The Pros and Cons of Going Organic

Since the farmers' market season is quickly approaching, Laurie Goldberg has spelled out the pros and cons of going organic in the following article.  She also gives a lot of helpful advice.  Long story short, we should:

• Always buy from local farmers.
• Look for the most colorful and heaviest produce.
• Watch out for foods labeled "natural" because there is a big difference between natural and organic. (see earlier post)
• Avoid any raw sprouts.
• Buy organic soy products.

Picture Courtesy of Natalie Maynor: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nataliemaynor/2539937014/sizes/o/in/photostream/

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Animal, Vegetable, Miracle Chapters 1-5

I just finished reading the first five chapters of Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, and I learned so much about the food world.  Some interesting facts I learned are:

• The United States consumes almost four hundred gallons of oil per year per citizen.  This is about seventeen percent of our nation's total energy use.
• Most of the food you eat travels about 1500 miles before arriving to your kitchen.
• Besides transport, several other steps in food production use fossil fuels.  (Examples: processing, packaging, warehousing, and refrigeration.)
• Eating just one local, organic meal a week could drastically decrease our country's oil consumption.  "Becoming a less energy-dependent nation may just need to start with a good breakfast" (5).
• People complain about the high prices of organic food, but in reality, people who buy organic are giving just a little something back to the hard-working organic farmers instead of giving a lot of money to processors, marketers, and transporters.
• Organic farms can produce just as much as industrial farms can.
• Even though they can't be patented, heirloom seeds are the best alternative to genetically modified seeds or hybridized seeds.  Heirlooms are the tastiest kind of fruits and veggies.
• Only 24 out of the 50 states think that producers of genetically modified crops should be required to label their food.
• Six companies control pretty much the entire world's seed sales.
• Several "save-the-endangered-food organizations" exist in order to "protect the pleasures of the table from the homogenization of modern fast food and life" (55).
• The human body is not built to consume huge quantities of nutrients at once, but tiny quanties as they naturally occur in plants instead.  A good rule of thumb: the more colorful, the better for you.
• By selling American crops internationally, our country is hurting the economies of developing countries.
• Surveys have shown that most food shoppers are willing to buy from local, small farms.  However, supermarkets don't sell much food from these small farms because it is easier for them to buy food by the truckload than by the bushel.

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The GMO Scam

Unknowingly, we are all eating genetically modified crops, and for the time being, there is nothing we can do about it.  The government does not require genetically modified organisms to be labeled, claiming that genetically modified and non-genetically modified are the same.  This is definitely not the case.  Since the government makes money off of GMO's, they do not want to do anything to slow their sale. 

Some believe that GMO's are the answer for solving the global food shortage.  Organic farms are a much better solution, however, because they can produce higher yields than genetically modified crops.

For more information, check out this article: http://www.naturalfoodlist.com/4864/have-we-been-suckered-by-biotech-firms/

--Ansley

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What's so good about organic food?

I have always thought that organic food is much more nutritional than non-organic food.  However, I just found an article that claims "organic food is of little benefit."  Based on several tests, organic food has been found to have a lower level of antioxidants and less vitamin C than non-organic food.  In addition, non-organic food also tastes better than organic food.  So why is organic better than non-organic?  Is organic food better for the environment?
 (http://www.romseyadvertiser.co.uk/uk_national_news/8869167.Organic_food__is_of_little_benefit_/ )

--Ansley

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