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Why Organic? |
- Tastes better.
- Better for your body and family –
- less pesticides, chemicals, hormones, antibiotics, health hazards, etc. and
- actually MORE vitamins, minerals and health benefits!
- Promotes farming practices that encourage ecological harmony and environmental responsibility.
- It actually helps maintain a healthy weight and helps people lose weight!
Find out how delicious organics can be!
Organic foods are produced without the use of chemicals, herbicides, fungicides, petroleum-, sewage- or sludge-based fertilizers or chemical pesticides. Organic food is not bio-engineered, genetically modified, nor is it irradiated. Poultry and Beef are fed only organic feed, are grazed on organically maintained pastures, and are not given antibiotics, hormones or animal by-products. Organic farmers are leaders and innovators at protecting our environment while protecting the crops naturally.
Until WWII, organic was the "conventional" practice as it was the most common way to farm. The use of synthetic chemicals and toxins won the battle away from home and were now touted to improve our lives here too. With this fanfare, it was well received and pushed through quickly. At that time, shocking to us now to think, but chemical poisons were even sprayed directly onto children to kill off bacteria! And some of us still remember walking behind the trucks spraying chemicals to kill off mosquitoes and other bugs around the neighborhood because it was so cool to see that puff of smoke come out. Conventional, the norm, changed to today's standard of using these chemicals readily.
Conventional farmers use millions of pounds of pesticides each year, much of which ends up in our drinking water and oceans. Pesticides and chemicals kill off living things - bugs and animals that may eat the food as well as parasites and microorganisms. Pesticides deplete the soil so more chemicals are needed to fertilize and so the cycle continues. Pesticides are poisons. Most have the potential of causing cancer and are endocrine disrupters that mimic or interfere with our hormones. Pesticides cannot always be washed off the food, even with soap, as they are "ingested" in the plant through the roots and are actually in the body of the food.
Pesticides have a well documented and serious impact on our health. Among the many adverse effects, pesticides:
-
compromise our liver's job of cleaning toxins from our body
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compromise each cell's ability to produce energy and do their respective jobs in our body
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compromise our nerves and their job of sending important messages in our body
In short, pesticides cause disease and death. That's their goal, to kill off the bugs and pests. But they are having serious impacts on the lives of humans and especially children. This is particularly important in the amounts and combinations of these pesticides that the children are eating since they are such picky eaters. The long-term effect of these pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and chemicals and the effect of the 'cocktail' of pesticide combinations effect fertility, development, health, and longevity.
We all know the liver's function is to clear our bodies of toxins. The latest research indicates that the toxic buildup burdens the liver's function to such an extent that it cannot do it's other important jobs - burn body fat! An impaired liver can therefore cause weight gain.
Organic farmers work with the natural ecosystem to improve the soil and deter pests. They rotate crops between fields and have diversity in their farms; the conventional farmer limits crops and farming practices which depletes the soil's nutrients and leads to a real risk of crop damage from disease. Organic farmers plant certain flowers and bushes to attract helpful insects who will then eat or deter pests that might otherwise eat the crops; conventional farms kill off insects and pests, helpful and hurtful to the farmer. Organic farmers work with nature to replenish the soil, do not use toxic pesticides or fertilizers and maintain a biologically sustainable investment in our future. At home, our own yards can be maintained the same way.
Chemicals and pesticides kill off microorganisms and pests; this is causing new super resistant bugs and strains of insects and pests to be created; these super pests will need even more powerful chemical pesticides. The cycle is clear and the future is dim.
In addition, many of these microorganisms are helpful and are actually healthful. Discoveries of helpful bacteria that turn into cures for disease are found in dirt regularly around the world. We used to play in the dirt, dirt that was free of harmful chemicals and loaded with helpful microorganisms. As children this set up our immune systems to be strong. Children were healthier then.
