There’s a lot of confusion out there when it comes to organic foods and anything labeled as all natural.

Food companies are aware of our growing interest in foods raised more naturally, and are quick to slap the word natural on any product they possibly can.

The problem is, the use of the word “natural” on food products is not clearly defined and highly unregulated, which means companies are free to slap the word natural on pretty much any food they want…and charge a higher price for it.

If you’ve been following me for a while, you’ve probably heard me say I don’t require my Rebels to eat organic.

Of course you can if you want to!

But unlike a lot of programs, I don’t insist on it, and confusion about what is and isn’t all-natural and organic is part of the reason why.

If you’re someone who’s new to Code Red and still trying to learn how to eat real food, I’d rather you focus on that vs. worry about organic and all-natural.

When you’re more comfortable with this lifestyle, or even when you get to goal weight, then absolutely feel free to up your “food game” in this way.

But make sure you do it the smart way, by learning where your food comes from. Either grow your own, or get as much as you can from local farmers and farmers markets.

Learn how they treat the animals and what they feed them. That way you aren’t left guessing what some food company means when THEY use the phrase “all-natural”…or paying the higher price they charge for something that may or may not be as natural as they’re claiming.

To be clear, I’m all for natural food. But I’d rather see you get your hands on it from local people vs. pay through the nose for food that’s labeled natural, but may or may not actually be natural.