The “Organic Only” Challenge

June 3rd- 29th

From June 3rd to 29th, I will be eating ONLY Organically grown foods. This means I will be focusing on eating foods I have grown myself, local foods grown at organic farmers markets, organic store bought foods, and will only eat out at very few restaurants (there are a few organic places I know of around Vancouver, Salt Spring, and Toronto that I will talk about during the challenge).

My Motivation

Our planet is in crisis! We are currently undergoing mass extinction and it has been estimated that at the rate we going, we as humans will be completely gone from the planet in 70 years. We have 15 years to turn things around to avoid this happening – and one of the best ways we can do this is by getting connected back to nature, our soil, and the foods we are putting into our bodies. ¹

Why Organic?

Inorganic foods are grown with pesticides, herbicides, and chemical fertilizers. Although these substances might help kill “pests” they also kill so much of what both our bodies and the earth need to be healthy. Pesticides deplete the good bacteria and nutrients in the soil, kill off important pollinators, and find their way into the water we drink and the air we breath. When ingested into the human body they cause injury to the tight junction membrane in our gut which leads to intestinal permeability and chronic inflammation.² As a result of this injury to our bodies, pesticides have been linked to infertility, mental health conditions (anxiety, depression), improper digestion (leaky gut, IBS, SIBO), food allergies, autism, autoimmune conditions, cancers, and many other diseases.

My Intentions

1. To help hi-light the importance of eating organic foods and to show people that with a little bit of extra effort – eating organically can be accessible and financially feasible.
2. To make new connections with people and organizations who are doing such amazing work in saving our planet and helping to shift our beliefs around food and current agricultural practices.
3. To challenge myself to find new ways of eating and living that are most in line with what I want for the world.
4. To inspire all those around me to take a closer look at the kinds of foods they are eating, where it comes from, and how it was grown. During this challenge, I really hope to encourage participation at every level. Whether this means this means starting to buy more organic foods, shopping at local farmers markets instead of mega grocery stores, planting some of your own vegetables, or joining me in a month of fully organic foods – every step is a step in the right direction and I fully acknowledge all of those who are willing to take action for both their health and the planet!

Important Note

I want to make the important note that although I truly believe eating organically is a huge step in the right direction – I also acknowledge that it is not fully the answer to our global food crisis. Practices such as soil tilling can be just as detrimental to soil health as are spraying pesticides.³ This is where the importance of “regenerative agriculture” comes into practice like the awesome folks at “Farmers Footprint” teach. We need to revolutionize the entire way we view food and our food system. I think the true answer is getting back to the land, growing more of our own food, eating locally and seasonally, and being connected to farmers.

Stay Tuned!

During and after the challenge I will be sharing all about the tips I learn, the struggles I face, the “organic budget friendly recipes” I create, the cool connections I make, and the new things I discover. I can’t wait to spread the word so stay tuned 🙂

Sources

1. https://plantproof.com/gmo-food-soil-health-with-dr-zach-bush/
2. https://zachbushmd.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Glyphosate-Article-for-Holistic-Primary-Care-3-21-16.pdf
3. https://podcastnotes.org/2019/01/08/bush/