In computer programming, there’s a saying: Garbage in, garbage out. The same is true of the human body. If you put the wrong things into your mouth, you won’t be able to function at your optimum level, because your body’s biochemistry will be adversely affected, causing all kinds of havoc, and, in many cases, illness.

Our current food supply, bought from big supermarkets and full of boxed and packaged foods, is not designed for your optimum health and nutrition, but is instead designed to make the food corporations, big agribusiness and their seed suppliers, big pharma and the “health” industry rich. If you read labels, and learn how to decipher those disguised ingredients, you’ll discover that most prepackaged “foods” are cleverly disguised versions of the crops subsidized by the US government for farmers to grow, a corporate money machine that ensures your ill-being as it strips your wallet of tax dollars.

The ingredients made from those subsidy crops have, since their introduction into the food supply, sharply increased the incidences of heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure, to name a few ills they’ve caused. The addition of high fructose corn syrup into almost every prepackaged food has helped cause the Obesity Epidemic in the US. And, because of the subsidies and the ability for corporations to reap huge profits, corn and other subsidy crops have been genetically modified (GMO) to increase yield. The problem is that those GMO Crops cause organ damage in humans and bee colony collapse, which threatens our whole food system.

What’s the answer?

Eating food that looks like food is the best place to start– raw fruits and vegetables, whole grains and nuts, milk and cheese, even if it takes a bit more time to cook.

But produce and other food in the supermarket is also a problem for your health. Food that has been grown in petrochemically fertilized soil, and treated with herbicides and pesticides is bad for your health and the health of every other living being. Those fertilizers wash out to the sea and create huge dead zones, like the ones in the Chesapeake Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. Pesticides can never be completely washed off, and even newborn infants bear traces of pesticides in their blood from their mothers. Pesticides are, in many cases, carcinogenic, and since their introduction into the food supply, cancer rates have soared.

In addition to pesticide and herbicide use, the types of fruits and vegetables grown for the supermarkets are designed for “high yield” which gives higher profits, since produce is usually sold by the pound. These hybrids are heavier because they’re designed to retain more water, which also means there are less nutrients, less fiber and less sustenance in supermarket produce, which leaves you hungry and unfulfilled.

Organic produce is better for you. But by the time it gets to the supermarket or your local health food store, it’s travelled many miles, and been picked days, and sometimes weeks before you buy it. Every day that passes between harvest and consumption represents lost nutrients. Petrochemicals are burned, fouling our atmosphere to get the produce to the packing plant and then to your table. And the packing plants have been shown to be a leading cause of food contamination.

The best way to ensure that your diet is the healthiest possible is to grow your own organic food. Growing organic veggies and fruits ensures you are eating the freshest, healthiest, and most nutritionally dense food possible. Even if you live in a city, you can grow at least some of your own food in containers, sprout seeds, and participate in a neighborhood garden. Some organic produce can be purchased from local growers, or you can participate in an organic CSA.

Reprogram your body for your best health and wellness. Grow your own organic food!