Organic Foods

Question: Organic foods? Stupid or a smart thing to do?I would just like to hear your opinions.I try to eat as much organic foods as possible.Thanks

Answer: Organics probably do not have demonstrable health benefits for you. That being said, the most important thing that organics promote is responsible use of farmland. Heavy fertilization is good in the short run, but it encourages overplantind and ultimately robs the soil of biotic matter. Organically farmed land encourages farmers to make more responsible decisions about crop rotation, plowing and tillage, as they can't 'cover up' mistakes with heavy doses of pesticides or fertilizers. The other trend is locally grown produce. This encourages farming in your own community and reduces the need for fuel to transport food the average 1500 miles it travels to your plate. Again, not really healthier for you, but the extra money you pay may prevent environmental degradation.

Question: Organic Foods? I try and eat organic foods when possible, but what about when it isn't? For example, if locally grown organic strawberries are not in season, is it better to eat no strawberries at all? Or is it worth it to settle for those huge genetically altered ones? Thanks!

Answer: The only "genetically altered" fruits on the market are the ones that are cross polinated with another variety!! Is that genetic altering?? If so all foods except the ones labeled "Heritage Seeds" are genetically altered. The only difference between organic foods and those grown on large farms is that some farmers go to the trouble to certify that their farms have used no chemical fertilizers or insecticides for the past 7 years. They pay a huge $$$ for the right to say this, so they pass it on to the consumer who is dumb enough to pay it. Organic Foods have no more nutrition than regular foods. They are no safer to eat than regular foods. If the food is labeled from YaYa country, you need to check that their Department of Agriculture is as strict as the USA Department of Agriculture on what is a safe fertilizer and a safe insecticide and what the packing and handling laws are. COOL or Country Of Origin Labeling applies to most of what you find on the shelf. Not all as of yet.

Question: Why does people say Organic foods are bad for you? There is a segament next week on world news tonight about organic foods. Why are people saying that Organic foods and products aren't worth buy? I am getting into organic foods and each time I eat the Organic foods I feel better.

Answer: Organic foods are NOT bad for you. They do, however, cost much more. Maybe that's why they say they're not worth buying.

Question: What foods should I buy organic? I'd like to start buying some organic foods, but I've heard that buying organic in some food is just a waste of money. Which types of food should I spend the extra money on buying organic?

Answer: I've been purchasing and enjoying organic foods for over 20 years. No organic food is a waste of money. If you must be selective, I'd begin with animal protein--chicken and turkey (Eberley is an excellent brand). Bell and Evans is also good, however, their chickens are not fed organic feed, as are Eberley's, and under federal regulations, cannot be classified as certified organic. For fish, buy wild caught, and if possible farmed ones that are organically fed. If possible try to include some organic veggies/fruits and grains. Drink high quality spring water NOT tap water or purchase a very good reverse osmosis water filtration system. If you are really tuned in to your body/energy, you will experience the difference in the superior quality, feel and taste of organic foods over time and you will not want to return to food and animals that are grown with unnecessary and, most likely, dangerous insecticides, herbicides, pesticides, and animals that have been "factory farmed." If people really understood what is happening to their food before it reaches the table, they be loathed to consume it. Below are some resources for good, solid information. Good luck. You are making a very positive choice for your health and our planet. HAPPY SHOPPING & EATING!!

Question: What organic foods can be stored and eaten on the run? I eat lunch at school during classes. I want organic foods instead of packaged cracker sandwiches. What can I get that has a long shelf life and doesn't have to be refrigerated or prepared every day? I don't want any mixed nuts or dried fruit mix things.

Answer: Hi, I'm a Nutrition student. Choosing to eat organic foods is a great choice. Organic berries and bananas are a great choice if you don't have refrigeration. Also, almost any vegetable will do fine for a few hours without refrigeration. Don't forget to include a protein source like a meat or cheese in your lunch. Hope this helps.

Question: When Babies eat organic baby food when they grow up, Do they have to keep eating organic foods? My baby is 4 months old. My husband accidentally bought organic baby food(applesauce) and she LOVED it! BUT a couple of my friends say if she eats organic foods as a baby she will have to keep eating it when she grows up.

Answer: Of course they do! If not they will spontaneously combust!

Question: How come Organic foods are so expensive? I dont understand why an organic apple is almost twice the price of a regular apple. I would figure that without the use of expensive pesticides and/or hormones added to these natural foods, the price savings would be forwarded to the customer. Personally this is a huge marketing ploy and these farmers are getting paid.

Answer: Price savings are not always forwarded to the customer. Sometimes profits are needed to offset a bad year where bad weather reduced the crop yield, or more money is needed to invest in seeds for future crops. There are many ways of managing the money. For the original question - organic foods are generally more expensive because they have to be grown a certain way to be organic. They are labor intensive and greater care is required. There must be eternal vigilance when it comes to insects and molds. Natural or non-chemical pest controls must be established. These things don't happen by accident or second rate farming methods. The farmer has to be competent and know what he is doing. It is not easy to produce organic foods, so I think competent and skillful farmers should be compensated. Otherwise it wouldn't be worth it for them. Also less ethical farmers would cheat and use pesticide chemicals and deny it. We should try to prevent that whenever possible.

