Debate has gone on over the years about the value of eating organic foods over the typically grown produce, meat and dairy products. Organic typically means produced without toxic agricultural chemicals and synthetic fertilizers, and where meat and dairy are concerned, fed from organic sources, without antibiotics, and free ranging.
With federal organic standards having been set, consumers can now be more confident that when the green and while circular organic label is present, no toxic chemicals or chemical fertilizers were used in the production of the labeled item. Although in some parts of the country, organic foods are more difficult to come by and more expensive, the trend is working toward a more available selection of organic goods.
And although it is true that non-organic farms are sometimes next to organic farms, and so the threat of cross-over GMO seed or pesticids and/or chemical fertilizers may be present, they are still a better choice overall in overall toxicity.
Reasons for Eating Organic
The primary reasons for leaning toward organic selections in your produce, meat and dairy are twofold. First, the cumulative exposures during our lifetimes to the toxic pesticides, fungicides, and herbicides are difficult to measure. And although a direct causal relationship to certain cancers and other diseases are difficult to pinpoint, the EPA considers 30% of all insecticides, 60% of all herbicides, and 90% of all fungicides to be carcinogenic.
It is believed that not only are these agricultural chemicals connected to our rise in cancer over the last few decades, but that the cumulative exposure to them in our lifetimes also contribute to other degenerative and neurological diseases. This is even notwithstanding the problems of microorganisms’ overexposure to antibiotics which are typically fed to non-organically raised animals.
Secondly, the organic varieties of grain and produce are believed to contain more nutrients than the non-organic varieties. While this point is argued more regularly consider this. There are over 200 nutrients present in un-farmed and rich native soil. But the typical fertilizers only contain 3 nutrients, the ones necessary for healthy root, stem and leaf/fruit production in plants (nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium or N-P-K). When a food product is grown in over-farmed and chemically fertilized soil, why would there be the same number of nutrients present as food grown in soil fertilized with organic matter?
And the truth is, nutritional content is of vital importance when it comes to fighting toxicity and associated free radical damage!
Foods to Prefer Organic
Eat as much organic meat, poultry and dairy as possible in order to avoid exposure to growth hormones, antibiotics and the effects associated with certain conditions such as overcrowding and feed that is treated with chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
As for produce, it is important that you at least be aware of the types that are more likely to contain significant residues of pesticides, so that you can at least minimize consumption or try to buy organic when selecting these items. The reasons for the higher amounts of pesticides has to do with the type of delivery used, whether it is topically applied or systemic. If it is systemic then the pesticide cannot be washed off or cooked away. These crops are ones to be cautious of:
- apples
- apricots
- carrots
- celery
- Coffee — not exactly a produce here but relevant just the same
- green beans
- cherries
- kale
- leafy greens
- nectarines
- peaches
- pears
- potatoes
- spinach
- sweet bell peppers
- strawberries
- winter cantaloupes from Mexico,
- winter grapes from Chile
Using organic flour is important because conventional wheat is heavily treated with chemicals, and because the whole grains are a concentrated source of minerals which are depleted from over-farmed, chemically fertlized soils.
So a bit of awareness may go a long way. Washing produce with more than just water (either using soap or a vegetable wash) should remove most pesticides from fruit or vegetables not in the list above. Buying organinc meat and dairy products as well as produce on the list above should limit toxic esposures, particularly important in children.
Eat well, live well!
Thanks for another great post Vicki. Another point about organic vs. GMO foods. As you said, there may be some cross-over of GMO seeds from nearby farms, so you can’t be absolutely sure that what you are eating is free of GMOs, even if it is sold as organic. At least with the organic you are free from the massive amounts of herbicides that are sprayed on the GMO fields. The point of GMO crops is to make them resistant to those herbicides, which soak in to the plants and is present when you consume them.
Thanks so much Wayne! It’s so good to see you again as always! It’s true, the more we do to limit the toxic intake of our bodies, the better off we’ll be. Especially when the foods we eat have the most nutrients, as with organic choices. Although our ground is depleted, at least organic farming takes care to rotate and replenish the soil.
Thanks again for stopping by Wayne!
