Thanksgiving turkey…hold the hormones, please!

Thanksgiving is just around the corner — a time for thanks, family, football and food! So, the search may be on to find the perfect ingredients for your delicious meal, and today that likely includes choosing ingredients that you either avoid or know is healthy for you and your family. For example, more of us have a negative attitude toward anything processed and most figure we’re in the clear with any sticker that says “organic” or “natural,” and especially “no hormones added.”

Artificial hormones are often used in young animals to make them grow more quickly and put on more weight in order to create a higher profit. But the health risks of these artificial hormones to humans have been called into question for many years, leading consumers to lean toward more natural and organic options when grocery shopping for their families.

As such, the market of the organic food industry has been on a steady rise in the past several years as more information has become available on the poor health effects of processed and unnatural foods. Sales reached nearly $39 billion in 2014, and 51% of families are buying more organic products than a year ago. The stats are all there, and if trends keep up, they’ll keep increasing. (Check out more organic food stats here.)

While there is a clear trend to look for that natural, organic, healthy option when it comes to the food we eat, this doesn’t seem to carry over to what many women put in their bodies every day: hormonal contraceptives. Even in the face of clear evidence of side effects that they have on health, the concern for “all natural” seems to go out the window when it comes to family planning. Many women decide to gamble with the risks even though there is an “organic” alternative available! Natural family planning is the equivalent of the organic food option when planning meals — it is safe, natural and just as effective as other methods. Choosing organic, natural and healthy does not have to stop at the grocery store!

Keep this in mind as you see those organic and natural stickers when shopping for your Thanksgiving meal, and keep your body “no hormones added”…just as you will your Thanksgiving turkey.

— Megan Imwalle
Communications Intern