August 31st, 2007 at 8:17 am
Organic products meet stringent USDA standards and help support local farmers like CSA’s. It avoids eating inferior, and potentially dangerous products from China. Finally, I have atrial fibrillation, a serious heart condition with high potential for complications such as stroke and congestive heart failure. Organic foods from your market and other products from Whole Body, e.g., vitamins and nutritional supplements, are crucial for me.
August 31st, 2007 at 3:46 pm
I began Organic’s when I choose to take over my own healthcare, when my various healthcare providers thought they could “cure” me with more antibiotics and other medicines. Of course, symptons were put at bay, but never were gone, just seemed to reoccur-but worse. I read Kevin Trudeau’s book: Natural Cures, What they don’t tell you. And it changed my life, the book was a bit hokey at times, but it was all I needed to jump start my health, for myself and my children. Even with the prices higher, it didn’t matter, if you’re cutting out the High Fructose, and Hydrogenated oils, at the very least, you’re saving a bundle right there. You won’t find those ingredients at Whole Foods!!!! Go Green! As soon as I did, I was receiving coupons “to come back” from all the Kroger’s, Randall’s, etc.
Amazing how those grocery stores have changed and they are all carrying a variety of organic and “health” foods….
September 2nd, 2007 at 7:29 pm
I buy organic foods because I believe our bodies accept and utilize nutrients from organic food the proper way. When you use foods with many preservatives and chemicals foreign to the body, it simply does not know what to do with them.
My family and I have more energy, feel better and are more productive when we eat organic.
September 3rd, 2007 at 8:44 pm
I buy as much organic foods as possible to assure me that I am avoiding the serious consequences of unnecessarily consuming additional chemicals into my body. I would rather use my life forces to build up my nutritional needs instead of putting my body into overdrive elimating artifiicial chemicals from my body.
September 5th, 2007 at 10:52 am
We buy organic for many reasons, some are obvious: it’s healthier for my family, better for the environment, supports local farmers, and more. Here’s a less obvious reason. When I first started buying organic I tended to choose more carefully, so that I didn’t over buy — prices were higher. Then I noticed that when the organic produce comes home I feel a responsibility to use ALL of it, and not because of its cost, because of the meaning and mission behind it. In the past I’ve bought up lots of conventional produce, not used it all, ended up throwing away what spoiled. What a waste. Our money is better spent on buying the *right* amount of a much better product.
September 7th, 2007 at 9:26 am
I believe that we are what we eat. I buy organically because it makes perfect sense. If you’re eating clean, healthy whole foods in a well balanced way, then our body systems may function at a higher effeciency rate and preservation. As a nurse and fitness fan, I engage in a healthy lifestyle and teach aerobics to maintain a physical fitness level that has increased my endurance, strength, and energy. So why wouldn’t I want to fuel my body with proper nutrients and chemically-free foods? The employees at WFM have been informative and share great enthusiasm about organic living. Plain and simple…I feel great!
September 8th, 2007 at 9:41 pm
One major reason I shop organic is quality. Organic food tastes better, organic clothes feel better, my organic skin looks better, especially since I hardly ever bother with makeup. When I’m using quality organic products, I put more thought and care into selecting them, using them and enjoying them. I appreciate how this awareness can bring me to a full, needed stop in a busy day. Yes, my responsibilities are important, and so am I, and so is what I put in and on me and my loved ones.
September 11th, 2007 at 7:03 am
I am from India and when I moved here I was serprised that how here cabbage , cauliflower, onion tomatoes etc… are so big because I had never seen so big in size these vegtables or fruits in my country. I never heard about 2 diffrent kind of food. Organic and Conventional .
we used to have only one kind of and was Organic,
After few years, living here came to know Organic and Conventional.
Organic food is one of the fastest growing categories in the food industry.
it can cost more than conventional food purchased at a grocery store, but it is really worth it.
Now day by day organic food becoming so popular more than half of Americans now buy organic food.
September 11th, 2007 at 12:02 pm
When we used natural fertilizer our food tasted good and was healthy for sustaining our bodies. Then it was decided that food should be altered–tomatoes needed to be huge, food needed to be beautiful–quality was sacrificed for quanity–animals were injected to produce more milk, fatter chickens, more eggs–now we find we are becoming antibiotic resistant when we really need a powerful medicine—all b/c of greed. More is not better–I will pay more for products I know come from famers and producers who care about the whole picture and not just the $$$.
