Health & Wellness

Organics #1: Piece #12 

Considering organic production methods and foods demonstrate such a wide variety of benefits, from our environment to our children, we should not only give greater consideration to purchasing organic foods, but also take an active role in encouraging our local governments to get involved. The more research we’re able to produce about organic foods, the more positive results we’ll surely find, and we’ll then be able to help more people live healthier lives and achieve comprehensive wellbeing. Consuming organic foods is one of the easiest methods for improving nutrient intake and alleviating “body burden” from toxins, such as pesticides and conventional food additives. Right now, the best approach for food consumption appears to align with a “better-safe-than-sorry” approach, purchasing organics when your budget allows for it.

Organics #1: Piece #11

The factor most people look for first on any label is price, which delivers a degree of disappointment when we look at organic foods, demonstrating a 10 – 40 percent markup compared to conventionally produced products. But can you put a price on your health? It would serve you well to remind yourself of the long-term health benefits of organics, as opposed to brooding about how it will thin your wallet today. In addition, Heaton’s article also reported the following: “Official household spending statistics in Australia and the UK reveal that the average family spends five times more on junk food, carry-out food, alcohol and tobacco than on fruits and vegetables, and five times more on recreation than on fruits and vegetables.” Really then, the main issue returns to the price tag you put on your own wellbeing. A simple way to make room in your budget for organics is by setting up a chart of regular expenditures – even the most frugal spenders will be able to find items they can trade up for organic foods. Organic foods and proper health should never be considered a luxury.

Organics #1: Piece #10 

Caveat emptor (let the buyer beware): With countless food claims and dizzying labels that deliver more pictures and fluff text than actual information, consumer awareness is more important than ever – be a savvy shopper. You need to read the nutrient and supplement facts on individual food items. Use the front label as a starting point for quick scanning in the grocery store. Start by looking for the “100% organic” label, and go from there. Can’t find products with that label? Then just get back to the basics: Stay away from high concentrations of the antagonists – fat, cholesterol, sodium and sugars – and try to purchase foods with high concentrations of the protagonists – protein, fiber and vitamins.

Organics #1: Piece #9 

Because of organic law’s strict regulations and the increased costs of organic farming, organizations and co-ops are forming their own versions of organic certification, employing terms such as “authentic” and “all-natural.” These programs can closely mirror that of the USDA’s, still offering healthy products, but not necessarily meeting the full requirements of the USDA Certified Organic program. Since individual certification groups have their own service marks, consumers need to be aware of claims such as “all-natural,” which can mean a variety of things, and does not necessarily have any nutritional meaning nor is it fully regulated by the FDA. Take corn for example, whole-grain is healthy, but its extracts form high-fructose corn syrup, which can lead to obesity and type-II diabetes. Yet, the all-natural phrase can still be applied because it comes from a plant.

Organics #1: Piece #8 

Adding yet another caveat to conventional foods is the growing threat of antibiotic resistance in pathogenic bacteria, the ability of bacteria and other microorganisms to withstand an antibiotic to which they previously couldn’t. Surprisingly, animal farming may have more to do with this threat than antibiotics prescribed by doctors to humans. Heaton reports that “As much as 60 percent of all the antibiotics used in Australia are given to farm animals, not people.” This would help explain why the British Medical Association believes that antibiotic resistance is “one of the major public health threats that will be faced in the 21st century.” The World Health Organization is also working towards lower levels of antibiotics in agriculture. Antibiotics are rigorously limited in organic farming.

Organics #1: Piece #6

Many phytonutrients, nutrients from plants which provide benefits ranging from sustained energy levels to healthy digestive systems in humans, are antioxidants which assist in the plant’s defenses. Because organic crops do not rely on chemical pesticides, they naturally build up their own defense system, generating increased levels of lycopene, polyphenols, flavonols and resveratrol. A recent article by Clinical Nutritionist Shane Heaton, “Spreading the Organic Word,” reported that “organic produce will tend to contain 10 – 50 percent higher phytonutrients than conventional produce.”

As for fertilizers, conventional farming employs artificial fertilization, which swells produce with water, causing there to be a higher nutrient-to-area ratio in organic foods. Nutritionist Virginia Worthington’s organic foods research supports that “based on current dietary patterns, the differences can be enough to help you achieve the recommended daily allowances for certain nutrients that you otherwise may not get [through conventional foods]. On a pound-for-pound basis, organic food has more ‘dry matter’ (i.e. food).” Think of it this way: Organics may be more expensive, but you may actually be getting more for your money.

Organics #1: Piece #5

A major part of organic farming is the barring of synthetic pesticides, which have the proven potential to damage the surrounding ecosystem. The Consumers Union, Environmental Science & Technology Online and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency all confirmed that 77 percent of conventional foods possess synthetic pesticide residues. On the contrary, only 25 percent of organic foods were shown to carry pesticide residues. Alarmingly, a majority of pesticide-residue regulations only account for individual pesticides, failing to consider the “cocktail effect” where toxicity has been shown to increase by up to 100 times when multiple pesticides are applied to the same crop. It’s no wonder that the average American consumes six pounds of artificial chemicals a year. It makes complete sense when Dr. Vyvyan Howard, toxico-pathologist at the University of Liverpool, UK, reports that “People are applying the precautionary principle…by purchasing food that has not been produced by industrial methods. From the simple stance of hazard avoidance, organically produced food is the best option that we have.” Pesticides show negative results for our bodies and the earth, while organic products do not. Is price margin significant enough of a factor to continue taking the conventional-food gamble?

Organics #1: Piece #4

Organic farming is also demonstrating a positive impact on the environment as well. A recent study by academics at the University of Michigan demonstrated that “organic farming can yield up to three times as much food as conventional agriculture practices on the same amount of land.” And a nine-year study by the USDA Agricultural Research Service showed that “organic farming builds up soil organic matter more effectively than conventional farming.” The USDA revealed that for over half a century, “the mineral levels in fruits, vegetables, meat and dairy have declined substantially in conventional foods.” You can see then just how important nutrient retention is as a long-term factor, requiring fewer fertilizers and energy, as well as helping farmers sustain healthy crops during drought years. Not only have organic farms been shown to use less energy, but they have proved to produce less waste as well.

Organics #1: Piece #3

Current USDA funding for organic research amounts to a minimal allotment of less than one-tenth of one percent of their total budget. It’s no surprise then that the largest organic food study to date was funded by the European Union. This £12m four-year project, completed in 2007, found that organic foods are “more nutritious than ordinary produce and may help to lengthen people’s lives…organic fruit and vegetables contained as much as 40 percent more antioxidants, which scientists believe can cut the risk of cancer and heart disease. They also had higher levels of beneficial minerals such as iron and zinc.” Professor Carlo Leifert, the co-coordinator of this project, reported that the margins between conventional and organic showed that organics can significantly improve nutrient intake. In fact, it could make enough of a difference that it could offset the deficit people experience by not eating the recommended five portions a day of fruit and vegetables.