When you head to any grocery store in Vancouver, shopping for products like eggs, meat, fish, milk, and produce can be very tricky. Signs are posted everywhere labeling food as natural, organic, and a number of other things—but what’s the difference, really? Learning what specific names mean can help you decide if you should shell out extra money on a product of it is simply a marketing ploy.

Natural is a turn associated with a number of fruit and vegetable product. Typically, this is simple a marketing ploy to convince you to buy the product. After all, all fruits and vegetables are natural, right?

Unless it’s a new kind of food that has been developed and processed, the product is natural. What you really probably want is organic. Organic foods are grown without chemical pesticides and fertilizers. There are two main benefits to organic foods. First, you are helping the environment because those chemicals are not being introduced into nature. Secondly, you are avoiding ingesting chemicals and are therefore healthy more healthy foods. However, organic products are usually more expensive. Especially if you shop at Capers or Whole food.

If you’re on a budget, skip over organic fruits and vegetables that you can peel, like oranges and bananas. After all, once you’ve discarded the peel, you’ve also discarded the chemicals. Instead, opt for organic items like apples, where you eat the peel. No matter what you buy, however, make sure that you rinse off the food when you get home.

Another tricky label you will see is “no hormones.” This is usually in regards to milk or meat products and is false, since all animals naturally produce hormones. Hormones are what helps an animal (even a human) regulate body organs, have young, and otherwise function. All meat products have hormones. What the labels really mean is that no hormones were unnaturally given to the animal, which is sometimes done to increase milk production. Regardless of hormones, however, the milk and meat is safe for a person and not a violation of an animal’s rights.

Lastly, a label on eggs and meat can indicate if the animal was caged or penned. This does not make a difference in the quality or nutritional value of the meat, but is simply a matter of animal rights. These products may be a bit more expensive, but if you want to make human decisions, that is the way to go. Reading the label and making healthy choices can sometimes be difficult, but learning how to do so can help you make the best choices for you diet. Here’s a list of some organic places in Vancouver:

• Aran Foods Inc. (Vancouver) Aran Foods Inc. is a bakery specializing in 100% Spelt and dairy free bread and vegan, spelt bagels, cookies, muffins and…
• Naam Restaurant (The) (Organic Food, Vancouver) The Naam is a very busy vegetarian full-service restaurant located in the heart of Vancouver’s Kitsilano district.
  Blue Moon Organics (Port Moody) Enjoy the fruits and vegetables of the time-honoured ways of farming, before the widespread use of agrochemicals!
• Granville Island Tea Co. (Vancouver) Down to earth store specializing in customer service. Customers are our business, tea is just the vehicle.
• BrainFood Snack Co. (Organic Food, Abbotsford) BrainFood Snack Co. Quickly becoming known for it’s signature line of the highest quality trail mixes, which are mixed
• Small Potatoes Urban Delivery Inc (Vancouver) Small Potatoes Urban Delivery. We deliver the freshest natural organic fruit, vegetables and health foods, all chemical free,
• Choices Markets Ltd. (Delta, Organic Food) Choices Markets Ltd. is the leading gourmet and organic food grocer in the BC Lower Mainland. With 6 stores serving

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