Question: How to get organic foods in a small town? I am moving to a rural town and was wondering how to go about getting organic foods.

Answer: Check local farms, produce stands, groceries and ask- hopefully, you will have some land in your rural area and be able to plant and preserve veggies, maybe even have a chicken or two for eggs, or a goat for milk (and no lawn mowing!!) Buy bulk items when you travel to a town with an organic store, or on-line.

Question: What are the benefits to eating organic foods? I realize that organic foods are much gentler on the environment than foods grown or raised with pesticides, hormones, etc.; but are there any HEALTH benefits to eating organic food? Can I still be healthy eating traditional foods?

Answer: The only things that have a benefit from eating organic or thin skinned foods. Such as grapes, berries etc....ones that have thin skin. Other than that there is no health benefit.

Question: What's the difference between ORGANIC and GENETICALLY MODIFIED foods? I'm going to give a speech on the pros and cons of GM foods, and I'm not totally sure where organic foods come into play... are they better or worse? I know they're more expensive, are they more expensive then GM foods? Please enlighten me!

Answer: Well the FDA will not tell us what food are GM. GM means that the seed is genetically modified so that it is resistant to drought and disease (u dont want to know the details, plus you wouldnt believe me). Organic means it has been grown without pestisides... supposedly.... although the soil can be very minerally depleated so you might as well be eating air for as much good as it does you. Many countries are boycotting even letting the seeds of GM foods come into their countries because GM products have killed off the food supplies and lowered crop productions. Which is a big problem in most countries now that food has gone so high in price. The USA however will let anyone that can pay a politician off do whatever they want. There are only 4 companies in the whole world that control the seeds in mass production right now. Gone are the days when farmers could keep their original seed and make them better. Those farmers are being sued by the GM industry. Its very interesting if you ever get to watch a documentary about it.

Question: What physical/psychological benefit does eating organic foods actually have on the body? Nowadays, many people are switching to "organic" foods. Many companies claim that organic is better, which i do not doubt. But what I want to know is how. Can organic foods really make a difference when it comes to physical health, and in addition when it comes to someone's psychological health (aka helps with depression and such.)

Answer: well, eating organic foods helps your mind focus more and makes you healthier. you will also feel better eating organic foods than eating junk food for example.

Question: What are the main differences between all natural and organic foods? I know that some all natural foods can be considered organic but what is it that is holding them back from being completely organic? Also, what makes organic more expensive?

Answer: Foods can be labeled organic and natural, which means they tend to lack chemically produced substances, but when a food is called organic, this takes the matter one step further. It means that the producer of the food has created the food under strict and regulated circumstances. Government organizations like the US Department of Agriculture create standards, which foods must meet in order to be considered organic and carry an organic label. These foods tend to be free of hormones, are only treated with pesticides considered “organic,” and the food is produced in a region where organic food production is possible. It can take several years for a farm to convert to the standards required to consistently get that organic label. Sometimes the line between organic and natural is confused because it would make sense to think of foods that are minimally processed as containing no pesticides. One of the main differences between organic and natural is the way the government defines these terms. When you buy organic foods they must meet certain defined standards. At present most governments do not have an official definition of natural. They may go so far as to describe natural as not chemically produced, but there is little to no certification for “natural foods” or things called “all-natural.” When a food is natural, that really doesn’t tell you much about it, nor does the description guarantee a certain purity or safety of the product. A natural food, unless otherwise labeled, is not an organic food.

Question: How long does a baby need to eat organic/bio foods only? We feed our daughter organic foods only as I have heard that babies are not able to handle the pesticides which are found in normal fruits/veggies. However, how long should she only eat organic and when is it safe to try nonorganic. She is now 9 months old.

Answer: I eat organic as much as possible (it is expensive) and I'm 27. :) We feed our son as naturally as possible, and always will. Really, it's more of a personal choice, but I would continue as long as you can. Chemicals aren't good for any of us. But I guess to answer your question, brain development is going strong for the first 3 years of life, so I would definately keep it up that long.

