The Real Secret to Optimal Health by Dr. Anthony Galea

Author:Dr. Anthony Galea [GALEA, DR. ANTHONY]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781469024165
Publisher: GILDAN DIGITAL
Published: 2013-04-01T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 17

Organic Foods

In the past few years, organic foods have gained in popularity. The Food Marketing Institute in Washington, D.C. reported that nearly two-thirds of shoppers think organic food is healthier.

Organic foods are grown without pesticides, herbicides, hormones and antibiotics. These chemicals can eventually be absorbed by the body when the foods are consumed. The UN Food and Agricultural Organization reported in 2000 that, “It has been demonstrated that organically produced foods have lower levels of pesticide and veterinary drug residues and, in most cases, lower nitrate contents.”

In the European Union and the United States, organic farming is defined by law. The use of the term “organic” to describe foods and farming is regulated by the government. Presently in Canada, voluntary certification is available.

Enhancing soil health is the cornerstone of organic farming. Organic agriculture requires that the soil and the ecosystem that is used to raise the crops and livestock be kept alive with microbiotic organisms. Herbicides, pesticides and inorganic fertilizers disrupt or destroy the microbiotic activity in the soil and cannot be used in organic farming. On organic farms, livestock and poultry are grazed outdoors and are not fed hormones or antibiotics.

Skeptics of organic food say that produce on organic farms can be exposed to E. coli bacteria because organic farms mostly use manure as fertilizer. On occasion, organic foods have been implicated with contamination by E. coli bacteria. However, the same is occasionally true of foods that are not organically grown. Most manure used as a fertilizer in organic farming is composted. The high temperatures reached when manure is left in compost heaps should kill the bacteria. The manure used on organic farms is strictly regulated; for instance, it cannot be put on the ground up to 120 days before the food is harvested.

Food safety concerns and environmental issues have made the public more aware of organic foods and organic farming. For many years, organic foods could only be bought in health food stores and specialty shops at elevated prices but now with an increase in demand for organic foods, they are now becoming available in large grocery chain stores.

The cost of organic food depends on the product. Sometimes, the difference in price is just a few pennies more. Since organic foods usually don’t have as long a shelf life, it is possible to find a good buy on produce that the super market has bought in volume.

Foods grown organically usually cost more. Most organic farms are small and are still family-run operations rather than the big factory farms which produce non-organic foods. When delicate crops are grown, they are usually hand-picked. Fruits are allowed to ripen on the tree and then gently picked by hand, which will increase the cost.

Non-organic apples, peaches, berries and spinach are highest in pesticide levels, so these may be a wise choice to buy as organic. If you can afford it, it may be better to go organic on all produce.

Most organic fruits and vegetables are about 10 to 30% higher in

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