AOL Fitness and Diet Coach Marion Nestle examines the value of organic products in this video.
Nestle advises that when buying organic products, select dairy or fruit. Organic milk is free of hormones, something that Nestle strongly urges. Fruit where the skin is eaten such as strawberries or lettuce should be organic as well because you are directly eating the outer layer.
According to the Organic Trade Association:
Organic production is based on a system of farming that maintains and replenishes soil fertility without the use of toxic and persistent pesticides and fertilizers. Organically produced foods also must be produced without the use of antibiotics, synthetic hormones, genetic engineering and other excluded practices, sewage sludge, or irradiation…Organic foods are minimally processed without artificial ingredients, preservatives, or irradiation to maintain the integrity of the food.
Basically, anything grown without the assistance of man made chemicals. The debate about organic vs. conventional has continued for years. Although several studies have been done on the benefits of organic produce, there is little conclusive evidence. According to the Cooking Light website, a small study was conducted on organic ketchup.
The results showed that organic ketchup had 57 percent more of the antioxidant lycopene than conventional ketchup.
Organic products are free of pesticides, hormones and genetically modified organisms. Conventional produce is sprayed with chemicals by farmers to prevent insects from eating all their crops. Because of the demand, farmers are pressured to produce large amounts of food.
Animals on organic farms are fed 100% organic feed. Most factory farms have horrible living conditions for animals. Chickens live in crammed cages where they are unable to lift a wing. Some farms are “free range” or “cage free” where chickens are free to roam around and frolic in the grass. Many believe the chicken to be healthier if it was able to live an active lifestyle as opposed to be raised in a crowded cage.
Conventional meat animals are injected with hormones and steroids to increase their body weight. Again, the high demand for meat causes farmers to produce ample amounts of slaughter. Many Americans wonder why we are the fattest nation in the world. Hormones and steroids are used to increase the weight of cows and other animals. Whether eating that or not affects humans is still in question.
Whole Foods is a health food store that offers organic products but can be very pricy. Unfortunately, because of the cost of organic products, not everyone can afford them. Health food stores like Sunflower Market offer reasonable prices for natural and organic products.
What I like about organic foods is that produced accordingly to a certain production research standards, which means they were grown without the use of conventional pesticides, artificial fertilizers, human waste, or sewage sludge, and that they were processed without ionizing radiation or food additives.For meat and poultry products, cultured without the routine use of antibiotics and without the use of growth hormones.
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