Organic foods: Are they safer? More nutritious?

Discover the real difference between organic foods and their traditionally grown counterparts when it comes to nutrition, safety and price.

By Mayo Clinic staff

Once found only in health food stores, organic food is now a regular feature at most supermarkets. And that’s created a bit of a dilemma in the produce aisle. On one hand, you have a conventionally grown apple. On the other, you have one that’s organic. Both apples are firm, shiny and red. Both provide vitamins and fiber, and both are free of fat, sodium and cholesterol. Which should you choose?

Conventionally grown produce generally costs less, but is organic food safer or more nutritious? Get the facts before you shop.

Conventional vs. organic farming

The word “organic” refers to the way farmers grow and process agricultural products, such as fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy products and meat. Organic farming practices are designed to encourage soil and water conservation and reduce pollution. Farmers who grow organic produce and meat don’t 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.

Here are some key differences between conventional farming and organic farming:

Organic or not? Check the label

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has established an organic certification program that requires all organic foods to meet strict government standards. These standards regulate how such foods are grown, handled and processed.

Any product labeled as organic must be USDA certified. Only producers who sell less than $5,000 a year in organic foods are exempt from this certification; however, they’re still required to follow the USDA’s standards for organic foods.

If a food bears a USDA Organic label, it means it’s produced and processed according to the USDA standards. The seal is voluntary, but many organic producers use it.

Products certified 95 percent or more organic display this USDA seal.

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Products that are completely organic — such as fruits, vegetables, eggs or other single-ingredient foods — are labeled 100 percent organic and can carry the USDA seal.

Foods that have more than one ingredient, such as breakfast cereal, can use the USDA organic seal plus the following wording, depending on the number of 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.

Products that contain at least 70 percent organic ingredients may say “made with organic ingredients” on the label, but may not use the seal. Foods containing less than 70 percent organic ingredients can’t use the seal or the word “organic” on their product labels. They can include the organic items in their ingredient list, however.

Do ‘organic’ and ‘natural’ mean the same thing?

No, “natural” and “organic” are not interchangeable terms. You may see “natural” and other terms such as “all natural,” “free-range” or “hormone-free” on food labels. These descriptions must be truthful, but don’t confuse them with the term “organic.” Only foods that are grown and processed according to USDA organic standards can be labeled organic.

Main Category: Nutrition / Diet
Article Date: 11 Jul 2004 – 18:00 PDT

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This factsheet is a summary of an article published in “Coronary and Diabetic Care in the UK 2004″ by the Association of Primary Care Groups and Trusts (UK). It was written by James Cleeton, Policy Projects Co-ordinator at the Soil Association.

The article concluded that a predominantly organic diet:

- reduces the amount of toxic chemicals ingested;

- totally avoids GMOs [genetically modified organisms];

- reduces the amount of food additives and colourings;

- increases the amount of beneficial vitamins, minerals, EFAs [essential fatty acids] and antioxidants consumed;

- appears to have the potential to lower the incidence of common conditions such as cancer, coronary heart disease, allergies and hyperactivity in children.

1) PESTICIDES

The routine use of synthetic pesticides is not allowed under organic standards. Currently, over 400 chemicals can be regularly used in conventional farming to kill weeds, insects and other pests that attack crops. For example, Cox’s apples can be sprayed up to 16 times with 36 different pesticides. 7 Only four chemicals are allowed in restricted circumstances under Soil Association standards.

“Organic food contains fewer residues of pesticides used in conventional agriculture, so buying organic is one way to reduce the chances that your food contains these pesticides” (Sir John Krebs, Chair, Food Standards Agency, Cheltenham Science Festival debate, 5th June 2003).

“Consumers who wish to minimise their dietary pesticide exposure can do so with confidence by buying organically grown food” (Baker et al 2002).

Organophosphates

The most dangerous chemicals used in farming such as organophosphates [pesticides] have been linked with a range of conditions such as cancer, decreasing male fertility, foetal abnormalities, chronic fatigue syndrome in children and Parkinson’s disease. 8,9 Pesticide residues have been ranked among the top three environmental cancer risks by the American Government. 10

Pesticide residues in food

In recent years, UK Government research has consistently found pesticide residues in a third of food, including residues of more than one chemical in apples, baby food, bread, cereal bars, fresh salmon, lemons, lettuces, peaches, nectarines, potatoes and strawberries. 11 Not all foodstuffs are checked; instead a small number of different products is tested every 3 months and the results published by the Pesticide Safety Directorate (PSD).