The organic farmer works to create healthful soil. Worms and microorganisms work to keep the soil strong. The soil feeds the plant. Therefore healthful soil creates food with more nutrition. True, conventional food is devoid of harmful bacteria and bugs, but it is also lower in nutritional value and has less flavor. (I mean, if you're going to eat Brussels Sprouts because they're good for you, shouldn't you make it count?) Chemicals deplete the top soil and cause soil erosion which in turn offers less nutrition to the plant which in turn creates less nutritious food for us.
Healthy plants are also more disease resistant, are more drought resistant, create a better supply of food, create more nutritious food, and grow strong without chemical assistance. It all works together. Organic farming protects our water supply, our wild life, our families, and our future. Choosing organic foods is like voting to go back to a more natural and safer way of breathing, eating, and living.
Conventional farming overseas destroys rainforest. Forests are plowed to make way for planting, soil is eroded, chemicals and poisons enter our water systems. This affects habitats and wildlife. The impact is immense.
Conventional farming uses more fossil fuels and impacts global warming in many ways. Fossil fuels are used to create pesticides and chemicals. They are used to transport them to the farm. Micro-organisms that would otherwise hold carbon are killed releasing carbons into the atmosphere. Once the soil is depleted of micro-organisms, the soil must be enriched with chemical fertilizers which again take fossil fuels in creation and transportation. Conventional farms are more automated and use more fossil fuels generally. They have an over-abundance of manure since they are not using that so that is another issue which must be removed with fossil fuels. Organic farming uses up to 60% less fossil fuel per unit of food.
Chemicals are abundant and dangerous. The environmental impact is great and they remain in the environment for decades after use. When we look and see that organic foods are sometimes more than conventional foods, we need to remember the toll conventional foods are having on our world and our future. Organic foods are actually less costly when we look at the money it takes to fix the problems created by conventional farming. And yes, EVERY choice, EVERY person, EVERY item counts as a vote in the right direction.
Biodynamic Demeter supervised farming meets all organic standards and takes them even further. This system was created in ancient times to create healthful soil to withstand the test of time. Biodynamic farming takes even more time and money and therefore things cost more, but what it gives us is a true harmony with our land. It works with the plants, animals, and the environment to promote healthy soil and healthy plants.
Choosing organic produce and biodynamic products supports local, generally smaller, organic farms and the families who work those farms. Paying organic farmers in other countries a fair wage allows them to create strong communities, schools and help children and their families. In addition, and as you would guess, conventional farmers and the people that work in and around the fields (including the people that crop dust and spray the chemicals and pesticides) have a much higher risk of cancer than organic farmers. Pesticides can cause birth defects, cancer, nerve damage, impact our immune system, and disrupt our hormonal balance.
Organic certification confirms a set of standards:
- farmland used to grow the produce must be free of chemicals (pesticides, fertilizers, etc) for at least three (3) years. During the three year period, they are considered "transitional" and before that they are simply conventional.
- there is a paper trail to make sure that product is indeed the organic product you expect.
- organic poultry and beef are raised on organic feed or organically maintained pastures
- organic cows and chickens cannot be given growth hormones, stimulants or antibiotics
- organic dairy
cows, poultry and cattle
must be treated humanely with
- clean water,
- a clean place to sleep,
- access to the outdoors,
- exercise, and
- fresh air
- organic dairy pasteurization must meet hygienic standards
- dairy cows may not be sold for slaughter as beef
- beef is processed in a certified plant where organic cows are separated from conventional ones and the entire processing line must be cleaned to organic specifications for the organic ones
- no more than 5% of the ingredients (excluding water and salt) are conventional; or at least 95% of the product is organic as per the standards of certification
- organic products cannot use some organic and some conventional of the same ingredient
How to tell if it's organic in the store? Organic tags (PLU code sticker) on fruits and vegetables start with a 9 and have 5 numbers for organic fruits and vegetables while conventional ones have 4 numbers. GMO crops also have 5 numbers but start with the number 8 so be particularly cautious of those fruits and vegetables.
However, the term "organic" also makes us feel warm and fuzzy with images of happy cows in grazing fields cared for by people who love the land and are paid a fair wage. Now that the big companies see that their bottom line can be affected by organics, short cuts are being taken that technically meet the organic standard but do not comply with our understanding of organic.
