When shopping for products like eggs, meat, fish, milk, and produce can be confusing. Signs are posted everywhere labeling food as natural or organic—but what’s the difference, really? If you are a smart shopper you will certainly notice that the price for organic or natural products are higher. Knowing what specific names mean can help you decide if you should shell out extra money on a specific product. In many cases it is simply a marketing ploy.

The term natural is associated with a number of fruit and vegetable product. Typically, this is simple a marketing ploy to convince you to buy the product since all fruits and vegetables grown are natural. Unless it’s a new kind of hybrid that has been developed and processed by some other means, the product is natural.

Organic foods on the other hand are grown without chemical pesticides and fertilizers. There are two main benefits to organic foods. First, you are helping the environment because those chemicals are not being introduced into nature. Secondly, you are avoiding ingesting chemicals and are therefore consuming more healthy foods. Obviously organic products are usually more expensive. If you’re cost conscious, you can bypass organic fruits and vegetables that you can peel, like oranges and bananas. In most cases once you’ve discarded the peel, you’ve also discarded the chemicals. You can spend a little more for organic items like apples, where you eat the peel. In any case make sure that you rinse off the food when you get home.

Another confusing label you will see is “no hormones” This is usually found on milk or meat products and is somewhat misleading, since all animals naturally produce hormones. Hormones are what help an animal regulate body organs. All meat products have hormones. The real meaning of the label is that no hormones were unnaturally given to the animal, which has been a practice to increase milk production or growth in beef. The USDA and many states today have restricted the use of certain production and growth hormones. Regardless, the level of hormones found in milk and meat is safe for human consumption.

Some marketing techniques even go so far as to put a label on eggs and meat that indicate if the animal was caged or penned. This activity makes little difference in the quality or nutritional value of the meat, but is simply a matter of animal rights. These products can be a bit more expensive, but if you want to make moral decision about the issue it is your choice. But consider the fact that all of that makes little difference to the animal now that you are contemplating having it for dinner.

Reading the label and making healthy choices can sometimes be difficult, but learning how to do so can help you make the best choices for you diet.

Chip Clark

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Here are just some examples of the beneficial effects.

Apples

Apples contain malic acid and tartaric acid, which helps prevent disturbances of the liver and digestion. They are also a rich source of antioxidants. Eating apples improve the functions of kidneys and eases kidney activities and is also good for digestion problems.

Apricots

Apricots help protect the formation of cancer cells and increases blood flow. Apricots also aid in the stimulation of hair growth.

Bananas

Bananas contain all 8 essential amino acids. Bananas are rich in potassium, calcium, magnesium phosphorus and iron. They are also a good source of Vitamins A and C as well as thiamine, riboflavin and niacin.

Cherries

Cherries contain vitamin A and vitamin C, Melatonin, anthocyanins and bioflavons, which helps to fight certain types of cancer. They can also help to relieve headache pain and reduce the risk of heart attack.

Grapefruit

Grapefruit is a rich source of vitamin C, which strengthens the immune system and in turn helps to prevent formation of cancer cells and tumors. It also helps in digestion of nutrients and decreases the level of cholesterol in blood.

The acidic nature of grapefruit is very helpful in removing formations of inorganic calcium that may have formed in the cartilage of the joints, which is a major cause of arthritis.

Since it is low in sodium, Grapefruit can help in weight loss by flushing out excess water that is caused by high sodium food.

Vegetables

In the green vegetable category, foods like spinach, kale, broccoli and artichokes aredhigh in calcium, beta-carotene, and vitamin A. Broccoli in particular has a very high vitamin C content and B complex vitamins. Other green vegetables like lettuce are great for fiber.

Red and green bell peppers contain lycopene, potassium, and vitamins A and C. Lycopene also has antioxidant and cancer fighting properties, and has been linked to lowering the risk of prostate cancer in men.

Tomatoes, though technically fruit, contain many health benefits as well.

This information may be all good to know, but what do you do with it?

How often have we told ourselves, “I’m going to start eating better.” We make the pact with ourselves but the fact is that it’s easy to get derailed and fall back into unhealthy habits. We don’t mean to. It takes a real commitment to change our behavior, especially for a permanent change.

Healthy habits do take some effort. There’s no better time to start than today.

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