Conventional, Organic, and Regenerative Farming and Foods

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Note: Short posts like this one offer a big-picture look at nutrition, lifestyle, and sustainability topics. For a deeper dive into this subject, or any other one, reach out about my virtual classes or one-on-one sessions!

Buying Food with Best Intentions

Have you ever found yourself stuck standing between the organic section and “regular” section of produce in a grocery store? Then wondering whether to buy something organic that looks absolutely identical to the non-organic option? Even as a holistic nutrition consultant, this happens to me! In other words, you aren’t alone.

Even with the best intentions of eating healthily, shopping for any type of food can be overwhelming and confusing. I’ll let you in on a secret: it’s totally not your fault. The food industry is scarily fantastic at purposely confusing consumers.

For today, let’s just take a big-picture view at three common terms related to how produce is grown. Remember to be kind to yourself knowing that just by learning more about the food you eat is a HUGE step toward better health.

Conventional

Conventional food, also commonly referred to as traditional, is grown utilizing:

• Monocropping: growing the same crop on the same land repeatedly. This depletes biodiversity and nutrients requiring dependence on harmful chemical fertilizers to maintain growth.
• Synthetic fertilizers & pesticides: harmful chemical compounds used to quickly enhance crop growth and kill pests (that also contaminates nearby water sources and breathing air).
• Mechanized tilling: machines that loosen, turn and mix soil in preparation for planting crops.This leads to soil damage and erosion, and a dangerous release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Consistently consuming conventional produce means you may not be getting the nutrients your body needs. The build-up of any chemicals in your body, including those from food, can also lead to serious health challenges.

Organic

In contrast to conventional farming, organic farming uses these methods:

• Natural fertilizers & pesticides: manure, food waste, and decomposed plants as fertilizers nourish soil health while biopesticides (plants, good bacteria, and minerals like garlic extract or flower oils) deter pests.
• Crop rotation: seasonal planting ofdifferent crops prevents erosion and maintains the soil’s biodiversity, boosting nutrient availability for all food grown on that soil.
• No-till practices: cover crops control weeds and protect the richness of the soil in between planting then are gently crushed into the soil, allowing for direct seed planting.

Eating produce grown organically ensures a better chance of consuming the nutrients your body needs to function properly. You’re also simultaneously supporting the environment since these types of farms aren’t damaging the atmosphere and water with harmful chemicals.

Regenerative

Taking it up a notch from organic is regenerative farming. To regenerate simply means to replace or restore something damaged and bring it new life. These farms don’t just avoid harmful practices—they improve the health of the land, water and environment in everything they do.

Regenerative farmers take a holistic approach and consider the entire ecosystem of their farm, and the planet. They go above and beyond providing healthy food by committing to make the entire planet a better place for all organisms to live and thrive, one farm at a time.

If you have access to a regenerative farm near you, purchasing your produce from them ensures you are not only supporting your own health, but are also making a huge impact on the future of our planet.

Empowered Decisions

By now you might be thinking ‘That’s a lot to think about just to buy my groceries this week!’ But don’t sweat it! This is just a little bit of information you can keep in mind next time you’re standing in the produce section looking back and forth between the organic and conventional items.

If you’re just starting to add more fruits and veggies to your diet, keep at it! An increase of any kind or quality of produce is part of the path to better health. And if you’re ready for the next step and have access, exploring more organic fruits and veggies is a huge thank you to your body, and the planet. Wherever you are in your health journey, you are headed in the right direction just by being curious.

I hope you enjoyed exploring this topic! Feel free to leave a comment below with your experience—questions are always welcome too! Reminder to check back weekly for new posts! You can also subscribe for my monthly newsletter featuring the latest articles and recipes.