Residues of multiple pesticides: the cocktail effect

How to Go Green: Earth Day

by Blythe Copeland, Great Neck, New York on 04. 2.09

How to Go Green: Like Celebrities by Collin Dunn, Portland, OR, USA on 02.19.09 TH Exclusives (how to green your life) Image credit: Getty Images/Nicholas Monu Celebrities, and their various efforts to go green, can be a bit of a mixed bag. On the one hand, it’s great that high-profile, highly-visible folks are affecting positive change by both reducing their impact on the planet, but inspiring others to do the same. They have the resources and connections to start progressive, world-changing organizations to bring publicity to causes that might otherwise go unnoticed, and a permanent soapbox to make sure that millions of people know about them. We love to pay attention to them, as a culture, and, in the best cases, they can use that power for good. Top Green Celebrity Tips Further Reading on Green Celebrities Green Celebrities: By the Numbers Quiz: What’s Your Green Celebrity IQ? Green Celebrities: Gossip From the Archives How to Go Green: Index Green celebs: An Inconvenient Truth? It isn’t all sunshine and red carpet glamour photos, though–there are a few celebs still in need of a sound eco-education. And, because they’re under the watchful eye of many a paparazzi and the public at large, it isn’t that hard to find inconsistencies between what they say we should do, and what they do–usually with thousands of pounds of carbon emissions in between. Remember all that hullaballo about Al Gore and his electricity bill (until he got a solar roof)? Go Green Like Celebs While it can be easy to cast the first stone, there is no denying the tremendous reach and potential to affect positive change among the A-listers, rock stars, and other celebrities who are doing more than their part to help our planet be a better place. As long as there are movies, there will be stars and starlets; as long as there is music, there will be rock stars and groupies. Celebrities aren’t going anywhere, and, let’s face it, we don’t want them to. And there’s some good news: There’s a lot we can learn from them. In this guide, we’ll take a peek at some of the good green efforts put forth by a handful of the planet’s most committed celebrities. Learn about Leonardo DiCaprio’s passionate activism, Brad Pitt’s efforts to rebuild a city, how Ed Norton helped start a revolution, and how you can do some of the same things in your life, starting today. Read on to get started being more like your favorite green celeb. Back To Top Λ Top Green Celebrity Tips 1.Brad Pitt Though the actor was going green all the way back in 2004, purchasing hybrid cars and calling for energy independence, he’s made the biggest green mark on the world of green building and sustainable design through his support for the rebuilding projects in New Orleans. He’s teamed up with Global Green USA for a sustainable design competition and a handful of other projects totaling millions of dollars and countless hours spent on making the Big Easy a greener city from the ground up. Pitt has also found time to host a public broadcasting series on green design, help design a green hotel in Dubai and purchase an eco-friendly winery with wife Angelina Jolie. To emulate Brad at home: Engage in some green home improvement and efficiency upgrades to make your home as green as his designs and projects around the globe. 2.Daryl Hannah A passionate activist and proponent for sustainable fuels and transport, Daryl Hannah walks (or, perhaps more accurately, drives) the talk. Last year, she sold her beloved “Badass Biodiesel El Camino” in favor of an all-electric version of the Trans Am her character drove in “Kill Bill,” but she couldn’t stay away from biofuel. She picked up another El Camino and converted it to run on biodiesel, saying, “My car loves to drink vegetable oil, especially if it’s from waste. I only use sustainably-sourced biodiesel.” She remains actively involved in the Sustainable Biodiesel Alliance and, in between supporting eco-tourism in Egypt and raising awareness about the damage done in the Amazon by the oil industry, Hannah has time to narrate IMAX films about dolphins and whales and host her very own green vlog, DH Love Life. Whew! To be more like Daryl Hannah: Get smart about alternative fuels like biodiesel and reduce your dependence on fossil fuels. 3.Leonardo DiCaprio The guy known simply as “Leo” to hordes of fans is at once patron saint for green celebs and a passionate, committed, educated environmental activist. With worthwhile green accomplishments too numerous to list — from global warming documentaries to green charities to producing Greensburg for Planet Green and starring in films condemning conflict diamonds — one of the original “eco-celebs” is still one of the most active (and best). To channel Leo in your life: Recognize it may be the 11th hour and learn all you can about global warming and how to stop it. Leo would probably like it if you saw his global warming film, too. 4.Ed Begley, Jr. There aren’t many people — celebrities or otherwise — who couldn’t learn a green thing or two from Ed. The guy who has a whole TV show dedicated to his green life — Living with Ed — has been doing it all for years, from taking his home off grid using solar panels and wind power, to riding his bike all over Los Angeles, to growing his own food> and cooking it with a solar oven, to creating a line of non-toxic green cleaners. And he’s busily spreading the word about living green everywhere he goes, whether it’s on his bicycle for an energy-saving campaign or for a piece in the New York Times. Ed’s a real inspiration, both as an example of someone living really green and doing it for all the right reasons. To be a true eco-stud like Ed: You have a seriously tough act to follow. If solar electricity is too spendy (as it is for many of us), consider buying green power from your utility, which helps reduce or negate the carbon emissions of your home. Installing compact fluorescent light bulbs helps, too, and while you’re at it, take up gardening, ride your bike as much as you can — even in the winter — and clean your house with green cleaners. Whew! 5.George Clooney Featured with (buddy Brad Pitt on an episode of Planet Green’s “Hollywood Green”, George Clooney has earned a prominent place among his fellow eco-celebs for his support of more sustainable transport. Clooney has been an electric car fan ever since he laid eyes on the Tango, a svelte electric two-seater

What’s the problem?

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the world population is expanding at a mind-boggling rate. The world reached 1 billion people in 1800; 2 billion by 1922; and over 6 billion by 2000. It is estimated that the population will swell to over 9 billion by 2050. That means that if the world’s natural resources were evenly distributed, people in 2050 will only have 25% of the resources per capita that people in 1950 had.

