Why go organic?
Q. Dr. Meletis, I have friends and family that don’t understand why I choose organic food and supplements. How would you respond to the comment “Our grandparents didn’t have an organic section in their store, so why do you feel the need to buy organic”? Also, how can I help my body detoxify from unavoidable toxins?
A. Still to this day, some of my highest educated and wealthiest patients ask, “Why should I spend extra money on buying organic supplements and foods?” Though often they have vehicles worth north of 50k and treat them impeccably. I find it odd that we often take better care of purchased items than our ultimate possession — our bodies.
I urge my patients to access organic produce and free-range animal products, as this is the best single investment in your body. After all, we are what we eat. I present this simple concept: As kids, we were shorter and weighed less. What were the building blocks for those extra cells as we grow?
Over 200 chemicals are present in umbilical cord blood — the lifeline to growing babies, as reported in Scientific America. The problem is that we are “no longer in Kansas,” meaning life is no longer as it was in past generations. If you or your family and friends are not familiar with the Dirty Dozen™, they are the worst non-organic produce to eat.
We all must do our best to lessen our chemical exposures starting today. This means eating with intention and fueling our body with the best foods and supplements available.
Supporting the body’s detoxification pathways via ingestion of clean water, air, foods, and supplements is critical. Also critical is moving one’s digestive tract two to three times a day to rid pollutants from the body, decreasing re-absorption and protecting the liver and its function. Keep in mind that the liver is the ultimate protective GI tract organ.
My favorite go-to botanical to support detox is Organic Milk Thistle that contains flavonoids such as quercetin, kaempferol, and apigenin, along with vitamin E and plant sterols: campesterol, stigmasterol, and sitosterol. Milk Thistle contains the very well researched, protective constituents silymarin and silybin that have been shown in various studies to help the liver handle toxic burdens and support its functions to help increase the master antioxidant activity substance glutathione.
Another thing you can talk about with your organic-shy friends is this concept: Choosing organic foods and supplements means you are voting with your dollars to support farmers and manufacturers that keep our water, air, and soil clean with organic practices — now and for future generations.
Peace and Abundant Blessings,
Dr. Chris Meletis, N.D.
