Do one have to go organic?

[Charov]

So my issue is that I have been raw for 5 weeks, and I can not say that I feel I have more energy. I can't afford buying organic fruits and vegetables and such right now, so I have to go with the non-organic. Is that okay to do? Can one feel changes in energy levels and weight loss even if one does not go organic?

I'm sleepy all the time, depressed, no energy, getting acne, and not feeling good at all. What's happening to me?:confused:

[Aleesha Sattva]

yup... i eat organic when i can... otherwise not. it's more about being raw than organic... since raw is soooooo much healthier than SAD. but... organic is the way to go when we can. :)

and you my friend are detoxing!

[MrsJohnnyG]

Organic is always much better than veggies with chemicals sprayed all over them... BUT, organic doesn't have to be super-expensive! Have you looked into a local organic farm/co-op or farmer's market? I found one near me (and I'm in the boonies!) that sells huge crates of fresh-harvested, 100% organic produce, usually 8 to 12 different kinds of fruits/veggies, for $25 a week. It's worth hunting one down!

And, have you thought about growing your own? If you have a sunny spot (even on a balcony etc.), you can grow a small tomato plant and a few of your other favorite veggies, and you can grow them 100% organically.

Organic doesn't mean spending hundreds of dollars at your nearby national-chain health food store! :D

[Charov]

Aleesha:
How long will my detox last? :( When will I feel energetic like everybody else on RF? My friends all laugh at me and thinks I am a fool for doing this. They say "where is the old you? We don't like the new you" and stuff like that. I have talked very highly of raw food, but they do not believe me since I am so depressed and tired all the time.

[Colorawdo girl]

Welcome to the forum .....seems like you are cleaning house. Your body is ridding the old tired stuff and it shows up as tired etc.

Raw is a process and this detox comes and goes. It will be ok. No worry about when you will feel terrific. If you eat one raw food at a time, it will all arrive.

This raw life is a joy and a privelege that we know of it.

Best of health....sooner than later.... oops I am not aleesha but she will be here soon to add

[pixie_333]

yeah what MrsJohnnyG said. and although i don't think it's that healthy but you can grow indoors with special bulbs containing most of the spectrum colors you get outside. everyone should have those bulbs for all lighting inside. humans need all colors of spectrum and flouresants only contain yellow and green and harm us.

it's scary to learn how bad pesticide produce is. you can find wealth of information on youtube and various websites. it is posion. kills us, animals and the enviroment.

you can fnd lists of things that are less sprayed than others and look to buy things that are non organic with those things until you can afford organic or find a sale and buy organic of things that pesticide ones are heavily toxic. like grapes...avoid non organic grapes!

pesticides are shown in our auric feilds to actualy dampen it. it lowers our energy rather than enhancing. sometimes stays about the same, but rarely uplifts.
so like on a scale 1 to 5... you start off at a 3... eat organic it raises to about 4 or 5... eat a pesticide and it takes you usualy to a 1 or 2. all depends what you're eating and what was done to it. and pesticides only kill us. leads to depresion, diseases and death.

you can forage for food too! depending where you are you may find a lot of food n the wild.

[Tsurugi_Oni]

Organic isn't necessarily much better than standard food, and it is possible that it can be more damaging to the environment than standard cultivated foods. If organic easily fits within your budget then sure, go for it. But don't run out on a tight rope for some "naturally grown" veggies.

What's more important than organic is wild foraged food. Traditional agricultural cultivation methods typically always lead to rapid soil nutrient depletion (Unless you rotate with legumes, which put nitrogen back into the soil). After a couple harvests the soil is completely stripped of nitrates and phosphates, and bare of essential minerals.

Wild plants are much more nutritionally superior because of the setup of the plants. Natural progression of landscapes (grass -> herbs -> shrubs -> small trees -> forest) puts in plants that draw minerals from deep within the soil to the surface, allowing them to be utilized by plants with shallow taproots. Plants are best when found in their proper niche in their habitat, because they've evolved according to that realm.

