HLife | Healthy Living Redefined

I was shopping at Whole Foods the other day and while waiting in line, someone asked me something I thought people who shopped at this type of establishment would already know: “Why organic?”

As my produce, soy butter, cereal, bread, cinnamon and non-dairy milk were all organic, I guess the person behind me wanted to know why it was that someone only bought what to many was just “the more expensive stuff”. “Isn’t it the same thing?”

Absolutely NOT.

Chapter 94, Section 6504 of Title 7 of the US Code, states that, to be sold or labeled as an organically produced agricultural product, an agricultural product shall:

1. have been produced and handled without the use of synthetic chemicals
2. excluding livestock, not be produced on land to which any prohibited substances, including synthetic chemicals, have been applied during the 3 years immediately preceding the harvest of the agricultural products, and
3. be produced and handled in compliance with an organic plan agreed to by the producer and handler of such product and the certifying agent.

The exception to this is processed foods, (not your healthiest option anyway,) which include multiple ingredients and CAN say “organic” if the Secretary, the National Organic Standards Board and Secretary of Health and Human Services have agreed to allow this for the purpose of identifying some of the organic ingredients in the product, even though ALL of the ingredients in the product are not organic. Translation: read your ingredient labels (and preferably eat raw, non-processed foods.)

When it comes to REAL FOODS (not processed,) meaning the kind that are grown or raised, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) says organic foods have to be grown, handled and produced without:

- antibiotics or growth hormones (in the case of livestock or derivatives)
- synthetic fertilizers and pesticides
- sewage sludge
- bioengineering
- ionizing radiation

A government-approved certifier will inspect the product and if it meets standards and is at least 95% organic, it can carry the USDA organic seal (that green circle shown above.) Labels such as “natural”, “healthy” and “fresh” do NOT mean organic (and, in fact, may mean something different than what you would guess. But that is another story.)

New York Times journalist Michael Pollan explains in his best-selling book “The Omnivore’s Dilemma”, as well as in his website www.michaelpollan.com, exactly what you’re eating when you eat synthetic fertilizers:

“After World War II, the government had found itself with a tremendous surplus of ammonium nitrate, the principal ingredient in the making of explosives. Ammonium nitrate also happens to be an excellent source of nitrogen for plants. Serious thought was given to spraying America’s forests with the surplus chemical, to help the timber industry. But agronomists in the Department of Agriculture had a better idea: spread the ammonium nitrate on farmland as fertilizer. The chemical fertilizer industry (along with that of pesticides, which are based on the poison gases developed for war) is the product of the government’s effort to convert its war machine to peacetime purposes. As the Indian farmer activist Vandana Shiva says in her speeches, ‘We’re still eating the leftovers of World War II.’” – Michael Pollan

In her book “Shedding Light on Genetically Engineered Food”, Beth H. Harrison, Ph.D. discusses the negative effects of bioengineering foods – bad for us and bad for the environment (and economy.) According to Harrison, genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are not tested by the FDA for safety (the FDA leaves it up to the producer to say their product is safe.) She even cites one scientist who was persecuted for saying his studies showed that rats that ate genetically modified potatoes had smaller livers, hearts and brains, and showed signs of weakened immune systems. At best, we don’t know what GMOs will do to our cells. At worse, they could be the root of allergies, deformities and illnesses. Also, genetically modified crops, contrary to what biotech companies would have us believe, do not yield more food. Harrison states that, in fact, the opposite is true.

By the way, in the United States (unlike Europe) there is no requirement for companies to label their food as containing GMOs. THE ONLY WAY TO MAKE SURE YOU ARE NOT EATING GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISMS IS TO BUY ORGANIC.

You can visit Harrison’s site for more information on GMOs and the companies that engineer them: www.TheTruthAboutGMOs.com

So, why do we choose organic? Because we don’t want to put in our bodies some thing (not an actual apple or strawberry, but whatever that thing – Harrison calls it a ‘frankenfood’ – is after genetic manipulation) that was grown with sewage, irradiated and fertilized with World War II chemical leftovers. If you want to put that in your body, that is certainly your choice; but, please, do us all a favor and get informed and weigh the consequences first. This is your health we are talking about. Do you want to eat real food and reap the benefits now or would you rather pay the hospital bill to see what badly produced frankenfood has done to your body after?

Remember: You vote with your dollars. Every time you buy something, you are either helping the greater good (and yourself and family) or not. Whenever possible, support your local farmers and farmers markets. And if you think that organic food is just “the more expensive stuff”, remember that a local organic farmer does not count with government subsidies like conventional corn/soy/dairy farmers do, plus, they have to be inspected and maintain rigorous standards in order to be certified organic – and to bring that goodness of real foods to you.