The world has a fixed amount of natural resources – some of which are already depleted. So as population growth greatly strains our finite resources, there are fewer resources available. If we intend to leave our children and grandchildren with the same standard of living we have enjoyed, we must preserve the foundation of that standard of living. We save for college educations, orthodontia, and weddings, but what about saving clean air, water, fuel sources and soil for future generations?

Some of the greatest threats to future resources come from things we throw away everyday. Household batteries and electronics often contain dangerous chemicals that may, if sent to a local landfill, leak through the bottom barrier and pollute the groundwater. This can contaminate everything from the soil in which our food grows, to the water which will eventually come out of aquifers and into our tap water. Many of these chemicals cannot be removed from the drinking water supply, nor from the crops that are harvested from contaminated fields. The risks to human health are tremendous.

Throwing away items that could be recycled diminishes energy, water and natural resources that could be saved by recycling.

Did you know…

• For every ton of paper that is recycled, the following is saved: 7,000 gallons of water; 380 gallons of oil; and enough electricity to power an average house for six months.
• You can run a TV for six hours on the amount of electricity that is saved by recycling one aluminum can.
• By recycling just one glass bottle, you save enough electricity to power a 100-watt bulb for four hours.

The more we throw away, the more space we take up in landfills. When a landfill becomes a “landfull”, taxpayers have to build a new one. The less we throw away, the longer our landfills will last. The amount of taxpayer money we save by extending the longevity of our landfills is an important community benefit

Oprah’s Influence on My Green Job

The Advantages of Organic Food

You Are What You Eat

Do you really know what goes into your food?  Discover the advantages of organic food on this site and see exactly what producers have been adding to your fruit and vegetables to make it less healthy than a few years ago.

In the rush to produce more and more crops to satisfy growing demand producers have had to resort to using a lethal cocktail of pesticides to control disease and insect attack. 

Good news for their bank balances perhaps but not good news for your health, this is why you need to be informed of the advantages of organic food.

Did you know that if you consumed an average apple you would be eating over 30 pesticides, even after you have washed it? 

The quality of food has definitely gone down since the second world war.  For instance, the levels of vitamin C in today’s fruit bear no resemblance to the levels found in wartime fruit.

Organic food is known to contain 50% more nutrients, minerals and vitamins than produce that has been intensively farmed. Read more about this here.

You will have to eat more fruit nowadays to make up the deficiency, but unfortunately that means eating more chemicals, more detrimental affects on your health eating something that should be good for you!

Also don’t forget about the cocktail of anti-biotics and hormones that cattle and poultry are force fed. 

What happens to those chemicals when the animal dies? 

Digested and stored in human bodies is the answer, have you seen pictures of animals in severly cramped conditions in battery farms? 

It just does not make sense to state that any animal kept in these conditions is healthy and produces high quality food.

If you are as worried as I am about the health of your family then you need to read the articles on this and seriously consider converting your family to the organic lifestyle with the organic food information you are going to learn on this site.

Trust me, once you try some organic produce and taste an apple the way it should be, and perhaps how you recall it tasting in your youth, you will never go back to mass produced fruit again.

Sure there are issues with availability and cost but with a bit of research you should be able to find local stores who stock organic produce. 

Also, don’t forget about your local farmer, I’m sure you will be able to find one that has seen the light and opened up a farm shop to supply local residents. 

You should be able to get some very keen prices from these shops, why not take a look around and see who is offering produce in your area?

Some more startling facts now.  Pesticides in food have been linked to many diseases including:

Cancer
Obesity
Altzheimer’s
Some birth defects

Not a nice list is it?  There are probably others but if you think about it, how can it be okay for you to eat chemicals and not expect some form of reaction in your body.  Our bodies are delicately balanced wonderful machines.  Any form of foreign chemical is bound to cause irritation at the least.

Please take advantage of the organic food articles and information on this site and do consider taking a closer look at what you are eating.  It’s for your health after all!

Virginia Louise

Natural acne treatment

Latest Organic Food Pages Added

Organic aphid killer
The advantages of organic food in the news 

ORGANIC (Ltd) – News
Organic newsline from organic.com.au

ORGANIC (Ltd) – News
News relating to the organic and sustainable agriculture industries. http://organic.com.au/news
Woolworths Acquires Macro Wholefoods
Woolworths will continue to roll out its Thomas Dux Grocer stores in New South Wales and Victoria with its agreement to acquire up to nine store leases from Macro Wholefoods.
Banned Pesticide Blamed For Fish Mutations
A pesticide banned in more than 50 countries but still used widely in Australia has been implicated in the chronic deformities and deaths of thousands of fish in the Noosa River in recent months.
EU Assembly Votes to Ban Toxic Pesticides
European Parliament members voted to ban some of the most toxic and dangerous pesticides to human health.
Obama’s Choice of Vilsack: AgriBusiness as Usual at USDA ?
Subdued approval greeted President-elect Obama’s choice of Tom Vilsack for Secretary of Agriculture last week.

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