Organic foods seem to be everywhere these days -- from the corner store to the grocery store, there are pesticide-free, unprocessed, free-range foods on every shelf. But could you live on nothing but organic foods? Think about it -- you'd only have a handful or restaurants to choose from, and you might have to give up on some of your favourite dishes altogether. Could you do it?

One doctor in California did, and he recently spoke to the New York Times about his experiences on the all-organic diet. "This isn't a way of eating I could recommend to anybody else because it's so far off the beaten food grid," said Dr. Alan Greene. "It was much more challenging than I thought it would be, and I thought it would be tough. There were definitely days where there was nothing I could find that was organic." Still, he thinks it has improved his health. Read the full story here.

Your thoughts?

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If you buy the groceries in your house, you know that organic foods are a bit more expensive than non-organic foods. But a few extra cents and dollars here and there are a small price to pay for fresh, chemical-free foods, right?

Well, not exactly -- According to the New York Times, eating organics doesn't come at a small price. In fact, it can double your grocery bill. For the typical Thanksgiving day dinner: You'll typically be adding $100 to your final toll at the register. That's a bit of a hard number to deal with, particularly with the current economic situation.

This isn't to say that you shouldn't eat organic. Just shop wisely. Check out this post we did a while back listing what you should splurge on and what you should save on.

(via Calorie Lab)

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If you're expecting, not only should you not count calories, you should be wary of pesticides too, according to recent reports. In studying childhood obesity, researchers discovered a strong link between chemical contamination in the womb and cases of obesity in children. Just why this link exists is not yet clear, but it's thought that these findings could forever change the way foods are processed worldwide.

Chemicals that showed a link to obesity (called Obesogens) include organotins, bisphenol A (BPA), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), and phthalates. Unfortunately, it's believed the nearly everyone in the world has traces of these chemicals in their bodies.

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Studies show that vegetarians are less likely to develop heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, and some types of cancer.

When following a vegetarian diet, there are steps that can be taken to make this already healthy meal plan even healthier. Here are just a few of them:

• Incorporate lentils, beans, soybean products, nuts and seeds as protein sources
• Opt for whole grain products, such as whole wheat bread, rolled or steel cut oats, brown rice, and whole-grain cereals.
• If you don't consume any dairy products (which is the case with a Vegan diet), be sure to get enough calcium and vitamin D in your diet from fortified foods and soy-based products
• Be aware of how much sugar, salt, and fat are in foods that are easily assumed to be low in these three items
• If possible, purchase certified organic produce instead of fruits and vegetables that may have been sprayed with pesticides

Like I said, these are just a few tips. For all of you out there who have more tips like this to offer, please feel free to do so in the comments section below.

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What's the lowdown on buying organic? It's pretty hard to tell, with the mixed messages we are getting as consumers these days. The definitive study, though, tells us that not only is organic more nutritious, but it is better for the ground water and soil.

A few facts on organic foods:

• they contain up to 90% more antioxidants than conventionally grown food
• they've got higher levels of minerals
• as cancer-fighters, they win the race

Seems as though we should always buy organic, with those stats. Due to availability -- and our budgets! -- buying everything organic may not be an option, and if we're looking to do a real service to the environment, buying what's available locally is a better choice.

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Would you go organic if you could afford it? How about going half and half? If you do, here are eight items definitely worth the splurge: peaches, apples, sweet bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, and lettuce.

Why?

Because these foods rank the highest in amount of pesticides used to grow them. Some of the lowest pesticide-treated foods are onions, avocado, frozen sweet corn, pineapple, mango, frozen sweet peas, asparagus, and kiwi.

For a full list, from most pesticides to least, check out foodnews.org.

Shape magazine ran an interesting piece in their most recent issue, taking a look at how to shop for organic foods without breaking the bank. Buying green without spending too much of it, I suppose you could say. The article itself was based on the new book The Organic Food Shopper's Guide, written by Jeff Cox. Here is one of the tips mentioned in both the book and the article. It is certainly worth considering the next time you're in the grocery store and want to go Green.

Shop Smart

If you can't afford to go completely organic, be choosy with your fruits and vegetables. Because leafy green vegetables, strawberries, and most fruits with pits are the most susceptible to damage from bugs and mold, they are usually sprayed the heaviest with chemicals. Produce with skin that is removed before eating, though also sprayed with pesticides, is safer to eat as-is because chemicals can simply be scrubbed or peeled right off.

Therefore, to cut costs, spend the extra money on organic produce that falls into the first category mentioned. As for the second category, organic is probably still better, but buying the regular fruits and vegetables is not so bad (plus it will save you some coin).

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It's the season for spring cleaning, which means rearranging closets and packing your winter clothes away until next year. Then, come fall, there's nothing worse than unpacking everything only to find your favorite wool sweater chewed full of holes by moths and others bugs. The usual way to prevent that has traditionally been mothballs, but mothballs are basically little balls of toxic chemicals (the main active ingredient is a pesticide that has been linked to cataracts, liver damage, neurological damage, and even cancer) so you may want to consider trying some natural and non-toxic means of deterring moths this year. Options include cedar blocks or herbs (moths are deterred by cloves, rosemary, eucalyptus, lavender, cinnamon sticks and bay leaves) tied up in cheesecloth and hung off the hangers.

Health benefits and aromatherapy? Can't get much better than that.