Vicki
It’s also worth mentioning that organic food, especially when it’s fresh out the garden, taste much better than it’s conventionally grown counterparts.
I see apples tops your list of foods to eat organically. This is especially important since conventionally grown apples have been found to contain the most pesticide residue. Thanks for the post Vicki.
the best thing about organic foods is that they are free from hazardous chemicals that are present in non-organic foods~’”
Here in Chile it is very difficult to consume organic food because they cost a lot of money. The poor people only can consume fruit and vegetables treated with pesticides and other chemists.
That is really unfortunate, I realize it’s nearly impossible for some people to consume organic foods. We can only hope that the food supply does not get so industrialized everywhere that this is the case anywhere including in the US. In warmer climates often the variety of fruit and the fact that it will have a chance to ripen before consuming makes its nutritional content much greater than when received from grocery shelves in areas where fruit is not so plentiful.
I believe that if there is one major change that a person could make to help improve their health, deciding to eat organic food should be at the top of their list. Eating organic foods is one of the most beneficial things that anybody can do. The power of organic foods is simply amazing as you can see the advantages in so many ways. So it is up to each of us to make a change.
A lot of people don’t realize how much nutritious Organic is, absolutely right..I’ll be glad to if the pricing ever comes down..
Great article. Thanks so much for spreading awareness. I am especially glad that you talked about the dangers of cumulative exposure. My passion is helping people get the chemicles out of their homes because of all the dangers, including accumulation in the body. Many of these chemicals are endocrine disruptors and are linked to a variety of health problems.
Thank you Marti! Yes the build up over time is what I truly believe is at the root of many chronic diseases, many of which are caused by endocrine imbalances!
Of the three source of food, namely vegetation, other animals and minerals, the best is vegetation, while other animals are basically second hand vegetation, and mineral that are formed over millions of years of temperature and pressure is the worst and yet in the industrial civilizatyion our dependence on mineral as source of food and medication has become simply overwhelming, therefore all the cancer and cloggings
This is a really good post!
I want to add another very important reason to buy and eat organic…it’s not just about what you’re putting in your body, but it’s about the integrity of the ecosystems around you. This can have huge effects on human health and also on economics, in the long-run.
Even if chemicals used to produce agricultural products did not make it directly into the food supply (and they do) they run off into the water, and can end up in the water supply…and they can affect aquatic ecosystems downstream. This is especially an issue with fertilizer–too much nitrogen and phosphorus can devastate the ecosystems in rivers, lakes, and bays.
A good example of this is the Chesapeake bay–its watershed is a major agricultural region. Wonder why oysters and crabs are so expensive? There are very few oysters and crabs left in the bay…a bay that used to be teeming with life. Although there are many causes of the decline of the bay, runoff from agriculture is one of the big culprits. For more information about the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed, here’s a good website:
http://www.chesapeakebay.net/
The sad thing about organic vs. non-organic agriculture is that most of the costs of non-organic agriculture are hidden. People see something that’s cheaper, what they don’t see is getting cancer 30 years later, what they don’t see is the fishing industry being totally destroyed as an indirect consequence. Organics are one of those issues where we absolutely MUST look outside our individual welfare and look to the welfare of a whole region.
Here’s another good (and constantly changing) article about how organic agriculture promotes biodiversity:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_farming_and_biodiversity
Amen to that Alex! I only didn’t mention other reasons in trying to keep the article short enough and to the nutritional aspects, but this is an important point for certain! Thanks again for adding immense value to this blog!
Thanks this is a really interesting post. I’ve been buying an organic box for a while now and juicing veg, as I felt I could be exposing myself to lots of chemicals through drinking concentrated juices! What are your thoughts on juicing non-organic produce? My gut feeling is it’s not great for you…
Thanks.
I would say use the guidelines of which foods to prefer organic at least. And the ones that are not listed usually can be washed so probably still good for juicing, of course, preferring organic where possible!
thanks for your post — very important information that everyone needs to know and work with.
We all need to help each other get well and stay healthy!
Thank you Bernadette! Yes it does take all of us to remind ourselves every day, especially with the holidays upon us! I’ve eaten too much sugar already!