I have heard the term "eating organic" used in many different ways - both negative and positive. Used negatively, it is most often inserted in sentences that begin with "My family doesn't like it when I cook organic food," associating healthy preparations with organic ingredients. Used positively, it is connected with making choices about eating healthfully, keeping up with current information on organic standards, and preparing or perhaps growing one's own food.

Taken literally, "eating organic" means to eat a diet that is natural, pesticide- and additive-free, which admittedly can be hard to do 100% of the time. Foods can be prepared at home or in a restaurant with organic ingredients, but it is misleading to think that "organic food" is a type of food that can somehow be judged by mistaking the source for its flavor.

So how does one "eat organic"? For many, moving towards eating organic foods may mean changing habits about not only what foods are eaten but also how they're eaten. The shift may be eating more meals at home with foods prepared by scratch in order to connect the dots between making thoughtful choices about eating a wide variety of foods and incorporating healthful ingredients into balanced meals.

If your family already cooks at home, then eating organically may be as simple as exchanging conventional ingredients for organics in favorite recipes. Perhaps your favorite recipes aren't all that healthy, though: there the challenge is to transition to preparing favorite tastes in a more healthful manner. Swapping out refined ingredients for whole grains, gathering new healthy recipes, or taking a cooking class (here I insert a shameless plug for the healthy cooking classes that I teach) are all ways to make the transition easier.

If cooking has not been a priority in your home, then the changes might be a little more intense: it definitely takes more time to shop, prepare and cook fresh foods than it does to pick up fast food or microwave a dinner. But the advantages of cooking for one's diet are many, including eating higher quality and fresher foods that have a lower sodium content, healthier fats, and less sugar. If there are children at home to help with some of the preparations, there may be additional benefits. Kids are more likely to try a wider variety of foods if they have had a hand in making it.

No matter what the transition to eating more organics looks like in your home, there is one little change that everyone can make: eating a larger proportion of organic vegetables and fruits at every meal. These are the powerhouses of a good diet, keeping our hearts healthy, our bodies protected from environmental damage, holding cholesterol in check, and maintaining our weight at optimum levels. It can be as simple as adding a salad or steamed vegetables to the dinner plate, extra fruit in a bowl of oatmeal or a smoothie, or eating a piece of fruit as a snack.