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Many people are making more of a push to go natural with their food these days. Organic brands are starting to fill up shopping carts in grocery stores around the country, but not everyone is sold on the idea just yet. For some, eating the way they do it's just a matter of choice, which, of course, is their prerogative. For others, they may want to make the switch to natural foods, but are unsure where to even start.

To help that lot along, this month's issue of Women's Health magazine offers some helpful tips, starting with knowing the truth behind some common foods.

Milk. A 2005 USDA study found pesticides in 27 percent of conventional milk samples.

Potatoes. The same 2005 USDA study found that 81 percent of non-organic spuds contain pesticides -- even after washing and peeling.

Peanut Butter. Non-organic brands use fungicides to combat peanut mold. The same fungicides have been shown to decrease fertility in mice.

Ketchup. Organic brands have 57 percent more lycopene than non-organic brands. This healthy antioxidant is a known fighter of cancer and heart disease.

Apples. Non-organics use pesticides that have been linked to developmental problems in children and altered hormone levels in adults.

How and what you choose to eat is entirely up to you and, quite frankly, is not deserving of judgment. But, it's still worth knowing the facts, isn't it?

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Thanks to the human body's defense systems, we are able to fight off germs, infection and certain diseases. Additionally, some food additives, pesticides, herbicides and heavy metals are also contended with by this natural mechanism. With this ongoing struggle for health always taking place, it's vital that we do what we can to aid our bodies in the fight.

To do so, try to consume foods that are high in antioxidants to neutralize free radicals produced by toxins. Also, be sure to wash your fruits and vegetables, even if they are organic and locally grown. And lastly, consume green tea, for it acts as a chelator -- an agent that removes heavy-metal toxins from the body and replaces them with healthy elements.

To learn more ways to keep your body as healthy as you can, continue reading here.

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We ate at a new restaurant on Saturday night. Everything we ate was organic. I had an organic salad, organic bruschetta, organic wild salmon, organic veggies, and organic rice. My husband had what I had, and our kids -- who were a little hesitant about the menu at first glance -- ate quesadillas made with organic tortillas and organic cheese. They had organic apple juice and organic fruit bars for dessert. Everything was organic. Everything.

Our Saturday night meal was delicious, and filling, and while it was a bit expensive, it was grand. My husband remarked that he could get used to eating like we did for that one meal. I could too. And so I've revised my wish for a personal chef -- not only do I want my very own chef, I now want my very own organic chef.

It's common sense for many that eating organic -- this means consuming foods grown and prepared without pesticides, herbicides, chemical fertilizers, hormones, irradiation to prevent spoilage, and microwave cooking -- is healthier for the body and better for the environment. Make sense to you? If not, check out this article, which provides a few arguments about why you should bother to eat an organic diet.

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Millions of Americans have diabetes, and while obesity is thought to be a major cause, there may be some other underlying causes -- namely POPs, short for Persistent Organic Pollutants.

POPs are man-made chemicals that can be found in a number of pesticides and insecticides in both your home and garden. They've been linked to all sort of ailments, including cancer, birth defects and more, and now new evidence is suggesting that they might be to blame, at least in part, to diabetes. The frightening thing about POPs is that there's not much we can do to lessen our exposure -- they've been banned for decades but are still present in the soil, water and air. But our bodies store POPs in fatty tissue, so one thing we can do to fight the effects they can have on us is reduce the percentage of fat on our bodies.

For more info on POPs, click here.

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I'm a supporter of the organic movement and if I could, I would load my kitchen with organic, free-range and locally-produced items. Unfortunately, buying organic is more expensive than buying just the regular, run-of-the-mill foods, so I limit my organic-buying to mostly just some produce (the stuff you eat as-is, like apples and strawberries) and some dairy items. But I wonder -- should I be splurging on the organic version of other items? Or am I making the right choices when it comes to what organic items I buy?

This article lists what you should splurge on, organically speaking. Tip: start at the top of the food chain and make your meats and dairy free-range. The regular versions usually have hormones (ick!) As for produce, they list what items usually have the highest amount of pesticides, like apples, bell peppers, cherries, potatoes and strawberries to name a few.

What do you splurge on when buying organic?

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One thing that is quite disgusting is pesticide use these days. Mass fruit and vegetable manufacturers have to use harsh chemicals to keep those genetically-modified crops from being eaten by bugs and critters.

The only thing is that all that residue is passed on to the consumer -- and it's usually consumed as well. On that note, it's being found that students in many agricultural states are being subject to pesticides and have been for quite some time.

In California, there are orange and citrus groves near many schools -- have you ever smelled that funny smell when dropping your child off at school? It's hard to escape that environment unless you move (which many people have done). But, we love our inexpensive produce at the supermarket (but it's cheap for a reason).

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I know, I know, it really is a rant post, thinly disguised as a post about organic food.

But really, does organic food have to be dirty? I don't know about you, but I find that when I buy organic food, it tends to need a lot more washing than the conventional fruits and veggies. Tonight, for instance, it has never taken me so long to make a salad in my life. I had to wash, wipe and dry each individual leaf, due to the dirt and dead bugs. Yuck! It makes me understand why some people don't choose organic.

Does anyone else have this problem?

I know organic is better. I am not ingesting pesticides, the soil used is less depleted due to proper crop rotation, which means more nutrients, and it is great for the environment. But there are some days I don't want a head of green leaf lettuce to consume the better part of my afternoon.

Yes, I will continue to buy organic, and I will probably even try not to complain about it anymore. But I was just wondering if it is just me?