Question: Do people really think Organic foods are better for you? There's is NO scientific proof to say organic foods are better. Furthermore, nobody decides whether or not a food can say it is Organic, so any company can just call it that without adhering to some federal standard. Non-organic foods many times are genetically enhanced to last longer, taste better, resist disease, and HAVE MORE NUTRIENTS than they normally do in nature. There are actually studies that say, since 'organic' foods dont use pesticides, that organic foods can be LESS HEALTHY because of the insects that carry diseases that use these organic foods as their breeding grounds. This isn't really a question, I'm just tired of people falling for marketing schemes without ever researching what their spending money on. Please, save your money, science is good for you, don't buy into nonsense. Don't believe me? Google it. wow, did you guys even read what I was saying? The amount of pesticides used on foods are not bad for you, they're completely fine. Millions of dollars have gone into testing that, or else we wouldnt have been EATING IT FOR THE PAST 50 YEARS. It's not about making it "visually appealling", it's about making it bigger, so you have more to eat. I bet 1000 nobody could "taste" the pesticides on food, you people must be functionally retarded. You're probably the same people who can "taste" the difference between bottled waters. Man, people are ignorant....I've given up on society... Effects on the human DNA?? Are you kidding me, have you ever even taking a science class...... Yes, propaganda, cause it benefits me SOO MUCH for stupid people to save money. Google it, simple as that, find MEDICAL DOCTORS that'll give their opinions before you give yours. I work for a software engineering company in the banking industry, you tool. Everybody keeps saying, "for thousands of years people ate organic"...well think of this, why is it that now people are LIVING LONGER THAN EVER BEFORE? People also lived without modern medicine for thousands of years, DOES THAT MEAN IT'S BAD FOR YOU!?! Man I wish I could punch stupid people all day Me the victim of clever marketing?? When have you EVER seen a commercial touting a food as being non-organic and using that as a selling point? I do see the point that increased exposure to pesticides that farmers and workers receive can't be healthy, but that has nothing to do with the food and it's healthiness to the person eating it. --And dont give me this 'people did just fine' bs, people have always done 'just fine', does that mean we quit trying to improve? OR GO BACKWARDS?! Damn yuppies. DO THE RESEARCH. http://www.food.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/2003/jun/cheltenham THERE YOU GO, go a couple of paragraphs down and read the words " In our view the current scientific evidence does not show that organic food is any safer or more nutritious than conventionally produced food. Nor are we alone in this assessment. For instance, the French Food Safety Agency (AFSSA) has recently published a comprehensive 128-page review which concludes that there is no difference in terms of food safety and nutrition. Also, the Swedish National Food Administration’s recent research report finds no nutritional benefits of organic food. " THATS A SPEECH FROM THE FOODS STANDARDS AGENCY CHAIR IN ENGLAND, WAS A GOOGLE SEARCH REALLY THAT HARD TO DO?! Here's another link for ya http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/organic.html READ it, I like it where THE DOCTOR says "In some situations, pesticides even reduce health risks by preventing the growth of harmful organisms, including molds that produce toxic substances [12]. " WOW, how's that for a slap to the face for you monkeys?

Answer: Before all those chemicals were added our grandparents went to the store every day bought fresh produce and meats. They also had a shorter lifespan. but with the FDA and new methods has prevented meat and produce from spoiling. Outbreaks in preventable food borne illness have decreased. Being organic doesn't mean being healthy. Poop is organic, but I wouldn't make a diet of it.

Question: Do you think i should start eating organic foods only? I just ate about a entire bag of baked cheetos in like 2 days. I think there are additves in foods that make people addicted to them..... Is organic better for you?

Answer: eating ALL organic is hard and can be costly. organic is better because it is made with food items not treating with harsh pesticides. but all organic food is not necessarily healthy...a bag of chips labeled 'organic' does not mean it is good for you, just that there are only organic ingredients. if you ever go to whole foods they have lots of organic foods but many of them are as processed and unhealthy or non-organic foods...like chips, candy, and cookies. try adding in some organic foods. try eating organic fruits....strawberries, peaches, plums, etc can contain a lot of pesticides so buy organic versions of them. something like a banana...which a thick peal protects it from harsh pesticides so its not a crucial for it to be organic. also...i get organic carrots at my store for the same price an normal carrots...so look out for deals like that. to avoid going though junk food so quickly...buy a single serving bag...or dont buy it at all...make a list for the store when you are not hungry and go shopping when you are not hungry and you will be less tempted to buy junk.

Question: what should we do about the recent rise in cost of organic foods? There has been a recent rise in cost for organic foods, how would places, such as Whole Foods markets and Wild Oats, increase its sales despite less ppl being able to afford the cost of organic foods? What would a Public Relations firm do to help bring up the sales for organic foods?

Answer: There has been a steep rise in all food, not just organic and I am seeing organic food costs not rising nearly as quickly as not organic foods. For example flour. Not organic flour has gone up something like 75% in the past month but organic flour has gone up only 10% in the same time. organic/pastured meats are pretty steady but not organic factory farmed meat has increased at least 50% in the past 6 months. I don't buy organic processed foods so do not care about their prices and feel they should be incredibly high anyhow because they are not what organic is all about. All processed food has always been expensive. If one wants cheaper organic do not buy industrial organics which, because they ship from all over the world, have to raised prices dramatically each time the dollars falls and petrol goes up. Buy from local sources such as a CSA, farmers market, farm stand, herd share etc.. Prices from these outlets are going up but at a much slower rate because these foods are not tied into the commodities market which is extremely volatile right now. This volatility is one of the main causes of the price increases (well, that, and rising fuel costs)