Same philosophy pertains to the difference between grass fed/ grain fed animals, and farmed raised/ wild caught fish. Grain fed animals are the reason why red meat is "unhealthy" (because grains store omega-3 dense fats in animals, where they should naturally be evenly matched omega-3/6 ratios due to grass).

Anyways.... forage -> organic -> store bought.

[RAWmen-Noodles]

I do not get my oranges or bananas organic unless they are on sale at the store. I know I should but I was hoping that the peel would filter some of the chemicals out. I do buy organic peaches, grapes and other things that you normally do not peel.

[RawYorkCity]

I usually do, but it's becoming a tad bit expensive lately. Fruit that doesn't have a peel I usually buy organic, but fruits and veggies with a tough exterior I am more lenient.

[sport]

This list will yell you which item has the most pesticide.


RANK FRUIT OR VEGGIE SCORE
1 (worst) Peach 100 (highest pesticide load)
2 Apple 93
3 Sweet Bell Pepper 83
4 Celery 82
5 Nectarine 81
6 Strawberries 80
7 Cherries 73
8 Kale 69
9 Lettuce 67
10 Grapes - Imported 66
11 Carrot 63
12 Pear 63
13 Collard Greens 60
14 Spinach 58
15 Potato 56
16 Green Beans 53
17 Summer Squash 53
18 Pepper 51
19 Cucumber 50
20 Raspberries 46
21 Grapes - Domestic 44
22 Plum 44
23 Orange 44
24 Cauliflower 39
25 Tangerine 37
26 Mushrooms 36
27 Banana 34
28 Winter Squash 34
29 Cantaloupe 33
30 Cranberries 33
31 Honeydew Melon 30
32 Grapefruit 29
33 Sweet Potato 29
34 Tomato 29
35 Broccoli 28
36 Watermelon 26
37 Papaya 20
38 Eggplant 20
39 Cabbage 17
40 Kiwi 13
41 Sweet Peas - Frozen 10
42 Asparagus 10
43 Mango 9
44 Pineapple 7
45 Sweet Corn - Frozen 2
46 Avocado 1
47 (best) Onion 1 (lowest pesticide load)

[janetc]

What Aleesha said.

If you can't afford it, you will probably quit, right? I'm of the opinion that you must do what you can afford. I know - body is a temple, yada yada, but this isn't the economy to be that discriminating.

I eat organic when I can afford it. I can't afford to do it all the time. I buy in bulk at Costco. I'm an economy hound, though. I roast my own coffee, make my own soap and jewelry, and I've got a garden in the back (although I planted late so I'm starting late). I'm cheap. I've got to be - my husband's out of work and we don't anticipate him getting a job for a year or two.

[Springtime]

Organic stuff is really pircey here, so i try to get as much as i can when i can afford it.

I think more about the workers who spray the pestecides onto the vegetables and fruits than myself, though. I would never buy "standard" bananas, bc i know they grow primarily in areas where workers are continously exploited and treated like sh-t. I always get organic oranges for the same reasons.

Support the workers, buy fairly traded goods whenever possible/availiable. The consumer is not the only one who's exposed to the toxins in produce, and the small amount that we get on an apple is nothing compared to the amout someone working in a non-organic banana plant gets into their system.

[Random]

Maybe it's not detox, or pesticides, or anything like that. Maybe you simply aren't eating enough. If I don't eat enough - particularly if I don't eat enough fats - then I get headachy and tired and cranky.

[Tsurugi_Oni]

As a general rule of thumb, stereotypical "American" fruits (apples, pears, oranges) have more pesticides than tropical imported fruits (kiwi, starfruit, coconuts, etc.).

[raw runner]

forget organic fodds, they are too expensive in my opinion...just eat whole plant foods like i do and stay focused on being raw...
keep the main thing the main thing which is the raw food diet...