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 Organic Produce
Organic
foods are foods whose growth has not been assisted by the
use of chemicals. Most commercial crops are
sprayed with a wide variety of herbicides,
pesticides, fungicides, and rodent killers, with over seventy
of these being known carcinogens. After spraying, the remain
on or in the food and may present long-term health risks.
 Quick
Page Summary: Eating organic produce can
reduce the amount of toxic chemicals ingested and increase
the amount of beneficial vitamins, minerals, antioxidants,
and essential fatty acids (like omega 3
and omega 6) consumed. Eating organic produce may
reduce your risk of cancer, helps the environment
(rather than damaging it), and supports your local family
farms. Also, organic fruits and vegetables usually
taste better!
Below
is a list of the top reasons we believe you should choose
organic (partly adapted from an article
by Sylvia Tawse, marketing coordinator
for Alfalfa's Markets in Boulder,
Denver and Vail Colo.).
-
Organic foods may be more
nutritious – In
just one example, (of many) researchers
at Rutgers University in the USA,
intrigued by the claim that "organic
is better," decided to shop
around for some answers. They went
to a supermarket and purchased a
selection of produce which they
analyzed for mineral content. They
then went to a health food store
and purchased the same products
but grown organically and carried
out the same tests. The Rutgers'
team expected the organic produce
to be slightly superior in this
comparison, but the results were
really impressive. For example,
the amount of iron in the organic
tomatoes and spinach compared to
the non-organic varieties showed
an enormous difference. Many other
essential trace elements are completely
absent in the non-organic foods,
whereas they occur in abundance
in the organic varieties. Other
studies came to the same conclusion.
-
Organic foods taste better
– There's a good reason why
many chefs use organic foods in
their recipes—they taste better.
Organic farming starts with the
nourishment of the soil which eventually
leads to the nourishment of the
plant and ultimately our palates.
-
Organic foods are safer
for people – In addition
to cancer, pesticides are implicated
in birth defects, nerve damage,
and genetic mutations.
-
Organic farming protects
the environment and works with
natural systems, rather than
seeking to dominate them.
 Soil
Erosion – Soil is the foundation
of the food chain in organic farming.
However, in conventional farming,
the soil is used more as a medium
for holding plants in a vertical
position so they can be chemically
fertilized. As a result American
farms are suffering from the worst
soil erosion in history.
Water Quality – The
Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) estimates pesticides—some
cancer causing—contaminate
the ground water in 38 states,
polluting the primary source of
drinking water for more than half
the country's population.
Energy – Large-scale
factory farming uses more petroleum
than any other single industry,
consuming 12 percent of the country's
total energy supply. More energy
is now used to produce synthetic
fertilizers than to till, cultivate
and harvest all the crops in the
United States. Organic farming,
however, is still based on labor-intensive
practices such as hand weeding
and green manure and crop covers
instead of synthetic fertilizers.
Biodiversity – Mono-cropping
is the practice of planting large
plots of land with the same crop
year after year. This lack of
natural diversity of plant life
has left the soil lacking in natural
minerals and nutrients. To replace
the nutrients, chemical fertilizers
are used, often in increasing
amounts. Single crops are also
much more susceptible to pests
making farmers more reliant on
pesticides. Despite a tenfold
increase in the use of pesticides
between 1947 and 1974, crop losses
due to insects have doubled—partly
because some insects have become
genetically resistant to certain
pesticides.
-
Purchasing organic food
helps support local farmers
– Most organic farms are small,
independently owned family farms
of fewer than 100 acres. Organic
farming cannot survive without our
support.
Additionally, according to "Coronary
and Diabetic Care in the UK 2004" by
the Association of Primary Care Groups
and Trusts (UK), written by James Cleeton,
Policy Projects Coordinator at the
Soil Association, a predominantly
organic diet:
- Reduces the amount of toxic chemicals
ingested;
- Avoids genetically modified organisms
(GMOs);
- Reduces the amount of food additives
and colorings ingested;
- Increases the amount of beneficial
vitamins, minerals, essential
fatty acids (like omega 3 and omega
6) and antioxidants consumed; and
- Appears to have the potential to
lower the incidence of common conditions,
such as cancer, coronary heart disease,
allergies, and hyperactivity in children.
 We
believe that organic methods produce
the most healthful food and helps to
protect our environment while eliminating
any possibility of cancer-causing toxins.
Best of all, it helps local farmers
and their families. So whenever you
can afford to do so, we encourage you
to support local organic farmers and
suppliers, or plant your own garden.
For a list of the best fruits and
vegetables to purchase organic, please
see our Fruits
and Veggies page.
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