Pimping Organic

Published 20 October 07 10:40 PM | Trish

 

Yo, going organic ain’t easy but it’s necessary. This post isn’t going to be about why regular food is bad and organic food is good.  This article is about two often overlooked sides of going organic: it’s not always the best choice and going organic for your neighbor.

Organic Is Not Always the Best Choice…

Screeeeechhh! Say what! I thought if it was organic it must be healthy? Heck no my friend. One debate I enter into quite often is about the unhealthy side of organic foods. Let’s face it, a manufacturer is a manufacturer and the bottom line is always king to any business. If it wasn’t we would pay half price for organic foods, but we’ll discuss that next.

What I am talking about here can be summed up in a recent conversation I overheard between two moms at Publix. As I was collecting my usual items in the organic aisle of my Publix, two moms were shopping. One of them actually shouted, “Thank God! I can now get oganic Pop Tarts! I felt so bad feeding them to my kids but now I don’t have to feel crappy anymore.”

OH MY GOD! I almost fell over into my cart. To this lady an organic Pop Tart is OK! Let’s not have a healthy breakfast, let’s just have an organic Pop Tart and send scooter off to school loaded with natural sugar and organic white flour. I’m sure the teacher can handle his sugar rush and crash with the other 20 or so kids in the room.

Do you see my point? Junk food is junk food is junk food is junk food. Plain and simple. Please don’t fall into the trap of thinking just because you buy the organic marketing version of a product that you are now making an enlightened choice. Same for transfat free Oreos. So what! An Orea is still loaded with diabetes causing sugar. The improved version just won’t jam up your arteries as fast.

Brother…Can You Spare an Oraganic Apple?

It is a shame that in our nation the poorest individuals of our society are forced to eat the garbage that manufacturers put into the food system. Many people, some of my family and friends included, just can’t affort to double their weekly grocery bill to buy organic foods. Doing that means deciding between gas in the car or organic groceries in the house. They have to load their pantries full of items chocked full of transfats, nitrates, pesticides, high fructose corn syrup and other nasty things which are shown more and more every day to not only be cancer linked, but also to be causing a huge obesity epedimic. Don’t you find it odd that our most unhealthy states and cities happen to be in the poorest communities?

As a family we made the decision to buy organic when possible in hopes that the more people who do it, the higher the product demand and thus, price comes down. It breaks my heart to see how much crap really is in the foods we all like. For example, avoiding high fructose corn syrup in your foods is like avoiding sex and violence on TV. Good luck!

I still have my protein bars and shakes and other non-organic foods, but each week we are switching more and more to the organic versions because it is about the only foods you can read the label and understand what you are eating. Who knows…maybe it is or isn’t healthier for us, maybe pesticides in our food isn’t that big a deal, and maybe the food really doesn’t taste any better. But, I’m not comfortable rolling the dice with the health of my family on a maybe. I just hope that one day anyone who wants to live an organic lifestyle can. If buying it now while the price is jacked up will make a difference, then so be it. Here’s my money oh organic food producer!

The most important thing to take away from this article is this: go organic when it makes sense for your health. Check the labels and learn all you can about foods and what you want your family ingesting. If it’s junk food, it’s junk food. A pretty organic label doesn’t mean healthy. It just means it met a higher production standard.

Now, I shall carefully climb down from my box and go have my organic peanut butter.

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Comments

# Corinne said on December 23, 2007 09:39 AM:

This came from Jillian Michael's site and was sent to me by one of my Moderators...it's good info for this topic:

Organics 101

Organic food has become a hot topic in the past few years — and it's one that's near and dear to my heart. I believe that when you buy food, you should know where it comes from and how it was grown to ensure you're buying the healthiest product available. And in my opinion, eating healthy and eating organic go hand in hand. That's why I recommend incorporating organics into your life whenever possible.

A lot of people have questions and concerns about organic foods: What are the differences between organic and conventional? Organic foods are often more expensive than conventional ones — are they worth it?

I want to inform you about the basics of organic foods and give you my perspective on why they're better for your health in the long run. My hope is that you'll realize the importance of incorporating whole and fresher foods into your meals whenever possible.

What does "organic" really mean?

Before I send you off shopping for organic meat and produce, let's talk about what the word "organic" actually means. For meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy, it means the animals that these foods come from were not raised with the use of antibiotics or growth hormones. When applied to produce, the term "organic" means that during cultivation, these foods didn't touch conventional pesticides, chemical fertilizers, or sewage sludge (human waste!). It also tells you that they weren't created by bioengineering or treated with ionizing radiation (a process that increases the shelf life).

What are the benefits?

Here are my top five reasons why I think organic foods are better:

• Because no synthetic chemicals are used to grow organic foods, they're less likely to carry nasty toxins into your body.

• Synthetic fertilizers and pesticides pollute streams and create many ecological problems. By choosing food grown without them, you're helping to ensure a healthier environment.

• You get a better flavor from organic food. As a chef, I know that taste is everything. When I first heard about the organic movement, I wondered whether there was a difference in taste, so I carried out a little experiment. I asked a few of my friends to come over for lunch one day, and I prepared two versions of a summer vegetable salad — one with conventional vegetable and the other with organic vegetables. The result was amazing! Everyone found that the organic vegetables were a lot fresher and more flavorful than the conventional ones. Try it for yourself sometime and see which you prefer!

• You may get more nutrients from organic food. Fruits and vegetables get their nutrients from the soil they're grown in, and synthetic chemicals can strip nutrients from the soil. Lately, some promising research out of the University of California at Davis shows that organic food can be nutritionally better for you than conventional crops. A recently published study concluded that over a ten-year period, organically grown tomatoes contained a higher level of flavonoids (substances commonly known for their antioxidant activity) than conventionally grown tomatoes did.

• If you buy local organic foods, you're supporting local farmers who are working hard to get this great food to you.

Look to the labels

Now that you know why it's a good idea to buy organic, you want to ensure that you're getting what you pay for at the supermarket. I recommend looking for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) organic seal on foods. You should also get familiar with the lingo on food labels:

• If a label says "100 percent organic," you know what you're buying contains only organically produced ingredients (with the exception of salt and water, to which the terms "organic" and "conventional" don't apply).

• If a label says simply, "organic," you know it's at least 95 percent truly organic, and it can contain up to 5 percent of something that was not organically produced.

• If a label says, "made with organic ingredients," you know at least 70 percent of that food was organically produced, and up to 30 percent of it can be made from nonorganic ingredients. These foods may not use the USDA organic seal, but they may highlight up to three organic ingredients on their labels.

If a food is produced with less than 70 percent organic ingredients, the label is not allowed to make any claims about being an organic product. It may only list the organic ingredients in the nutritional information on the side of the box. Take note: "Natural" and "organic" do not mean the same thing!

If you'd like to read more about the organic seal, visit the USDA Web site at: www.ams.usda.gov/.../brochure.html.

A word about cost

I'll admit it: Organic food in general is often more expensive than conventionally grown foods. I believe that as demand for organics grows, prices will eventually fall. I have found that organic produce is sometimes cheaper than its conventional counterpart — especially when it's local and in season. If you have access to a farmers' market, check it out: Because there are minimal packaging and shipping costs involved, prices are often lower than in supermarkets. Shop around and decide for yourself whether the benefits are worth a little extra at the checkout.

More organic resources

To become more familiar with choosing organic foods, check out these Web sites:

• http://www.organicvalley.com: The company is one of my favorite organic food producers. The site contains lots of great information and talks about reasons to buy organic.

• http://www.wellnessgrocer.com: This site is an online grocer devoted to organic foods and natural personal-care products.

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