Healthy TV | Episode 005
In this episode of Healthy TV I will share:
- Our two most important criteria for choosing food.
- The surprising truth about ‘food miles’.
- What happens when produce is picked unripe.
- How I decide when to buy organic and when to save my $$.
You’re in the produce department of your local grocery store, silently screaming at the cost of organic spinach… You want to make the best choices for your family, but… I mean, Is it really worth it?
It turns out, that’s quite a challenging question to answer. While its true that organic spinach will likely have less toxicity compared to conventionally grown spinach, that’s just 1 side of the story. The other, equally important consideration is what’s called the ‘nutrient density’ of the food in question – in other words the quality of the food.
Side-note: At our Eat By Design workshop these are 2 of the core criteria we teach people to use when choosing foods to feed you and your family: Generally you want to choose foods with the lowest degree of toxicity and the highest amount of nutrient density.
While the primary argument FOR organic foods has largely been about eating foods without the pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides typically found in conventional produce, more recently the nutrient density argument has become a larger part of the conversation and has more scientific support than ever.
So back to our spinach example, if you were comparing locally grown organic spinach to locally grown conventional spinach, then it’s likely the organic option would win in both categories.
Local Vs. Organic
But what happens when the food is picked days or weeks in advance? After all, the majority of organic produce in our winter months is imported from California, Africa and Europe, requiring significant time for transportation and importation.
In fact ‘food miles’ – the distance your food is transported from farm to plate – is a big problem when it comes to the nutrient density side of the equation.
Find out just how much impact food miles has on the quality of your food and learn my current process for choosing when to buy organic and when to seek out local sources.
Dr. Michael Gibson has committed himself to helping others to live the best life possible. After graduating with a Bachelor of Kinesiology from the University of Western Ontario, he received his Doctor of Chiropractic Degree and Masters of Science in Chiropractic Sports Science from Life University. He is the co-creator of Life By Design, and co-owner of Synergy Wellness Group. His passion for empowering families runs deep. After experiencing the loss of his sister due to illness, Michael’s purpose became reaching and teaching as many as possible the foundational principles of an extraordinary life. Since that time, he has passionately pursued and been successful in living out his dream. He maintains a busy family chiropractic practice, a full speaking schedule, and finds time to implement the principles and practices of Life By Design in his own life.
