Students looking for a healthy way to cleanse their diet should look no further than organic eating.
Joel Finney, produce manager at Earth Fare, said organic foods are without pesticides, added hormones or artificial colorings.
"Pretty much anything that companies put in food to make it last longer, organic does not have," Finney said.
Koral Myrex, senior in graphic design, has been eating entirely organic for the last year.
Myrex has always tried to eat healthy, but with school starting and a stressful schedule, she became ill from an unhealthy diet.
Myrex said she was able to make the transition to organic without trouble.
"It was pretty much at once," Myrex said. "When I got sick, I really realized I need to do this right."
Myrex said before the switch she didn't like eating vegetables or drinking water.
"Once I started, it's about how you feel, not about how it tastes," Myrex said. "When I eat normal food now, I get sick, and I don't feel good."
Since the transition Myrex has seen only positive changes to her overall wellness.
"Since then, I have so much more energy," Myrex said. "I don't feel so tired all the time. I feel better about myself."
Katie Ward, senior in business administration, only eats partially organic, including items such as organic peanut butter, granola, yogurt and produce.
Ward said she has chosen to take a gradual transition to eating organic as opposed to all at once.
"When I can't taste the difference, I choose organic food," Ward said. "Some organic doesn't taste as good as the unnatural."
Finney said without the additives or extra hormones the food won't be able to damage organs.
For example, Finney said with conventional eggs the animals are caged up, and chickens usually walk around in their own feces.
"So with our eggs, they are cage-free," Finney said. "That way chickens can go wherever they want in a confined area, but it's not as confined to where they have to walk around in their own feces, so they aren't dropping eggs that have feces and other things on it."
Organic food sometimes takes longer to produce and Finney said that contributes to a higher cost.
"Usually there's a lot of tests that the U.S. Department of Agriculture allow farmers to have when it comes to growing those types of organic items," Finney said.
He said with added labor due to tests that are not used growing conventionally, the cost rises.
Although eating organically is more expensive, Myrex said she shops around.
"Walmart has started carrying more organic foods than they used to," Myrex said.
Myrex shops at Earth Fare, Kroger and Walmart to find her items with the best deal at each store.
"To me it's worth the money because I feel so much better," Myrex said. "I have to budget, but it's worth it in my opinion."
Overall, she said her transition to organic has been entirely beneficial.
"It's becoming a lot more normal to see people doing what I'm doing."
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