Ideally, locally grown organic foods from a family owned farm is the first option we should always make. Locally grown foods use less fossil fuels to transport therefore meeting very essence of organic in keeping the world healthy and eliminating gas emissions. Living in the Pacific or the Midwest states makes that easy. Europe, New Zealand, Australia and other countries also have communities with plentiful local organics. It becomes more challenging for us when we choose to live somewhere tropical that doesn't support a strong healthy mix of livestock and vegetation. South Florida, for example, has unique challenges in eating locally, unless we want to live on avocados, coconuts, strawberries and tomatoes.
Our next question is of local versus organic. Sometimes local is better, however, remember that fossil fuels are also used in pesticides, herbicides, and the trucks needed to work a conventional farm, so local is not always a safer choice for our environment when organic is an option. Local from a farmer you know that isn't certified organic but practices organic standards of course is a better option than organic certified coming in from outside your area, but when you don't know the farmer or the standards, organic, even with transportation, can actually be a healthier option for ourselves and our environment.
We live in a highly mobile world. We can have asparagus in the winter. That can be fun, but it can also be distressing. While the United States produces many raw materials, these are almost always shipped off to China to create product, and then that product is shipped back here to be sold. Sadly, we are no longer self-sufficient. Many communities where we've chosen to live cannot feed us locally nor provide for our needs locally. Happily, we do have options. Choose products that are best for health and environment. Read labels and choose U.S. made products first, this includes food and nonfood items. That will lessen carbon emissions and conforms to our feeling on the definition of organic. Choose locally made first and then as close to home as possible. Choose natural nonfood products over plastic and man-made materials since fossil fuels are needed to create plastics. Choose organic cotton over nonorganic since that crop uses huge amounts of pesticides. Choose products with less packaging for the same reason, this includes food packaging as well as packaging for toys and other nonfood items.
When it comes to food, know who runs the farm, whether a small caring company or a large corporate office. The organic standard is a good guide, but it's not enough. Organic standards in some countries, China, for example, are suspected of erratic regulating. Big companies will do their best to cut corners to improve their bottom line. We must, as consumers, let them hear us with our dollars. Research big companies, their ethics and business, support stores and companies that are in line with your values as a consumer, for the earth and for your personal health. Choose farmers you know that meet standards you support over the organic label. Choose grassfed beef over grain fed organic beef. Choose less processed foods over packaged and highly processed foods since those are better for our health and those use less fuels in creation and transportation. Local conventional farms cause havoc on our environment and stress on the animals. Many times, organic is the best option over local nonorganic food. Understand what you eat.
Deciphering the Labels:
-
Conventional - product or produce is made conventionally with
commonly used pesticides, chemicals, herbicides, fungicides, etc.
-
Transitional - product is working toward certification process and
is in the three-year period where they are meeting organic standards in
practice but cannot be certified until the land, or the products produced
from produce or wheat from that farmland, have been in practice for at
least three years. This helps ensure that the chemicals previously
used are dissipating from the soil. Farmland used to grow the
produce must be free of chemicals (pesticides, fertilizers, etc) for at
least three (3) years. During the three year period, they are
considered "transitional" and before that they are simply conventional.
- 100%
Organic - exclusively organic ingredients or single ingredient
products like eggs, fruit or vegetables
- Organic
- 95% of the product is made of organic ingredients (excluding salt and
water)
-
Made with Organic Ingredients
- ingredients are 70-95% organic; organic ingredients are specified on
the label
-
Less than 70% Organic - product has some organic ingredients but
less than 70%.
-
Natural - does not
mean organic; natural simply means that there are no artificial flavors,
colors or preservatives in that product and that it is minimally
processed. All produce and one ingredient items like eggs, beef and
chicken are "natural" so this means almost nothing.
- "Free-Range"
does not equate to organic. Usually used for poultry or eggs, this
means that they have some access to roam. This does not
necessarily mean outdoor pasture.
- "Hormone-Free" does not mean organic. The animals were not given hormones, like growth hormones, usually applies to dairy cows and cattle.
