Why All Organic Products Are Important

Columnist - Kristine Valenzuela

Although I absolutely love talking about food, I thought I would go in a slightly different direction with this month’s topic although it is still organic-related. I think by now I’ve covered the basics on organic produce and why it’s beneficial. I want to go a step further and talk about organic products in general. These days, stores are filled with organic everything - beauty products, household cleaners, clothing, pet food - the list goes on. As a consumer, I think having a wide variety of products to choose from is great but I’m not convinced everyone understands what they’re all about. In fact, the mass entrance of organic-everything into stores has many people feeling like the term ‘organic’ is just another marketing ploy. I’m quite happy to say it’s not just a loosely-used marketing term. There is a reason behind it.

The skin easily absorbs any type of toxins it comes in contact with. Up to 60% of certain ingredients in body products can get picked up by the bloodstream via the skin. Yes, 60%! These particles then accumulate in the organs over time and contribute to a variety of diseases. In addition to what happens to our bodies, conventional products also wreak havoc on the environment. Think about it: you have a can of foaming carpet cleaner that is empty (mostly) that you’ve just scrubbed into your carpet. You throw it in the trash. The trash goes to the landfill where it meets up with millions of other bottles, boxes, and cans with trace amounts of harmful ingredients. Add up those trace amounts in those millions of containers. Yep, you guessed it. It’s A LOT. That heap of toxicity gets absorbed into the dirt and floats into the water supply, tainting everyone and everything that it comes in contact with. I think you get the picture.

So it goes without saying that anything that comes in contact with the skin should be as ‘clean’ as possible to keep toxins and other harmful ingredients at bay. Not only is this better for you, it’s better for the environment. But be weary of marketing gimmicks designed to make you think you’re buying something natural. Only certified organic products can be labeled as such. If you’re in doubt of what you’re buying, read the labels. The same rule that applies to food products applies to other products: a 6th grader should be able to read and understand each ingredient. If not, then you might want to think twice about what you’re buying. Until next time...

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