How to Buy Organic Foods

Are you looking to improve your health?  If you are, you may want to start by switching to organic foods.  Organic foods are known for being all natural.  Organic foods differ from many of the other foods available for sale in grocery stores, as there are no artificial additives (aka toxins) added to natural, organic foods.  That is why many believe that eating organic foods can help to improve their health.

Image via WikipediaIf this is your first time looking to eat organic foods or if you are looking to make a full switch to eating organically, you may be unsure as to where you can purchase your foods from.  After a close examination, you will see that you have a number of different options.  In fact, many individuals are surprised when they see just how easy it is to find and buy all natural organic foods.

Before covering a few of the many places where organic foods can be found available for sale, it is first important that you know what to look for.  For one hundred percent natural, organic foods, it is important to search for the certified organic label or sticker.  These labels and stickers are often prominently displayed on organic foods.  When you see these certified organic stickers or labels, you know that what are buying is “truly,” organic.  In fact, manufacturers cannot claim that their foods are organic unless they meet specific standards.

Image by brian glanz via FlickrAs for where you can find organic foods for sale, one of the most common (and absolute best) places that organic foods are purchased from is locally.  When looking to shop locally for organic foods, you should have a number of different options.  The best place to start is at your local farmer's market - foods here are the freshest (often harvested that very day), and many times you can find them at a great price. Be sure to ask if they are organic or not, as not all local farmers grow organically. CSA programs are cropping up everywhere lately, so see if you can find a CSA in your area, as many of these use certified organic growing practices, and you can actually save quite a bit of money.

Another option is supermarkets or grocery stores.  Most have an organic food section.  Depending on the supermarket in question, this organic food section can be quite small, but a large number of products are often featured.  You just may not have as many product brands to choose from.  (We still recommend you look for locally grown, however, if at all possible.)

Another way that you can go about finding organic foods for sale locally is by visiting an organic food store, also commonly referred to as a natural food store.  These are stores that specialize solely in the selling of all natural, organic foods.  Although many individuals find it easier to shop for organic foods at a grocery store or supermarket, as it can sometimes be more convenient to do so, specialty food stores are increasing popularity.  Now, many large cities and towns have them.  If you do have access to a specialty organic food store, consider shopping there, as you are likely to find the largest selection of products with reasonable prices.

As nice as it is to shop locally, you may not have a specialty organic food store to shop at or you may be unimpressed with the selection of organic foods at your local grocery stores.  If that is the case, you can also shop online.  There are a number of organic food stores that can be found online, with a standard internet search.  These food stores often sell organic foods from a number of different companies or brands.  There are also a number of organic food manufacturers that sell their own brands online.

In keeping with shopping online for organic foods, you may be surprised with what you can find available for sale.  In fact, many individuals mistakenly believe that shopping online for organic foods limits their selection of products, but it doesn’t have to.  For example, Earth’s Best Organic specializes in food designed for babies and small children.  They offer organic baby formula, organic first foods, and organic meals and snacks for toddlers and preschoolers.  Diamond Organic, which is based out of California, carries a wide range of organic foods, including fresh vegetables.  It is also possible to find and buy frozen organic dinners online as well.

As highlighted above, there are a number of different ways that you can go about buying organic foods, both on and offline.  We happen to believe it is very important to shop from local farmers if at all possible. This way you are not only supporting your own family's health, but also the health of your local community, and the planet as a whole. (For more ideas on finding locally grown foods, visit http://www.newholisticliving.com/csa.html.)