Understanding organic food and the organic process w/ special guest Sandi Kronick CEO of Happy Dirt

<p>Welcome back to the Period Chats Podcast!</p> <p>Today we get to hear from Sandi Kronick, the CEO of Happy Dirt.</p> <p>Based in Durham, Happy Dirt is an organic wholesale and distribution company. Ever since Sandi started it in 2004, they’ve been supporting local farmers who grow organic food. They do this by building up infrastructures like trucking and marketing, so that farmers can focus on their soil, and crops, and build a future for themselves and their families.</p> <p>So many questions have come my way about organic food, so today you’ve come to the right place; we’re about to learn SO MUCH from Sandi.</p> <p>The term “Organic” is legally regulated through the federal government. In the food and agriculture space, this single word means that a farm is adhering to hundred of pages of regulatory work that includes disallowing most synthetic products, as well as disallowed non-synthetic products in growing their crops (they still may use natural pesticides like garlic).</p> <p>The National Organic Standards Board oversees this and shows zero tolerance for things like harmful conventional pesticides and GMO’s, so consumers can rest assured that organic food has been through the relevant inspections. They also have a commitment to wholistic practices like crop rotation.</p> <p>Some people think that organic and conventional foods are the same, and that the label is kinda BS… and maybe cheaper price motivates this convenient belief! I used to be one of those people - but it turns out I felt better when I switched to organic, and it also turns out there’s science behind why.</p> <p>Our bodies don’t process certain synthetic pesticides well. Plus, many of the conventional pesticides that farmers are allowed to use in the U.S. can kill our off our gut microbiomes.</p> <p>We all know Preventative health is more efficient and less stressful than having to treat illnesses that could have been prevented upstream. So, as more and more data accumulates on the matter, a growing number of doctors believe that eating o