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Dinner Diva: Why you should try to use organic food in your recipes

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Around here you see a lot of articles and recipes calling for organic ingredients, you probably wonder why. Sometimes it is difficult to get organic ingredients so my feeling is that you should do your best to use the most naturally grown and prepared organic ingredients in all your dishes that you can reasonably accomplish and forget the rest. As long as you are doing your best that is all anyone can ask.

But, I want to explain why organic is best when you can get it.  You might have noticed your grocery starting to carry what they call, “conventionally” grown and “organic” products. Essentially conventionally means pesticides, fertilizers, herbicides, and antibiotics were used in their farming practices.

Organic means that the farmer uses the most natural practices possible using compost, and the science of beneficial insects and or birds to reduce pests. They allow their animals to eat organic feed and to go outdoors. Rather than antibiotics to fight disease they keep their housing clean, and feed appropriate balanced diets to the animals.

Only  products that are completely organic can carry the usda seal. Non single ingredient products that have most of their ingredients, 95 percent can say Organic, products made with mostly, 70 percent organic, can say Made with organic ingredients. Labels that say “all-natural”, “free range” or “hormone-free” may or may not also be organic. These labels are good so that you know what you’re buying.

So why buy organic? Here are some reasons that I believe are true:

•           Organic tastes better
•           Organic is more nutritious
•           Organic has no pesticides
•           Organic is best for the environment
•           Organic often supports local farmers

Whether or not you can afford to purchase all organic ingredients remember that one small change helps whether it’s just that you want to support a local farmer, or whether you are worried about contaminants in your child’s food.

More from dinner diva Leanne Ely online at www.SavingDinner.com.

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