Why organic?
Although the research is still relatively new, the science is clear that the pesticides used on crops are extremely damaging to our health. The vast majority of all crops (fruits, vegetables, and grains) grown anywhere around the world today, are sprayed with chemicals. The chemicals are designed to either keep bugs off the plants, or to help the plants grow bigger and faster. For these chemical sprays to be effective, they must be biologically active, or toxic. These toxic chemicals have been linked to countless long-term health problems in humans.
By definition, organic foods are free of synthetic additives like pesticides, chemical fertilizers, and dyes, and must not be processed using industrial solvents, irradiation, or genetic engineering, according to the USDA. Our experience has taught us that it’s definitely not a perfect science, and blowing winds and running rain water can pollute even organic crops with a certain amount of pesticides. But there’s no doubt that organic foods are significantly cleaner than conventional foods, and for this reason, we insist on this higher standard for our children.
Some people ask, “Why not just wash the produce really well when you get it home from the store?” You could certainly do that, and for sure it’s better than ingesting the food before washing it. However, there are two challenges to consider with this approach: Firstly, simply rinsing the produce with water does not remove the pesticide residues. Even using the pesticide removal sprays available at some health food stores doesn’t remove all of the toxins. And secondly, this does nothing at all for the packaged and processed non-organic foods that are consumed from a can, box, or bag.
For this reason, not only do we use organic ingredients, but we also are very committed to serving minimal packaged and processed foods. At MMA, we realize that the foods we eat directly affect our ability to function in the world. Therefore, we strive for clean eating. We rarely use foods from a can, bag, or box, and when we do, we make sure that they do not include preservatives, dyes, chemicals, or other artificial ingredients. All of our meals are lovingly made from scratch in our organic, kosher kitchen. We all become what we eat, and at MMA we strive for clean bodies, clean minds, and clean hearts.
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