the truth about organic foods

[yorkiepuppie]

do you buy organic? why/why not?

is organic food healthier and more nutritious than non-organic?

[Nancy1999]

This is a good link that explains the difference between organic and non-organic. Organic is thought to be better for the soil and environment, but "No conclusive evidence shows that organic food is more nutritious than is conventionally grown food. And the USDA — even though it certifies organic food — doesn't claim that these products are safer or more nutritious." Organic foods: Are they safer? More nutritious? - MayoClinic.com

Organic can even harbor harmful bacterial, such as e-coli because manure is considered organic. All fruits and vegetables should be rinsed thoroughly before eating. If you can afford it, buy organic, but if you're on a budget non-organic is probably okay. For things like dog foods, this would not be a primary factor in my choice; in fact I would be suspicious of a company who used the word. But that's just me . . .

[4doggiemama]

If you do a search of the net you will find studies on both sides of the aisle. Some time back I remember reading an article on a British study concerning organic food. Here is a link to just one of the articles from this study that says organic food doesn't have any health benefits except in a few instances: Organic food has 'no nutritional or health benefits', reveals food watchdog | Mail Online But, of course, there are many studies that tend to contradict. Guess it's one's personal choice. ~Joanne~

[Wylie's Mom]

I'm not a strict buyer of organic / non-organic. I am strict about buying cage-free eggs. As far as nutritional content, I'd want to see a nutritional analysis (of both) when the food is ready for the grocery store. I've had 42 years of pesticides now, so my body has probably learned how to deal with them, on some level, so I'm not too rigid about it. But if I had kids, I think I'd want them to have organic fruit/veg; I'd rather they were exposed to naturally occurring bacteria than to pesticides. I do wish there was more regulation regarding pesticides bc I think it has gone too far . Not to mention the growth hormone crap .

I love supporting free-range, cage free and the cruelty-free farming movement and will pay more for food to support those initiatives - that gets me more excited than organic.

Just for info's sake ...here are foods that "should" be bought organic (if trying to avoid pesticides):
* Celery
* Peaches
* Strawberries
* Apples
* Blueberries (Domestic)
* Nectarines
* Sweet Bell Peppers
* Spinach
* Collard Greens/Kale
* Cherries
* Potatoes
* Grapes (Imported)

And these foods, you really don't have to buy organic (thicker skins):
* Onions
* Avocados
* Sweet Corn
* Pineapples
* Mangoes
* Sweet Peas
* Asparagus
* Kiwi
* Cabbage
* Eggplant
* Cantaloupe (Domestic)
* Watermelon
* Grapefruit
* Sweet Potatoes
* Honeydew Melon

[Ellie May]

lol, are you sure you want to know?

I haven't studied it at all, but do know that water is a chemical and arsenic is organic.. Taking a company like Kashi, for example, makes me wonder. They are part of Kellogg. This isn't to pick on Kashi (love them), but to point out that a lot of these companies that sell organic food are associated with companies who don't. It's a way to get a different set of consumers. So I'm not totally against organic, but I don't trust companies enough to think that their "organic" pesticides are good ones, etc.

[DvlshAngel985]

I'm not a big organic person, but I do try to buy produce that comes from local farmers, and that's more readily available at Whole Foods or Trader Joe's, at least in my neighborhood it is. We don't have a farmers market nearby. If it happens to be organic, ok; if local stuff that is non organic is cheaper and same quality, I'll let my wallet dictate there. We have found gross stuff, like worms and slugs in our organic lettuce once in a while. That's not a very nice surprise.

[dands]

We're completely organic. Food Inc is a great start in trying to understand the difference. Also books by Norman Walker are really good too.

We're organic for following reasons:
- chemical pesticides - as they've been used over the years, some insects have grown resistant so need to use more and more.
- chemical fertilizers - the chemicals they use strip the soil of most of the natural minerals making the actual plant have less nutrients because it takes nutrients from the soil through it's roots.
- gmo - genetically mutated seed - 70-90% of corn and soy in the US are genetically mutated. There have been studies in mice where it's led to tumors and cancer
- gmo corn - since gmo corn is subsidized by the government it's super cheap. So it's in everything. They use it instead of sugar as high fructose corn syrup, as preservatives (most of the ingredients you can't understand in packaging that end in -ose is a corn derivative), and they feed it to our cows. On a side note, corn is not a natural food for cows. They will die from eating just corn so they pump them with antibiotics to keep them alive until slaughter.

Even Kona our yorkie gets organic raw.

It's more expensive though. But we also aren't eating out so much because there's not much to eat anymore out there knowing what's in the food. And we're eating less meat so our health has improved. Actually, both dh and I have lost 7-10 lbs each just naturally after going organic and eating less to no meat. I think the weight loss was due to the meat thing more though because it's made me more regular which I think made me lose weight.

I think though getting information is really great. We didn't start out intending to go organic and eating out less but as we learned more, we naturally made different decisions.

[katiesoltow]

Originally Posted by dands

We're completely organic. Food Inc is a great start in trying to understand the difference. Also books by Norman Walker are really good too.

We're organic for following reasons:
- chemical pesticides - as they've been used over the years, some insects have grown resistant so need to use more and more.
- chemical fertilizers - the chemicals they use strip the soil of most of the natural minerals making the actual plant have less nutrients because it takes nutrients from the soil through it's roots.
- gmo - genetically mutated seed - 70-90% of corn and soy in the US are genetically mutated. There have been studies in mice where it's led to tumors and cancer
- gmo corn - since gmo corn is subsidized by the government it's super cheap. So it's in everything. They use it instead of sugar as high fructose corn syrup, as preservatives (most of the ingredients you can't understand in packaging that end in -ose is a corn derivative), and they feed it to our cows. On a side note, corn is not a natural food for cows. They will die from eating just corn so they pump them with antibiotics to keep them alive until slaughter.

Even Kona our yorkie gets organic raw.

It's more expensive though. But we also aren't eating out so much because there's not much to eat anymore out there knowing what's in the food. And we're eating less meat so our health has improved. Actually, both dh and I have lost 7-10 lbs each just naturally after going organic and eating less to no meat. I think the weight loss was due to the meat thing more though because it's made me more regular which I think made me lose weight.

I think though getting information is really great. We didn't start out intending to go organic and eating out less but as we learned more, we naturally made different decisions.

amen sister!

[107barney]

Our dogs eat organic food but my husband and I eat pesticide versions. So, we so both!