So why eat organic foods anyway? Why are they better than your average grocery store fare? Well, for one, organic foods are foods that aren’t covered in chemicals such as insecticides, herbicides, fungicides and fertilizers. I, for example, am violently allergic to a lot of preservatives and a lot of these spray chemicals trigger the same reaction: sore stomach, headache, nausea, blurred vision, cold sweat… I could go on. And it can be a bad scene for those who aren’t even allergic to any chemicals, too!

Plenty of EPA-approved pesticides were approved a long time ago –before research linked these chemicals to cancer and other debilitating diseases. Currently the EPA considers 60% of all herbicides, a whopping 90% of all fungicides and 30% of all insecticides to be potentially carcinogenic.

Taste is an individual matter, but many gourmet chefs are choosing to use organic foods in the recipes, due to the superior flavour and quality of these products. A growing number of consumers — including yours truly as part of my attempt to go green — are also claiming that organic food tastes better.

I mean, doesn’t it make sense to you that foods grown naturally in well-balanced soils and ripened by the big, happy summer sun will be healthier and tastier than products raised on a diet of smelly, wildlife and bug-killing chemicals? Then they’re sprayed with preservatives that allow them to sit for months in storage (I could make a really easy movie star joke here, but I’ll leave that one along). What are these chemicals and preservatives doing to your insides? Do you think it’s possible that they’re strong enough to kill pests, make plants grow faster/bigger, and last for weeks on a shelf without having a negative affect on your insides? I don’t know first hand, but I’m sceptical at best.

Try organic food for yourself and see what you think — is it tastier? Does it smell better? Check out the ‘Organic Recipe Friday’ section and try out some of the recipes. I guarantee you’ll find some that you love!

Drop me a line and let me know!

I’m very excited! Topia Greenstop has invited me to spend the day at their Real Café tomorrow. I’ll be sure to take lots of pictures/videos and report back with my impressions.

I’m really looking forward to checking out their selection of preservative free food.  Which reminds me — let me give you some background concerning my various digestive special needs. Oh, there are many.

I’ve been allergic to a handful of preservatives (such as benzoates, nitrates and sulfites)  since I was about 16 and it makes choosing food at a grocery store quite a task.  If I choose wrong I could end up being very sick! Pre-bagged salad leaves me curled up in pain with cold sweat and nausea — talk about an day-ruiner.  And pre-mixed drinks like alcoholic coolers, lemonades, and iced tea? Same story. I’ve left many a backyard BBQ party early due to certain unnamed hard lemonades. *ahem*

On top of being allergic to these preservatives I, like my grandmother before me, have diverticulitis.  Diverticulitis is a digestive disease which – in layman’s terms – means that my body is creating little pouches in my intestines and deciding to store foods there that it has chosen to not digest. This may or may not prove to be a problem for me in my trials with organic food. Whole grains and fresh fruit and vegetables tend to hurt my stomach but my experience with them is limited to standard grocery store food.

Topia, however, pride themselves on natural, organic, and preservative-free food — which is great for someone like me! I’m curious to see what a difference organic, preservative-free food makes. Be sure to check back for my picture and video tour of the store!