September 13th, 2007 at 6:34 pm
quality is better, overall, with organic foods, especially now that there’s a lot more of it out there. organic, free range eggs are fantastic, and fruit and veggies are also excellent. i switched to milk that was from grass- fed cows and did not have added hormones in it, and not only does it taste so much better, but i do not have the crazy mood swings or headaches i used to. i’ve changed little else in my diet, and i suspected the milk for a long time. i don’t care what they say about the extra hormones not having an effect, i think they do, esp. on women. perhaps they are not regulating the amounts as closely as they were.
i have heard that many farmers are switching to organic, even if they are not aiming to be certified, because the pesticides, etc, are not working as effectively anymore anyway, and they are expensive, so they are looking for other solutions.
i shop some at whole foods, but actually, if i can, i shop directly at local farmers markets or farms. while i like grass-fed beef, i’d rather it not have to come from new zealand if i can get it raised in a nearby state, or strawberries from california when i’m on the east coast. it’s just a lot of extra fuel used for shipping and not as fresh.
October 18th, 2007 at 10:47 pm
I think that organic food is overated and rather expensive for poorer families. Is it really much better than tried and tested pesticides?
October 22nd, 2007 at 4:45 am
I choose organic because it tastes and looks better! Period. I look at a tomato from my garden or at whole foods vs the nasty looking stuff–pale and sickly–dispalyed at most conventional markets. I remember sitting in my high school science class some 40 years ago and the teacher talking on the wonders of pesticides and other ag chemicals. “You can always tell the organic fruit from the modern methods for farming”, he said. “The one without chemicals is the under-sized and sickly fruit, often with worms in it”. Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! Just the opposite, these days. Look and taste an organic potato and you will never go back to conventionally-farmed fruits and vegetables. Outside of the benefits of eating foods free of poisons, they just taste better!
October 24th, 2007 at 11:32 am
why note – just think you have a choice to buy a ‘conventional’ apple at a low price that could likely be Genetically Engineered and grown in soil with chemicals, and then sprayed with chemicals during it’s growth that is escalated to get to your kitchen faster …. OR you can purchase an ‘organic’ apple that is grown at the rate nature intended retaining all the nutrients and vitamins your body needs.
January 4th, 2008 at 1:32 am
I buy organic for the health of myself and my immediate family. My extended family has history of different types of cancers. I hope that by eating/using organic foods and products we will eliminate the threat of certain cancers and illnesses. Whole Foods makes it easy to buy healthy foods. Thanks.
January 23rd, 2008 at 7:17 pm
When one looks at the increase in so many diseases since the start of all the preservatives to our food chain, we see that the foods of 50 years ago are no longer being sold. Read the ingredient labels. If it is not organic, there will be additives for shelf life, prevention of spoilage, rancidity, etc. The additives basically help the seller of the goods, at the cost to our bodies for all those artificial chemicals being put into our bodies. We, as a nation, are continually being bombarded with incorrect information, all designed to get us to buy more, buy super-size, and buy what we often dont need. Wall Street wants us to buy, buy, buy. We now have diseases that advertising makes us think we have. Advertising tries to sell us products based on fear. We buy way too many over the counter products that we really dont need. Develop a product, then tell the public that the product must be bought in order to live a more productive life, etc.
Go green by living simply. When you see a gadget to buy, think first. Do I need this product to live? How many gadgets does the average kitchen really need?
Make going green a game. Except for human waste, almost everything else is recycleable. Plastic bags, paper bags,
hangers, books, clothing, shoes, old appliances, all can be recycled. Then go to the store and look for labels showing the products were made using recycleable products, once again making going green go to ZERO waste.
Newspapers can be recycled, buy cloth diapers, when remodeling, take things down carefully and recycle them at a junk yard, used cabinets, sinks, etc.
Someone can use what you throw away. Someone here on this planet needs what you are throwing away, except for things that cant be repaired or things that must go into human waste.
Water from down spouts can be saved for gardens in the area. Turn on fans when it is hot, even with the A.C. ON.
Fans move air and make the area cooler just by moving air.
When someone says you need product X or service X, always question why they are saying this to you. Once I was told I needed $800 worth of service on my car, then I went to other shops, one said I needed a whole new engine, $3,500.
Whoa, when spending like that, ask if you really need the product/service, or what is the motivation behind a salesperson wanting you to buy it.
When we know 65% of people cheat on their income tax, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand that everyone has less than honest motives for selling to you. Ask around, talk with friends, ask others in the profession for their advice. Dont just accept what you are being told as the Gospel truth. Second opinions are not always that “one is ugly too.”
We have only one time to be on this earth, treat our bodies with respect, give our bodies the best chance of making it along this journey called LIFE.
February 8th, 2008 at 2:01 am
In my blog on budget shopping at Wholefoods, I posted a very helpful list of produce best bought organically and non-organic produce which is safe to consume. I’ve been adhering to this list when grocery shopping at WFs for some time now and have noticed a decrease in my expenditure on fresh produce; that’s because the price tag on safe-to-eat non-organic items like avocados and asparagus is significantly less than the organic price tag!
February 26th, 2009 at 2:58 pm