avatarAngelica Mendez

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Why I Stopped Buying Non-Organic Produce.

I'm surprised we're still having a debate about this in 2023.

We've by Marisa there'son Unsplash

We've all heard there's a difference between organic and non-organic produce.

However, the information used to advertise the advantages of organic produce was twisted and manipulated to discredit those advantages.

For example, organic produce is slightly more nutritious. This is a reasonable reason to buy organic — but it's not the most important.

This is where people have been fooled, and I was, too, until I came across the information myself.

The main reason you should buy organic is the pesticides and farming practices used for non-organic produce.

The pesticide glyphosate, or Round-Up, is used for non-organic produce. It is also a possible carcinogen — if this doesn't scare you enough to make the change, I don't know what will.

The farming practices used in non-organic produce rely heavily on synthetic pesticides (like the one I mentioned above) and genetically modified crops — things that should set some alarms off.

Yet, we still convince ourselves that the cheaper price tag is all worth it (usually a few cents for most produce).

I don't know, but between possible cancer-causing pesticides and none, I would rather go with none and be safe rather than sorry.

This resistance that I see from so many people to make the switch to healthier alternatives reveals to me a much deep-rooted issue:

Many people want to avoid taking responsibility for their health.

Why? Because it's inconvenient.

I will be honest and admit I was part of that bandwagon at one point.

For some reason, we humans are resistant to change. We like to be comfortable as much as possible for as long as possible, sometimes to our detriment.

I was my enemy for so long when it came to healing my gut issues because of this.

For starters, my pride told me I should be smart enough to figure out my gut issues despite not having any education on the topic.

Unconsciously, I also didn't want to let go of my bad habits at the time — I didn't want to stop eating junk and going out drinking with my friends whenever I wanted.

It wasn't until my symptoms got in the way of everyday life that I had to accept this wake-up call, seek help from a professional (holistic doctor), and change many of my eating and supplementation habits.

Now that I'm on the other side, I wish I could go back in time and kick my younger self in the butt. Why was she so stubborn?

I realized I didn't want to change because it would have affected other areas of my life.

When you bring change into one area of your life, inevitably, other areas are affected.

I tried various times to improve myself in the past, but those changes didn't stick.

I now realize why — I let myself be surrounded and influenced by people who didn't support positive changes.

Unfortunately, the friends I had didn't care to change their lifestyles and improve their habits.

I remember when I would try to make some changes, one of the first things I would do was go out less. Alcohol causes an array of problems and is also a known carcinogen.

I haven't quit drinking altogether. I still enjoy a glass of wine occasionally, but it's A LOT less frequent than the all-out weekend drinking binges I used to go on.

I was surrounded by people who didn't want to slow down or stop their weekend drinking binges. Unfortunately, I fell under the pressure of conforming.

If I wanted to keep these 'friends,' I shouldn't stay home. I should go out, spend ridiculous amounts of money, and drink unnecessary amounts of alcohol.

It's unbelievable how much we're willing to sacrifice to feel part of a crowd.

Needless to say, those people are no longer a part of my life.

Other circumstances led to me distancing myself. Once I no longer had that influence, I made the changes I wanted without anyone making fun of them or making me feel bad for wanting better for myself.

I recognize now that I only want to be surrounded by people who support positive changes and habits.

Too many of us don't realize that we're staying sick because we're allowing ourselves to be influenced by people who don't care for our well-being.

Their intentions may be good, but if their actions and words don't match said intentions, it's time to reevaluate that relationship.

Stop caring so much about what other people think.

I needed to let go of meeting other's expectations to make these changes permanent.

The truth is, I felt ashamed for being different or doing what wasn't popular for a while.

Since I grew up to be a people pleaser, I easily fell into the trap of doing what everyone else did to make them happy and comfortable with my presence.

Many of us still do this, and it's costing us our lives.

It's time to stand up and be the ones who challenge the bad habits we've been taught.

It's time to stop thinking of being healthy as convenient and realize that no one is in great shape because of chance.

Anyone who is healthy will tell you their daily habits got them the results they have.

Honestly, a change like going from non-organic to organic produce is pretty simple and doesn't require that much effort, yet it can have tremendous benefits for your long-term health and well-being.

Let’s stop thinking everything needs to be convenient in order for us to adopt it into our lifestyles.

As the saying goes, nothing worthwhile comes easy.

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