Of the Top 10 Nutrition Trends for 2010. The third is:

Trend #3 – Everyday Eco-Living – Many people have been gradually making “living green” part of their life. This extends from recycling at home, work, and play to selecting more locally grown foods and goods. However, although many people desire foods grown or processed locally, when it comes to price, it has to be cost-effective for them. As we see a more people buying organic foods, we expect the price of organic goods to decrease ,which should help to increase the use of organic goods to grow in your local supermarkets.

- This is a good thing! The phrase Going Green has never been so widely used. It is amazing how things have changed in just a few years. Ever since the gas prices went sky high did people wake up and see how our lifestyles will eventually affect our livelihood. We are learning to respect the local farmers and appreciate fresh picked fruits and vegetables. We understand that we may not always be able to count on imported, delicacies and need to learn more about what is grown in our own towns and state.

I do hope more and more quality food is available at an affordable price. I would prefer eating organic fruits and vegetables as I would like to avoid the pesticides and get as much nutrition from my food as possible. Currently organic produce at the grocery store is often less than desirable. It looks like it has been sitting there for weeks and does not always taste fresh. I have to wonder if eating fresher non-organic fruits and veggies isn’t better for you? Taste and texture is important and they is no way disguise limp celery and carrots and mushy apples and wilted lettuce. If more and more people are demanding these products the quality will have to increase and prices will go down.

We are learning to be more careful about what we are eating and have faith in the word “organic” as we know it must be good for us. Many of us are relying on this label so we do not have to figure out what to buy on our own.
My advice is to select organic foods passively. Don’t be obsessed by the “organic” labeling. Instead learn to READ ingredients so that you know what you are buying and, eventually, eating. If you see a long list of ingredients of things you have no idea what they are, chances are it is not doing your body good. Natural, clean foods are always a better choice over highly processed, artificial, manufactured “franken” foods. To get a good laugh and possibly reduce your attraction for grocery baked goods….take a look at the ingredient label of cake or packaged dessert in the bakery of your local grocery store. Why the long, long list of strange ingredients? Have you ever made a dessert with that many scientific sounding ingredients? Compare that with a cake or pie at Whole Foods or in the natural foods section of your grocery store and you will see normal things like flour, eggs, cream, milk, sugar, butter, etc. Reading labels can really cut down your intake of processed junk food. It was the cure for me!

I challenge you to now go and read the label of those Dorritos in your cupboard…. = )