12 Days of Wellness: Day 6
Why Clean Organic Supplements Matter for Immune Health
Many people wonder, “Is it really worth the extra expense to choose organically grown foods and certified organic supplements? Is it just another marketing scheme?”
The old adage, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” applies well to this debate. You can pay a little more now, or pay a lot more later in healthcare costs and sick days. There is no denying that toxins in our air, water, and food place an extra burden on our body’s detoxification mechanisms and sap precious energy that our immune system needs to defend us from pathogens. In fact detoxification pathways and the immune system work together to maintain balance for our amazing bodies!
What Could It Hurt?
Your kidneys, liver, lungs, skin, and intestinal tract are all detoxification pathways to help you eliminate toxic substances. Some are made by your own cells in their normal daily activities. Others are coming in from Air, Water, and Food and do not support your healthy living.
Your immune system is tasked with protecting you from outside invaders like bacteria and viruses, and alerting other cells that something is “off” in your body. The more “invaders” you encounter in the form of environmental toxins, the more taxed the immune system is. A taxed immune system cannot defend you well against a cold, a flu, or bacterial and fungal infections!
Bottom Line? Control what you can! You cannot do much today about the air you breathe outside, the car you have to drive to work, the buildings you must enter daily. But you can make a difference with water and food, body care products and supplements, and even clothing and cleaning products!
What Agricultural and Processing Chemicals Harm Our Health?
Common Pesticides (Herbicides, Insecticides, Fungicides) to Know
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Glyphosate (i.e. Round Up)
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Atrazine
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2,4-D
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Dicamba
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Chlorpyrifos
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Fungicides
Avoid Common Processed Food and Supplement Additives–On Labels
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Artificial Flavors
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Artificial Colors
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Non-Organic “natural” flavors
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Preservatives (BHA, BHT, Sulfites, Sorbates, Benzoates, nitrites/nitrates)
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Flavor Enhancers (MonoSodium Glutamate-MSG, yeast extracts)
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Artificial Sweeteners (Sucralose, Aspartame, Saccharin, Acesulfame potassium)
Bottom Line? Avoiding additives protects you, avoiding pesticides protects you AND the farmers who produce all our food! Your $$$ makes the choice.
Put Your Money Where It Matters Most
How To Decide When Choosing Organic is Most Important
Check the Updated “Dirty Dozen” and “Clean Fifteen” Lists of Fruits and Vegetables
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Some produce is more heavily sprayed with pesticides than other
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Also watch for the new chemical “coatings” that prevent spoilage
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Some produce accumulates toxic metals from unhealthy soil
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See Dirty Dozen List
Choose Organic Practices When Eating High On the “Food Chain”
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Animal products accumulate pesticides and hormones
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Certified Organic approved methods of preserving meats, dairy, and eggs are healthier options
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Sourcing animal products from local farms “closes the loop” and reduces toxic exposures as well as carbon footprint
What About Pre-Packaged Foods? Cereals, Pastas, Breads, Baking Mixes...
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Most processed foods and snacks contain the ingredients at highest risk of GMOs, and thus glyphosate contamination
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Corn, Soy, Canola (oil), Beet (sugar) are most likely sources of GMOs and glyphosate starting in 1996!
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Wheat, Barley, Rye, Rice, and Beans all may be sprayed with glyphosate to dry them out upon harvesting…since the 1980s!
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Certified Organic excludes the use of GMOs and glyphosate (or any herbicides)
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If you choose whole foods over processed foods, you don’t need to spend your money here
“Concentration Counts! Supplements Can “Concentrate” Toxins If Not Chosen Wisely
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“Synthesized” vitamins and minerals are typically pharmaceutical grade and not from farms, however…
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“Synthesized vitamins and minerals don’t act like food in our bodies
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"Plant based” or “Whole Food” supplements are concentrated from real food–don’t concentrate the toxins! Choose Certified Organic
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Grass Juice Powders, Fruit or Veggie powders, Whole Food Blends, Organs and Glandulars, Whey and Milk Proteins, Plant Protein Powders, Botanical Extracts ALL should be Certified Organic
Bottom Line? Choose REAL Whole Food Supplements and make sure the source foods are Certified Organic, even better Regenerative Organic Certified!
Check out my favorite site for searching foods, additives, cleaning products, and body care products to keep your body toxin-free and your immune system functioning optimally! EWG's 2025 Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce | Dirty Dozen