Organic Food Deals and Steals

According to Whole Foods, “Nearly one-third of the U.S. population has recently purchased an organically grown food product, and sales are expected to more than double in the next four years — making organic one of the hottest growth trends in the food industry today.”


If you are willing to do some creative shopping and cooking, you can enjoy the freshness and goodness of organic foods without breaking your food budget.


When you are looking for fresh, organic foods, look no further than a local farmers market.  Spending your money locally at local farms also means you're helping to keep working farms viable, and that means keeping the scenery of your town or region intact.
Find one nearest you:
http://www.localharvest.org/


Shop in season. Much like starting small, shopping in season for organic products can also help offset the expenses of eating organic. Visit the Dr. Oz “what’s in season” guide to find what products you should buy and when, in order to not pay out the behind for your organic goodies.


Consider your grocery store's private label organic brand.

Here is a price comparison:

• Name brand 32 oz. organic yogurt $2.99 vs. store brand 32 oz organic yogurt $2.53.
• Name brand half gallon of organic milk $4.05 vs. store brand half gallon organic milk $3.49

The Environmental Working Group, a non-profit research organization, looked at USDA and FDA data and came up with a list of fruits and vegetables that contain the highest number and concentration of pesticide residues, taking into account eating and peeling habits. From this, they compiled a “dirty dozen.” These are the top offenders; in other words, fruits you should try to buy organic:

• Peaches
• Apples
• Nectarines
• Strawberries
• Cherries
• Imported Grapes
• Pears

Start your own garden.  Besides the benefits of gardening that go beyond food -- time outdoors, quiet opportunities for contemplation, and the satisfaction of having made something with your hands.  Growing your own food means complete control over the quality of your diet.

18 Helpful Tips for a Natural Diet

http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/organic-food-tips-47-040801

Benefits of Naturally Raised Livestock

Purchasing and consuming naturally raised livestock can benefit yourself and the environment in many ways.  There are numerous benefits for the environment when livestock is fed by grazing on pastures. Grass fed cattle are instrumental in maintaining landscape. Their grazing has been found to prevent soil erosion. As a result, naturally raised livestock promote a most sustainable agriculture and therefore end up with an abundance of healthier animals in addition to cattle.  

Eating naturally raised livestock is an incredibly healthy choice.  Naturally raised livestock does not contain the additional chemicals and hormones that usually accompany store-bought beef.  By consuming it, you will be missing out on the unhealthy side effects of those chemicals and hormones. Naturally raised livestock is easier to digest and will not clog up the system like livestock that is filled with foreign chemical substances. (Go Green Street)

Natural beef has been shown to have less than half of the percentage of fat of livestock that has been raised unnaturally. Natural beef is leaner and can save thousands and thousands of calories from being consumed. It’s also been suggested that pasture fed cattle provides quadruple the amount of Vitamin E than from feedlot cattle. In addition to containing far more Vitamin E than feedlot cattle, naturally raised livestock also increases Omega-3 fatty acid intake and reduces the risk of E. coli. (Go Green Street)

Check the labels on your meat before you purchase it, and it could help you sustain the environment and live a healthier life.  Naturally raided livestock is a great way to cut back on fat intake and increase in nutrition without even noticing a change in the diet. 

Why does "organic" cost more?

The biggest criticism of organic food is its cost. There are several reasons it’s more expensive.  Organic farmers pay more for organic animal feed, and the farming is more labor intensive, since farmers avoid chemical fertilizers and pesticides. 

Organic food may cost ten to forty percent more than conventionally grown food (Quinn). Organic farmers avoid chemical fertilizers, they use compost and animal manure, which is bulkier and more expensive to ship. This also means their crop yield is usually lower. Conventional farming also uses every acre of farmland to grow crops, while organic farmers rotate their crops to keep soil healthy. Consumers have also been found to have specific reasons for not purchasing organically grown foods. Those who do not invest in organic products are found to not do so because of the food being too expensive, poor availability and lack of time to find retail outlets, unsatisfactory quality, satisfaction with their current food purchases, and unfamiliarity with the term "organic” (Magkos).

On the other hand, the way in which consumers decide to purchase organic products has also been investigated. Catherine Quinn, from “The Question of Health: is Organic Food Better for You than Conventionally Farmed Produce?” uses a model she developed for the reason of purchasing organic foods that includes four factors: cue utilization (organically grown label, naturally processed, price), health and environmental concerns, trade-off of perceived quality and cost, and the influence of perceived value on willingness to buy.

All of these production costs mean organic farming tends to be more expensive than conventional farming, and this is reflected in how much you pay at the grocery store. However, when you take into account the true “cost” of food production from conventional farming, including replacement of eroded soils, cleaning up polluted water, health care for farmers who get sick, and environmental costs of pesticide production and disposal, organic farming might actually be cheaper in the end. (It's Easy Being Green, par. 9) 

Is Organic food better for our bodies?

Are foods that are labeled with the name “organic” found to be healthier and bettering for our bodies than conventional foods?  It is clear from the scientific literature to date that organic food is certainly more nutritious and less toxic than conventional food.  Does this equate to better overall health and a lower risk of chronic diseases?  You might be surprised by the answer that you will soon discover.


