Can going organic improve your love life?

Webster defines love as “a strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties” and we all know that bringing love into our lives happens when we truly love ourselves. Manifesting this love of self takes many forms such as nourishing our body, soul and mind. How then can going organic bolster your love of self and improve your chances for a long life filled with affection, joy and pleasure?

Taking care of your body is the first step to a life of love. It may be the mauve sheen on that curvaceous organic eggplant that excites you but you can also be assured that it wasn’t sprayed with pesticides and herbicides. That organic eggplant must meet stringent USDA standards in order to bear the USDA seal.  Third party inspectors verify that it has been grown and handled without persistent and toxic chemicals. Many EPA-approved pesticides were registered long before extensive research linked these chemicals to cancer and other diseases. In recent news the World Health Organizations cancer agency declared the world’s most widely used weed killer a “probable human carcinogen”. Staying cancer free will assure you years of love, adoration and joy.

 Bringing yourself pleasure is one surefire expression of self-love. When you walk down the produce aisle do you choose that organic berry because of its sweet aroma rising aloft from its ruby shoulders? Does the organic tomato beckon you with its promise of backyard summer flavor? Do the USDA organic pasture raised eggs create the fluffiest yellow omelets that melt in your mouth like a French dream?

The primary focus of organic farming is to use practices that build healthy soils. Healthy organic soils are living breathing organisms with literally millions of bacteria, fungi and protozoa not to mention earthworms and millipedes. Healthy soils translate into agricultural products that are often more delicious because they have been nurtured by ecology instead of chemicals. When you bite into that early organic Macintosh apple the squirt of delight will send your taste buds reeling!

Drinking lots of pure clean water keeps us moving, svelte and sexy! Studies suggest that drinking water aids weight loss, keeps our digestive tract moving and helps fight fatigue when working out. It can actually make us feel better by fighting dehydration leading to a higher sense of well-being. Organic farming protects our water resources by eliminating the polluting chemicals and nitrogen leaching associated with conventional farming. According to a USGS technical announcement in 2011, Monsanto’s Glyphosate, is now commonly found in rain, streams and rivers in agricultural areas in the Mississippi River watershed. If you want to avoid the “I’ve got headache” routine, drink more water and protect our water resources by choosing organic.

Helping to mitigate climate change is alluring and attractive!  Organic agriculture helps keep rural communities healthy and robust by offering alternative markets that can command fair prices for crops. Organic farmers have led the way with innovative on-farm research aimed at reducing pesticide use and minimizing agriculture’s impact on the environment. According to the Rodale Institute “we could sequester more than 100% of current annual CO₂emissions with a switch to widely available and inexpensive organic management practices, which they term “regenerative organic agriculture.” If organic farming can help counteract carbon emissions why aren’t we all engaging in an orgy of organic products every day?

You run with a fashionable group of people if you want to avoid GMOs in your food.  According to the esteemed Chuck Benbrook, herbicide-resistant crop technology has led to a 527 million pound increase in herbicide use in the United States between 1996 and 2011, and overall pesticide use increased by an estimated 404 million pounds, or about 7%. The good news is that organic agriculture expressly prohibits the use of genetically modified foods (GMOs) in production. 90% of Americans support mandatory labeling of GMOs and 64 countries around the world require it. If you’re part of this movement you are bound to find someone like-minded and stimulating to love!

Knowing your place in nature keeps your senses heightened and receptors open for love! When you walk outside and take that moment to listen to the bees and watch the flight of the butterflies you realize you are in the midst of a web of life that is both beautiful and awe inspiring. Your animal self is awakened by the realization that you are part of a natural phenomenon that seeks balance and harmony. But according to leading biologists, the bad news is that we are in the midst of one of largest mass extinction of species ever recorded. We sit precariously on the edge of a changing world where many plants and animals are disappearing. It’s actually written in the USDA regulations that organic producers must promote ecological balance and conserve biodiversity! Organic farming encourages wildlife by including forage crops in rotation and by retaining fence rows, wetlands, and natural areas. Taking your place to preserve this fragile web of life by choosing organic brings a visceral sense of self-love for you and the planet. Visit Simply Centered Blog “How Slow Can You Go?”

It is true then that choosing organic can increase your self-love and your love for life.  Oscar Wilde once said “To love oneself is the beginning of a life-long romance.” Isn’t that the best love life you can ever achieve?  Go organic! Let me know what results you have!