Where Do I Shop From? (conventional or organic)

by Travis
(Illinois)

Q Ok So Can I Shop From A Grocery Store Like Jewls,dominicks,walmart,etc.To Get My Lettuce,celery,grapes,bananas,etc. Or Should I Try to convince my mom to take me to the local farmers market. but this is the problem i heard the fruit and vegatables from the local grocery store are not good because they spray them with pesticides killing the emyzmes if im correct. or can i still buy my fruits and veggies from the grocery store still is it still considered raw foods or organic. im just a little confused.

BTW im 17 male Trying to lose alot of weight im obese. Also I was wondering can you or anybody else send me a free juicer. my mom cant afford one shes out of work right now.and i really want to lose weight and do a raw foods lifestyle.

A The advantage of buying at the farmers market is that the produce is fresher, sometimes less expensive, and usually a good portion is organically grown, however it’s better to eat conventionally grown produce than none at all.

The pesticides and chemical fertilizers used on conventionally grown produce don’t affect the enzymes, but do contribute to our daily toxic load. If you’re eating less meat and dairy then you’re not getting the toxins from those foods so your toxic load may be a wash, or even less even if you are eating conventionally grown produce. One of the main draw backs to conventional produce is that farmers typically only add 3 additives to the soil, potassium, nitrogen, and phosphorus instead of the wide spectrum of nutrients added to organically grown foods. If the nutrients are not present in the soil then they will not be in the food grown in that soil. This is important because most of the western world eats a diet lacking in minerals, and minerals are the precursors to tens of thousands of metabolic functions carried out by the body each day.

Having said all this, it’s still better to consume conventional veggies if nothing else is available. You can grow your own organic veggies in containers or a small garden patch, and grow sprouts indoors. The book ‘The Square Foot Gardener’ is great for making the best of limited space.

I would look in the local thrift stores for a juicer and blender to make green smoothies.

There may be a local raw food potluck near you where you’ll meet others for mutual support on your journey to greater health. This website and my newsletter has loads of information on the raw food diet and juicing, so I would encourage you to learn from it and implement what works for you.

Best of luck to you Travis.