To Eat Or Not To Eat

What is in a label? Better yet, what is in your food? Can you pronounce every ingredient listed on a single label? Can you verify the ingredients come from a naturally occurring source rather than a laboratory?

These are serious questions we need to ask ourselves when it comes to what we consume. We get one body for our time on Earth. Just one. We should do everything we can to care for it, as we will not get another one at the end of our lives.

Think about how comfortable you want to be when you depart. Do you really want to be like a run down car that is rusted out and falling apart with every mile? Would you not rather come to the end of the road as if you are a brand new car off the line that has not been destroyed by the journey that is life?

It comes down to how we care for our bodies, and it starts with what we put in them. When I think about what is on a label, I consider the source. Who do I want deciding what goes into my body, someone I never met, or myself? The decision is easy. Noone knows my body better than I do, so why should I trust someone else to determine what should be used to make my food? The more processed something is, the less natural the end product becomes.

Therefore, let us start from scratch. If you gather the raw materials needed to make even the basic foods, you will know exactly what is going into your meal. You can trace back to the source of each ingredient, probably even down to the specific farm. This removes most questions about if you are eating unpronouncable chemicals that could cause negative effects. However, the source is still important, even with fresh grown ingredients, as how those items are grown can be just as harmful.

Is the produce coated in harmful pesticides or fertilizer? How about livestock? Are they caged in tight quarters and pumped full of growth hormones and steroids? Just because something was grown and harvested directly from the source does not mean it is truly natural.

When thinking about how natural something is, consider how you might find it out in the wild. Wild cattle roam across miles of unfenced land and graze on what is growing without man's help. Wild blueberry bushes are left to grow unruly sizes without anything but sunshine and rain. The more interference there is from mankind, the less natural something becomes.

Organic products are as close to that wild sourcing you can get, unless you go foraging and hunting in the wild yourself. When something is labeled as organic, it indicates that the product was unmodified by mankind and allowed to grow in conditions fairly close to those of the wild.

That said, do your research. Do not just start grabbing things labeled as organic, as there are different levels and qualities, as there is with all things. Trace your ingredients back to their source, then do research on that source to verify how they tend to their crops.

I know it is time consuming, but in the end, it is worth the time. You will find that truly organic ingredients have a richer taste. In addition, you will notice a difference in how you feel overall. Currently, organic items can be more expensive, but the more we purchase organic, the more the market will align and costs will become comparable. Ultimately, we need to support local farms or start producing our own food.

Grow or forage it yourself if you are able (seeds are extremely affordable). If not, try to purchase organic items. If the cost is unmanageable, check out local farms and farmer's markets, particularly Amish ones. Though they may not be labeled as organic, their practices might be close to those standards.

No matter your age, it is never too late to start eating better products. Further, as parents it is critical for us to start our children off on the right path.

In the end, where your food comes from matters. Take control of that decision.

**I am not a medical professional, nor a dietician. Do your own research and make the decision for yourself. I am merely providing insight based on my personal experiences. **