Organics: Food for Life
By Jessica Groach
When you order fruit or a salad at a restaurant, you assume you're doing a good thing for your body. But there's a very real chance that the apple, leaf of lettuce, or tomato you just ate contains cancer-causing pesticides, and perhaps not quite as many vitamins as you may think.
According to several scientific studies and natural health schools, what you eat could kill you. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has linked nearly 60 percent of all herbicides currently in use, as well as 90 percent of all fungicides and 30 percent of insecticides to cancer. Those with natural medicine training, as well as traditional doctors, strongly encourage eating organic fruits and vegetables.
A 2002 Consumers Union and Organic Materials Review Institute study found that produce labeled "organic" contained only one-third the amount of pesticide residue as produce that was conventionally grown. Organic foods are better for you.
The Fruits of Buying Organic
Hundreds of studies around the country continue to reinforce these five benefits of buying organic:
1. Organic food contains fewer chemicals. In September, the L.A. Times reported that when conventional foods were substituted with organic foods for five days among elementary school children, concentrations of malathion and chlorpyrifos, two dangerous pesticides, substantially declined.
2. Organic food tastes better. Pick up a tomato at a local farmer's market and you'll understand. Tomatoes found in grocery stores are often bred for travel on trucks, with thicker skins and less juice, so that they last longer. Taste tests between conventional and organic apples frequently reveal that organic apples are sweeter.
3. Organic food usually contains more vitamins. A study conducted by chemistry researchers at Truman State University in Missouri looked at conventional and organic oranges, and found that organically grown oranges contained up to 30 percent more vitamin C than conventional oranges--even though the organic oranges were typically smaller in size.
4. Organic food is better for the earth. Organic farming eliminates chemical pollution and nitrogen leaching. It builds soil through crop rotation. It conserves water resources, eliminates runoff, preserves biodiversity, and respects the ecosystem by retaining fence rows, wetlands, and other natural areas.
5. Organic farming benefits communities. Most organic farms are small and family-owned. Whereas the world produce market can be subject to high taxes, natural disasters, or market fluctuations, buying from local, organic farmers benefits them directly. It also protects local land, and puts money back into the local tax base.
What's in the Meat?
It's possible today to have a diet comprised of nearly 100 percent organic products. Beef that is raised organically is usually grass-fed. The primary sources of water pollution in the United States are feedlots and chemical-intensive farms, reported e-Taiwan News this past August. And as Eric Schlosser reports in his bestselling book Fast Food Nation, the average cow is often fed blood, manure, and slaughterhouse waste, promoting the spread of Mad Cow Disease, E. coli, and any number of other diseases. Hormone implants, antibiotic injections, and rampant slaughterhouse filth make the average cow seem unappetizing indeed.
However, Mother Earth News and the Organic Consumers Association report that grass-fed beef is up to three times leaner, has up to 15 fewer calories per ounce, contains more balanced omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, more vitamins and minerals, and has never been reported to contain Mad Cow Disease.
Organic milk comes from cows that have not been injected with hormones, steroids or antibiotics, and whose feed was not sprayed with pesticides. Many drinkers of organic milk claim that grass-fed cows produce better milk with more complexity of flavor, and some studies say that organic milk contains as much as five times more conjugated linoleic acid, a cancer-fighting agent.
At a Premium
With so much research to suggest that organic foods are healthier, taste better, and are better for our planet, why is it that these products only compose four percent of the U.S. consumer market?
The University of California-Davis recently reported that U.S. shoppers who consistently chose these healthier food options also consistently paid about 20 percent more for groceries. Even though sales of these items keep growing, the fact that they can consume about 35-40 percent of a low-income family's budget is bad news for the industry.
Why so pricey? While conventional farms are often automated and utilize machines for picking, organic produce is often picked carefully by hand on family-owned farms. All of those hands must be adequately compensated for their hard work, and in a bumper crop, these costs only go up. Rotating crops protects the soil, but it doesn't always ensure you're growing your highest-dollar crops. Organic farms also don't have the added benefit of high distribution, and often have to rely on farmer's markets or co-ops to get their products into consumers' hands. Plus, conventional crops are heavily subsidized by the federal government, whereas organic farmers are not.
But consider the costs of conventional farming. Our taxes help the government pay subsidies to conventional farms, to the tune of $40 billion a year. Add to that the cost of cleaning up pollution to the environment and treating health problems created by toxic pesticides, and all of a sudden the price of organic food really isn't that high.
There are a couple different ways to scale down your costs. Shopping at farmer's markets whenever possible is a great way to start--these foods are fresh, great-tasting, and fun to shop for in this environment. You can actually speak to the person who picked the fruit. Some stores, such as Trader Joe's or Whole Foods, also tend to carry large selections of organic foods at reasonable prices, so shop around. Beware of designer grocery stores with gourmet food sections cleverly disguised as "organic foods." Buying in bulk saves lots of money, especially on grains, legumes, and snacks.
Natural Health
Students pursuing natural health careers are getting acquainted with the benefits of organic foods. In fact, those in natural medicine careers often find that a simple adjustment in diet to a more organic menu increases vitamin intake, lessens rates of cancer and other diseases, and prevents patients from contracting illnesses such as Mad Cow Disease or E. coli. Nutrition studies in natural health schools train students to encourage natural medicine and diet adjustment, with less emphasis on pharmaceuticals. With the costs of health care rising, and $1.5 trillion per year of that going to treat problems caused by toxic chemicals, those with natural medicine training may continue to rely on organic foods. Stacked against the potential problems caused by conventional farming, the price you might pay to start an organic diet may save you in the long run.
About the Author
Jessica Groach is a freelance writer and has taught writing at the University of Nevada, Reno, for five years. She has nine years of experience in advertising and media production. Her writing has appeared in a number of publications and a Warner Business Book. Jessica earned her bachelor's degree from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, and her master's degree in writing from the University of Nevada, Reno.
