Why Organic
When you hit the grocery stores or the farmers market how do you select the best produce for you and your family? A smart decision is to err on the side of buying organic. Organic food is healthier and it tastes better! But if going all organic is a luxury you can’t afford, be strategic in terms of choosing which organic foods to buy, you can save yourself from harmful chemicals without burning a hole in your wallet. Learn about the foods that are most impacted by pesticide and chemical use and you can make important and healthy food choices for you and your family. While eating nothing but organic foods is an easy way to limit your exposure to pesticides and toxins, there are times when it is not always possible to eat a totally organic diet. Make sure you purchase the foods that are considered the most important to eat organic and stay clear of the one’s with high pesticide residues.
Besides the Dirty Dozen Graphic here are more foods where it would benefit you to go organic, since they contain high amounts of pesticides and or antibiotics and hormones.
Dairy & Milk
Pesticides and other man-made chemicals have been found in human breast milk, so it should come as no surprise that they have been found in dairy products, too. Twelve different pesticides have been identified in milk, and milk is of special concern because it is a staple of a child’s diets. When it comes to cheese, milk, yogurt and other dairy foods, the same issues that occur with meat come into play. If it comes from an animal, then you have to consider what goes into that animal. High levels of antibiotics and hormones have been found in conventional dairy products. If you can, try to buy all your dairy organic.
Meats & Fatty Meats
The USDA does not currently test meats for all possible chemicals, which can mean that there are pesticides or chemicals in meats not currently shown in tests. The real reason to buy organic meats stems from antibiotic and hormone use; both are banned in certified organic meats. One major issue with antibiotics used for animals is that the use can breed disease-resistant forms of bacteria. So, if an animal can’t fight a disease as well, the meat you buy may still have the disease present. Another benefit of organic meats is that they are lower in saturated fats and higher in omega-3 because, according to eco-label, animals raised on grasses and natural feed are healthier.
While it doesn’t make the list of dirty dozen foods, meat makes this list. While there are generally no pesticides found in beef muscle,(USDA does not regulate) fat is another story. Fewer than a dozen pesticides have been detected in beef fat, but among them are long-lived chemicals that accumulate in human fats just as they do in beef cattle. The same pattern holds for other meats, with pork fat and chicken thighs tallying the most pesticide residue, while lean meat for the most part comes up clean. I would still consider going for quality rather than quantity here. You can really taste the difference in the taste and quality. There is also the issue of factory farming. In a nutshell, unhealthy cows mean unhealthy meat. The thought of eating a sick or diseased animal should make you ill. If you think that the industrial cattle industry is willing to throw away the cattle that become ill and lose a profit on the animal, you are sadly disillusioned. Profit always comes first over health. GO ORGANIC!!
Coffee
While the watchdog lists don’t include data on coffee, many of the coffee beans we buy are grown in countries with lax regulations for use of pesticides. Look for the USDA Organic label to ensure you’re not buying beans that have been grown or processed with the use of potentially harmful chemicals.Go a step or two further, and look for the Fair Trade Certified and Rainforest Alliance (or Bird Friendly) labels to ensure that your purchase supports farmers who are paid fairly and treated well. And look for shade-grown (Rainforest Alliance- or Bird Friendly-certified) varieties for the trifecta; that way you know the coffee is being grown under the canopy of the rainforest, leaving those ancient trees intact, along with the wildlife – particularly songbirds – that call them home.
Wine
Similarly to coffee, there’s no watchdog reporting on pesticides found in wine, but grapes are among the crops that are typically heavily doused with pesticides to ward off fungus and bugs. Fortunately, there are more and more fine organic wines on the market. Many will be labeled “made with organic grapes,” rather than “organic wine” because winemakers add sulfites as a preservative to allow for long-distance shipping.
So you can feel confident at a wine store or when dining out, here is a simple guide to what emerging vino labels mean and he good news is that organic wines are becoming much more widely available.
100% Organic carries the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) organic seal (the certifying agency must be listed) and indicates the wine is made from 100% organically grown ingredients and has been monitored throughout its entire production process. This wine can contain only naturally occurring sulfites (or sulfur dioxide, an antimicrobial substance) in less than 100 parts per million (ppm). Organic also carries the USDA organic seal and indicates the wine has 95% organically grown ingredients (the other 5% must not be available organically). Again the certifying agency must be listed and the wine has the same sulfite requirements as 100% organic.
Made with Organic Grapes or Made with Organic Ingredients means the wine contains at least 70% organic ingredients. It can have artificial sulfites added, but it may not contain more than 100 ppm. (It does not have the USDA organic seal.)
Biodynamic is based on the precise observation and an attempt at balance of nature, a concept originated by the early 20th-century Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner. So, biodynamic wine is not only 100% organic, in addition, the grower has gone beyond to try to bring the farming process more closely in tune with nature. For instance, biodynamic wine growers may make their own compost and/or watch the stars and planets to time what they do.
Organic farming helps our environment by increasing soil fertility, encouraging natural organisms to flourish, and allowing plants and animals to boost their natural resistance to disease instead of relying on antibiotics or fungicides. Making informed nutritional decisions influence your overall well-being and quality of life, so giving Organic some food for thought and learning the latest facts is a smart decision.
Until Next Time,
Claudia