How Organic Produce Delivery Can Make you Happier and Healthier

This post written by guest blogger – Emily Stoffel

If you’re reading this post, there’s a good chance you already know a little something about the benefits of eating fresh, local and organically grown produce – or maybe you’re exploring a new option in the New Year.  (Congrats!) Regardless, there are plenty of ways in which organic produce delivery can make you happier and healthier. Sure, some of them may only apply to those with a thumb as crippling and black as mine (see “Sparing Your Garden from Certain Death,” below), but generally speaking, an organic produce delivery program is sure to keep your belly full, your face smiling, and your bill of health nice and clean. Here’s how.

You’ll be happier…

Supporting the local economy

Who doesn’t feel good about buying local? An organic produce delivery program allows you to support local farmers and producers while taking advantage of their unbeatably fresh, seasonal harvest. It’s win-win.

Knowing where your food is coming from. Much the like the item above, there’s joy in knowing where your food was produced, which family produced it and why it was hand-selected for your consumption. With a Full Circle delivery, in particular, you’ll know where your produce hails from – and in many cases, you’ll receive a profile of the farm or family that grew it.

Improving the environment

Ok, so this continues with the same theme, but hear me out. The other day, I went to a local grocery store and noticed they offered chayote, a relatively uncommon winter gourd that can be enjoyed much in the way you’d enjoy a squash. (Stir-fries, soups, etc.) Impressed, I picked one up to see where it was grown. Surely it would be local, I assumed. After all, I have friends just across the Bay that grow chayote in their backyards with little more than a trellis and a prayer.  But do you know where that bugger was from? Costa. Frickin. Rica. Meaning that little guy was shipped to my market (or at least my neck of the woods) from more than 3,500 miles away. Add in the packaging (the farther it has to travel, the more packaging needs to be involved) and that dimply ol’ thing has a carbon footprint that Big Oil would be ashamed of. Almost.

Sparing your garden from certain death

Try as I might, I can’t keep a plant alive to save my own life. (Fitting, really, that I’d perish as well.) Cacti. Tomatoes. Even herbs all die at the curse of my touch. Being able to enjoy the fresh, organic produce that I wish I could grow in my own yard, minus the suffering, equals pure elation.

Saving money

Having produce delivered straight to your door might seem like a bit of a luxury, but the truth is that it’s really quite affordable. Take into account what you might spend in a week for produce at the market. Now consider how that would increase if you chose all organic purchases. It adds up quickly. Even more costly are the meals you end up purchasing when you turn to a bare refrigerator. (At our house, it’s far more tempting to order in or eat out when the crisper drawers are empty.) A regular produce delivery keeps the icebox stashed with all the fixin’s you need for a healthy and delicious meal at home, so you’re less likely to cave to pizza delivery or pricey convenience foods.

You’ll be healthier…

Eating foods that are freshly picked

It’s widely known that produce, once picked, rapidly deteriorates in appearance and nutritional value. Because of this, some produce is treated with chemicals or preservative waxes to help maintain a desirable appearance in the grocery bin. By eating fresh, local and organic produce that hasn’t suffered from days or weeks of packaging, processing, and shipping, you’re able to take advantage of more of the foods’ nutritional value.

Consuming fewer toxins

Recently, there’s been a bit of a debate over the long-term health effects (if any, some would argue) of eating non-organically produced foods that have been treated with chemicals or pesticides. I appreciate the time and research that both sides have contributed to the argument, but when it comes down to it, I opt for the food without a question mark dangling above it. Regardless of what long-term effect these chemicals might have on my family’ health, I’ve tasted an apple that is bitter with chemical residue, and if I have the chance to avoid it, I’m going to take it.

Eating in season

An Ayurvedic practitioner could tell you that healthful digestion and balance is achieved when we consume the appropriate foods at the appropriate times. It’s why we crave hydrating foods like lettuces and melons at the peak of summer and comforting soups and rich casseroles in December. Enjoying produce at the peak of its season hits all the same notes.

Reducing stress

Also known as “spending more time with family and less time obsessing over groceries.” (This could definitely be in the Happy category, too.) Maybe an organic produce delivery service is not a wave of the magic wand, but it does ensure you have the opportunity to serve your family a fresh and healthy meal more frequently. When the produce comes to you, it’s one less stop you have to make at the market on the way home, or one less excuse to take a spin through the drive-through. Why’s that? Because when you’ve got a rainbow of veggies staring back and you from the fridge, it’s hard to deny them. Any why would you want to? Eating fresh, local, organic produce doesn’t only taste good — it feels good. And, if it wasn’t already mentioned above, happiness and great health certainly go hand in hand.

About Emily Stoffel

Emily lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, Chris, and their three bikes. In addition to attempted kitchen wizardry, her passions include renewable fuel marketing, chatting with Mama and planning elaborate vacations that sometimes work out. Follow Emily’s (nearly) daily adventures in food, love and life at www.ThePigandQuill.com, on Facebook and Twitter.

The views and opinions of guest authors do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Full Circle.