Did you know, the month of September is Organic Harvest Month, and with this annual event brings awareness and a chance to support farmer’s who choose to produce their crops without chemicals? It’s wildly true! I love our organic farmers. They care enough about “real” foods and their health benefits to produce crops in a natural and organic way without having to use synthetic chemicals. Chemicals that can hurt wildlife, soil, water and even humans. Chemicals that can increase your risk for many diseases and conditions including ADHD in children, which has been linked to 
pesticides. See more here. Chemicals that leach into our ground water. According to USGS “Pesticide contamination of ground water is a subject of national importance because ground water is used for drinking water by about 50 percent of the Nation’s population.”
So many things are affected by this choice.
The choice that is up to the farmer. The choice that we in turn can choose to support. Supporting the organic farmer’s who care about our health and the health of all other eco-systems by purchasing ORGANIC can make a BIG difference on so many levels. I like to think of my dollars going into the organic farming community as part of my family’s health insurance policy!
Unfortunately, I am not able to purchase everything organic, but I do buy the things that we need and want the most – that have the greatest risk. We have really thought about what foods we love the most and compared them to the EWG’s printable list of the Dirty Dozen. It’s an easy to use and convenient to carry, list of the produce that has the most and least amounts of pesticides. We may not all be able to buy 100% organic foods 100% of the time, but we can take steps to reduce the amounts and exposure.
Since September is “National Organic Harvest Month”, this month I am reminded of how important it is to support our organic farmers. September always reminds me of wholesome foods, fresh baked pies, cool mornings at the Farmer’s Market…and how lovely it is that we have this choice. This month, I am celebrating our freedom to choose healthier foods. We deserve this!
I hope I have encouraged you to think about the foods that your family eats the most of and start from there! Every change, big or small, can make a difference!
