Tips for an Organic Diet and Lifestyle

There are challenges which come with eating organic. I hope the tips on embracing an organic diet highlighted on this page can help make your organic journey smoother and more fulfilling.


General tips

First and foremost, be very clear about your objectives of eating organic foods. This will help keep you focused and committed to your dietary choice, especially in times of hunger, hurry, frustration, or challenge by other people.

If you can, be part of a community of like-minded people, so you can have moral support and people to dine with as well as to share information and ideas with.

At the very least, have a partner or advocate who understands you, supports you and shares your vision.


Sources of food

It would be good for you to have a list of your favorite places for your organic diet – cafes, restaurants, etc.

In addition, you may also want to have a list of favorite health food stores which stock up on healthy organic food products.

I keep lists of both these groups of places. Over time, I also slowly become friends with their owners and workers. It’s fun.

If you can locate one, join a co-operative. Co-ops exist for the welfare of its members, and you would usually be able to obtain products which are more reasonably priced, with minimal markup in their prices.

Another tip for eating organic which you may want to consider is to buy locally grown produce which are in season. This way, you can not only support your local farmers, you will also be able to obtain your fruits and vegetables as fresh as possible.

There is a theory that it would bring you better health to eat organic food, including herbs, which grow in your area. In any case, this makes sense because the foods you would be getting would be fresher than those imported from halfway around the world.

Buying from such local farmers’ markets also reduces your expenses, as you are skipping middlemen.

In addition, arguably, energy savings would result – it has been estimated that in the whole process of producing and transporting food, only 1/5 of the energy is used in actual production, with the rest being used for food distribution.


Dietary choices; selecting food for your organic diet

In consuming organic food, or undertaking any sort of diet for that matter, be flexible and varied in your dietary choices. This would give you a more balanced nutritional intake, as well as allow you to benefit from items which are on sale, thus lowering your expenses.

If, for whatever reason, you are unable to sustain a diet of 100% organic foods, I suggest you don’t just give up, but instead do your best and eat as much organic foods as possible. Eating organic food 75% or 80% of the time is still, in my opinion, better than loading yourself with harmful foods 100% of the time.

It’s your judgment call, whether or not to go fully and strictly on an organic diet, or to allow compromises from time to time.

Now, in selecting and buying organic foods, it is very important that you learn how to read food labels. It is insufficient to just read the large prints, because they are often worded in a misleading way to entice consumers.

Avoid foods which contain long or unpronounceable chemical names. Also avoid food products which have a long list of ingredients – this often means that chemical additives or preservatives have been added. Click here to read more about buying organic food.

Usually, on the ingredients list, the ingredients are listed in order of their proportions, from largest to smallest. Thus, if I see flour or sugar as one of the first ingredients, I am inclined to shy away from that product.

And, know the difference between organic foods and natural foods – they are not the same.


Conclusion

I hope the abovementioned tips will help you in your journey of embracing an organic diet.

For more information on purchasing your organic supplies, read about buying organic food, as well as about how to lower your organic food costs.

You may also want to read the page discussing some tips for embracing a vegetarian diet.