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For me, eating unhealthy was always a contest. It became a challenge to see who could incorporate beer, bacon and a deep fryer into a meal with enough cholesterol to drown a horse and enough grease to fill Lake Superior (Deep fried, beer-battered bacon, anyone?).

After a few harrowing bouts of food poisoning, however, I decided it was probably time to think healthier.

If there’s one thing Americans are used to hearing nowadays, from others as well as ourselves, it’s that we’re overweight, unhealthy and destroyers of the environment. The food discussion in this country has taken on considerable steam, with childhood obesity rates dwarfing those of most other countries combined. Buying items labeled “natural” or “organic” has become an easy way for Americans with a little extra cash to eat healthier and write off any residual environmental guilt that comes with buying food farmed with pesticides and chemical fertilizers. But is organic farming really sustainable for an ever-growing world population in need of more food? What does being labeled “organic” even mean? The answers may surprise shoppers who blindly reach for a promising label.

For those searching for a more natural food option, throw the word “natural” out of your vocabulary.

According to the Organic Consumers Association, there are no rules for products that claim to be “all natural” or “free range”. Their claims could be based on tiny shreds of fact, or, in the case of larger manufacturers, completely made up. Trustworthy labels require independent verification, such as the USDA Organic certification, which at its minimum requires food to consist of 95 percent organic products, or the Fair Trade certification, which requires products to be bought from farmers at a fair price. In the end, the difference is in the location. It’s much better to pay twice as much for real organic food at a food cooperative than to buy slightly more expensive “natural” food at a larger supermarket.

The problem with organic food is that it’s become heavily commercialized while maintaining a non-commercial image. What once was a community effort to create a premium product has transformed into a massively profitable enterprise, with heavy-hitters like Walmart leaping into the fray.