Recently, my husband sent me a news story through email with his own input of “I thought the point of organic wasn’t nutrition. I thought the point of organic was toxin-free food.”
Well — duh — yeah that is the point. By consuming foods that contain less toxic material you are allowing your body to absorb more nutrient value from that food. It is not as if we believe (at least I don’t) that organic food is higher in nutrient quantity, but we do believe (don’t we) that organic food is free of toxins, pesticides, herbicides, hormones, steroids, etc.
Organic food is grown cleaner, processed cleaner and therefore easier for the body to digest and absorb.
I believe the reason most of us buy organic is because we know the foods have been grown without pesticides and hormones — and that is healthier.
Organic may not be healthier, from a nutrition standpoint as far as vitamins, minerals, proteins, etc., which are in the food. However, organically grown fruits and vegetables are not treated with pesticides and other unnatural products which we end up consuming.
Along these same lines, organically raised free range chickens may have the same nutritional composition as mass farmed and produced chicken, but again there are no unnatural ingredients used, antibiotics, hormones, etc.
So overall it does not surprise me that from a nutritional standpoint there is no difference, but if you can consider what we end up consuming when we eat organically grown and raised products versus other products, I still think there is a significant difference, particularly when you consider feeding your children.
A larger part of organic agriculture involves the health of the soil and of the ecosystems in which crops and livestock are raised. Organic agriculture is born from the idea that a healthy environment significantly benefits crops and the health of those consuming them.
In addition, organic practices are also viable in the long term, since they are efficient in their use of resources, and do not damage the environment and local communities like large scale “chemical agriculture” does.
I am often questioned about how to tell if a food product marked organic really is organic. When buying produce look for a number nne in front of the four digit PLU on the produce sticker. That number is called a PLU or Product Look Up Number. Everywhere in the United States bananas will have a PLU of 4011 or 9 4011 if they are organic. If a fruit or vegetable is genetically modified its prefix number will be an eight.
How certain are we regarding the validity of that organic mark or stamp? Most people are aware that organically grown food is free from exposure to harmful chemicals, but that is only one small part of what organic is about. The National Organic Program, run by the USDA, is in charge of the legal definition of organic in the United States and does organic certification.
Organic status can be explained and defined by the following categories:
Certified organic — There are many organizations worldwide that certify produce as being grown in a manner that does not harm the environment and that preserves or improves soil fertility, soil structure, and farm sustainability.
Organic foods are foods that are produced using methods that do not involve modern synthetic inputs such as synthetic pesticides and chemical fertilizers, do not contain genetically modified organisms, and are not processed using irradiation, industrial solvents, or chemical food additives.
Naturally grown — Some farms prefer not to pursue an organic certification, but do follow organic principles in growing their produce.
Certified Naturally Grown — CNG is a grassroots certification program created specifically for farmers that sell locally and directly to their customers. CNG’s certification standards are based on the National Organic Program but with some variation, including improved livestock living conditions and more explicit access to pasture requirements.
Transitional — Organic certification standards are very strict, and it usually takes years for farms to achieve them, as all pesticide and chemical residue from the soil is slowly broken down and leached away. Farms marked as “transitional” are farms in the process of getting their certification, but that are not quite there yet.
Conventional — Conventional farming does not necessarily have to be as destructive as large scale chemical agriculture. There are many small farms worldwide that sparingly use chemicals when needed, and that otherwise follow good guidelines in the care of their environments and communities.
Biodynamic — Based on a series of lectures given by Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner in 1924, Biodynamics is a method of agriculture which seeks to actively work with the health-giving forces of nature. It is the oldest non-chemical agricultural movement, predating the organic agriculture movement by some 20 years and has now spread throughout the world.
Grass fed/pastured — Grass fed, or pastured, animals are raised on pasture, as opposed to being kept in confinement and fed primarily grains. Pasturing livestock and poultry is the traditional method of raising farm animals, is ecologically sustainable, humane, and produces the most nutritious meat, dairy and eggs.
Arm yourselves with the information and make informed and healthy decisions when buying the food you will feed your families. You will be happier and healthier for it.
Julie A. Wilczynski is a traditional naturopath, counselor of natural health, certified nutritional consultant, certified personal trainer and yoga and pilates instructor. For more information or for help in creating your own personalized healthy lifestyle program, contact Julie at JulieAW@zoominternet.net.
