Grocery shopping part II: 10 compelling reasons to buy organic

Why should you go organic? Here are 10 compelling reasons to put down the conventional products...
1. Keep chemicals off your plate. Pesticides are poisons designed to kill living organisms and thus are harmful to humans. Many EPA-approved pesticides were registered long before extensive research linked these chemicals to cancer, autoimmune diseases and a host of other malfunctions in the body. Want to know the EXACT chemicals on your foods? Search whatsonmyfood.com for your favorite fruits and vegetables.
2. Help lose weight. Toxins in the body make it diffcult for our metabolism to function optimally from interupting the thryoid function to affecting hormone levels.
3. Protect future generations. Children are four times more sensitive to exposure to cancer-causing pesticides in foods than adults.
4. Protect water quality. The EPA estimates that pesticides pollute the public’s primary source of drinking water for more than half the country's population.
5. Organic farmers work in harmony with nature. Three billion tons of topsoil is eroded from croplands in the U.S. each year, and much of it is due to conventional farming practices, which often ignore the health of the soil. Organic agriculture respects the balance necessary for a healthy ecosystem; wildlife is encouraged by including forage crops in rotation and by retaining fencerows, wetlands and other natural areas.
5. Save energy. More energy is now used to produce synthetic fertilizers than to till, cultivate and harvest all the crops in the US.
7. Support a true economy. Organic foods might seem expensive at first. However, your tax dollars pay for hazardous waste clean-up and environmental damage caused by conventional farming.
8. Mineral Rich Soil. Planting large plots of land with the same crop year after year tripled farm production between 1950 and 1970, but the lack of natural diversity of plant life has negatively affected soil quality, leaving mineral levels extremely low. MInerals are crucial for the body to function optimally.
9. Nourishment. Organic farming starts with the nourishment of the soil, in turn producing nourishing plants. Well-balanced soil produces strong, healthy plants that have more nutrients than conventionally grown produce.
10. Flavor. Organic produce simply tastes better. Conduct your own taste test!
Check out Urban Organics, a New York organic produce and grocery delivery service