Much of the published data on pesticide exposure and disease does show an increased risk in most cases.  The biggest fear of many people is cancer.  
The National Cancer Institute states that "studies of people with high exposure to pesticides, such as farmers, pesticide applicators, manufacturers, and crop dusters, have found high rates of blood and lymphatic system cancers; cancers of the lip, stomach, lung, brain, and prostate; as well as melanoma and other skin cancers".  


Another study performed a meta-analysis on 40 case-controlled studies and found being exposed to pesticides for greater than 10-20 years was associated with a higher risk of Parkinson's disease.  Other risk factors such as rural living, well-water consumption, and farming played a part as well.  Another study showed an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease in occupational workers exposed to pesticides.
So while there is a link to pesticide exposure and disease it appears that the highest risk is in those who have the greatest exposure (farmers, workers, etc.) and only after being exposed to high amounts over long periods of time.  The amount of pesticide residue left on the food you buy is much lower than what these studies allude to. (Dunaif GE, Campbell TC)
An even more important aspect of this topic in regards to pesticide exposure and your overall health is what you can do to prevent the risk of disease from occurring.  A large body of evidence points to the fact that consuming a nutrient dense, plant-based diet and avoiding processed and animal-based foods reduces your risk not only of cancer due to pesticide exposure but also many other chronic diseases (heart disease, diabetes, dementia, etc.).

The most influential evidence to date concerning more organic diets relation to cancer has been conducted by Dr. T Colin Campbell who has spent over 40 years of his life in nutritional research.  Dr. Campbell conducted several studies on a known potent carcinogen called aflatoxin.  He was able to show that the cancer causing effects of aflatoxin could be "turned on" and "turned off" simply by how much protein was consumed in animal studies.  When more than 10% of the total calories were consumed as casein (animal based protein found in dairy) then cancer growth was ignited and tumors began to form.  It is a fact that eating non-organic foods increases your exposure to pesticides, however it does not mean that you are on the fast track to develop cancer and other debilitating diseases.  It is most important that you eat a diet that contains large amounts of nutrient dense, health promoting foods such as fruits & vegetables as well as legumes, whole grains, & nuts/seeds.  Having a diet on this basis  will arm yourself with an excellent defense mechanism against many of the chronic diseases that we are experiencing today in our society. Throughout investigation, there is no doubt that organic food is more “natural” than conventional food, and in the long run better for our bodies.


Below is a video of Dr. Campbell's research, and his scientific data of the benefits of organic food to our bodies to reduce the risk of cancer: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2apSwqdiHE

Organic or Not?

The U.S. Department of Agriculture certifies organic products according to strict guidelines. In order to apply for certification, organic farmers must pass a test, and pay a fee.  However, it is important to indicate that this means not all organic foods become certified, even though all certified food is organic.

If you come across an item that has the label, “USDA Organic”, it means that at least 95 percent of the food’s ingredients were organically produced.  It also means that it has been produced and processed according to the USDA standards.  However, obtaining the seal is voluntary, but many organic producers use it.  Products that are 100 percent organic, such as fruits, vegetables, eggs, or other single-ingredient foods are labeled only a small USDA seal.

Some product labels may also state that the product was “made with organic ingredients,” which means the product contains at least 70 percent of ingredients that are organic.  Foods containing less than 70 percent organic ingredients cannot use the seal or the word "organic" on their product labels.  They can include the organic items in their ingredient list, however. (Mayo Clinic)  Foods that have multiple ingredients, such as breakfast cereal, can use the USDA organic seal plus the following wording, depending on how many organic ingredients:    

• "100 percent organic": To use this phrase, products must be either completely organic or made of all organic ingredients.
• "Organic": Products must be at least 95 percent organic to use this term.

(www.americanprogress.org)

What is the Difference Between Organic and Inorganic Food?

Do you ever find yourself at your local supermarket staring at two apples for instance that look the same, however one is labeled with an USDA Organic sticker, and the other is not.  Which one is worthy of making its way into your grocery cart?  These apples are most likely not priced the same, which will you choose: The organic apple that is possibly only a few cents more, or the conventional apple?

Farmers who grow organic produce and meat do not use conventional methods to fertilize, control weeds, or prevent livestock disease. For example, rather than using chemical weedkillers, organic farmers may conduct more sophisticated crop rotations and spread mulch or manure to keep weeds at bay.  

Organically grown food denotes products that have been produced in accordance with the principles and practices of organic agriculture.  Organic agriculture and food processing practices are wide ranging and seek to develop a food production system that is socially, ecologically, and economically sustainable.  The key principle of organic food production is to inspire and enhance biological cycles within the farming system, to maintain and increase long term fertility of soil, minimize all forms of pollution, avoid the use of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers, maintain genetic diversity of the production system, consider the wider impact of food production and processing, and to produce food of high quality in plentiful quantity. (Quinn) 

An article from Colorado State University, Perryman Nutrition Column: Farmers’ Market Options acknowledges that the nutrients in food can vary depending on soil and climate conditions, and how it was handled and shipped.  Organic produce is likely to be lower in concentrations of pesticides and herbicides, however it may not be fully freed of them.  Organic and non-organic food has the possibility of being contaminated with food-borne pathogens during shipping and handling.