Food Principle #3: Eat Organic

Organic, unadulterated, natural whole foods have formed the basis of human diet through the ages. They are what our body has been designed to use to build health. Only recently has the human race been subjected to the 7,000 (and counting) man-made chemicals added to food and the environment which our body has not been designed to deal with.

When you think about it, it is quite odd that farming that is not ‘Organic’ is referred to as ‘Conventional’ farming, when is actually a completely new farming methodology that has developed over the last 60+ years with close support from large chemical producing corporations. The essential nature of the food would be more clear if Organic Food were referred simply as ‘Food’ and food produced using artificial fertilizers, chemical pesticides and artificial hormones were called, say, ‘Industrial Food’.

I am going to use the terms Organic Food and Industrial Food to avoid confusion.

Now just because something is organic, doesn’t mean that it is automatically healthy. Organic sugar is pretty much as bad for you as industrial sugar. Organic bleached white flour is certainly not a healthy food just because it's organic.

The major differences between Organic and Industrial food are in the way the food is produced, transported and stored.

Types of Farming

Organic Farming

• Apply natural fertilizers, such as manure, compost or rock dust to feed soil and plants.
• Rotate crops, till, hand weed or mulch to manage weeds.
• Prefer using beneficial insects and birds, mating disruption, or traps to reduce pests and disease. If a pest problem gets out of control, may use a pesticide derived from natural sources or another substance from a government-approved list, such as boric acid or insecticidal soap.
• Allow products to ripen naturally.
• Does not use genetically modified organisms (GMOs.)
• Give animals organically grown feed and certain vitamin and mineral supplements. Allow access to the outdoors. Use preventive measures — such as rotational grazing, a balanced diet and clean housing — to help minimize disease.
• There is emphasis on animal welfare.
• Has a strong emphasis on sustainability for future generations.

Industrial Farming

• Promote plant growth by applying fertilizers made of substances formulated or manufactured through a chemical process (synthetic substances.)
• Can use synthetic insecticides known to cause adverse effects on human health to reduce pests and disease.
• Can use chemical herbicides to manage weeds, in addition to crop rotation, tilling, mulching and weeding.
• May give their livestock antibiotics, growth hormones and medications to manage or prevent disease. Like organic farmers, may also use preventive measures — such as rotational grazing, a balanced diet and clean housing — to help minimize disease.

Quote

Treat the earth well. It was not given to you by your parents. It was loaned to you by your children.

-- Kenyan proverb.

Benefits of Organic

The biggest reason you would buy organic food I believe is for what you DON’T get - Not only is organic food free from the highly toxic pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, antibiotics and growth hormones used in conventional farming, but it is also free of irradiation, artificial colourings, flavourings, additives, sweeteners and the thousands of other toxic, unwanted and unnecessary chemicals used in food manufacturing.

Having said that, organic food has also been shown to be generally higher in nutrient content which  helps you with Food Principle #2: Eat Nutrient-Dense Foods.

Research

Clear research on the benefits of eating organic food has only really become available in recent years. The following illustrate key benefits in eating organic food and some of the hazards in eating conventionally produced goods:

1. American toddlers eating mostly organic food have been found to have less than one sixth the pesticide residues in their urine compared to children eating conventional foods, lowering their exposure from above to below recognised safety levels¹.
2. A 1989 study showing less illness, higher body weight and larger eggs in chickens fed organically compared to cohorts on conventional feed².
3. In a 1988 study with rabbits, identical feed pellets were produced using either organic or conventional ingredients and the rabbits were observed over 3 generations. Those eating the organic feed had higher pregnancy rates, more embryos, larger litters and better health, while the fertility of the rabbits on the conventional feed pellets declined over the 3 generations³.
4. Twenty five animals (83% of the test group) eating irradiated, uncooked milk died or were killed because of heart lesions occurring within 85 days after initiation of eating irradiated feed. Four lesions have been observed during the same time period in the group fed irradiated cooked milk. No lesions developed in the controls (the one’s eating non-irradiated milk)⁴.
5. Belgian research has found that women diagnosed with breast cancer are six to nine times more likely to have the pesticides DDT or hexachlorobenzene in their bloodstreams compared to women who did not have breast cancer⁵.
6. There is now a strong link established between pesticide residues and development of diabetes. Diabetes is now of epidemic proportions and pesticides are one significant contributing reason⁶.
7. Charles Benbrook PhD observed elevated Antioxidant Levels through Organic Farming and Food Processing. The report reveals that on average, antioxidant levels were about 30% higher in organic food compared to conventional food grown under the same conditions. In general, factors that impose stress on plants tend to trigger a plant’s innate defence mechanisms and these mechanisms are driven by and/or entail the synthesis of antioxidants.

Changing Over

Converting your kitchen to organic is no overnight process and may take you months. But every bit that you do will pay rewards over time. After a while, it will be normal for you to have primarily organic products in your kitchen.

Certified Organic

In Australia anyone can write the words ‘Organic’ or ‘Natural’ on their product. There is no legislative restriction on the use of these words at all. There is however an organic certification standard for foods exported out of Australia! It is administered by the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) and sets out minimum requirements for organic production, processing, transportation and labelling.

As a result, there are now 7 private organic certifying bodies in Australia which have adopted the same standards as set out by AQIS. So long as food is certified by one of these bodies, you know that you are actually getting organic. Otherwise, it’s just a word that anyone can use. The seven certifiers are NASAA, Australian Certified Organic, OGA, OFC, SafeFood Qld, Tasmanian Organic-Dynamic Producers (TOP), and Demeter. If one of these certifier’s logos is on the product you are buying then the following words have defined meaning:

"100% Organic"

100% organic products must have all of their ingredients, with the exception of salt and water, derived from organic production methods.

"Organic"

Organic products must have at least 95% of their ingredients, with the exception of salt and water, derived from organic production methods. Any remaining product ingredients must consist only of approved substances. Approved substances exclude those derived from genetically modified technology, those treated with ionising radiation, those which interfere with the natural metabolism of livestock and plants, and those that are not compatible with the principles of organic agriculture. Furthermore, any ingredient used that has not been derived from organic production methods must be clearly indicated as such in the product’s list of ingredients.

"Made with organic ingredients"

A product stating that it has been made with organic ingredients must have at least 70% of its ingredients of agricultural origin derived from organic production methods. All remaining product ingredients must consist only of approved substances. Any ingredient used that has not been derived from organic production methods must be clearly indicated as such in the product’s list of ingredients.

"In Conversion"

The term “in-conversion” refers to a production system that has adhered to the Standard for at least one year but has not yet achieved full organic certification. A farm has to have used fully organic methods for three full years to get certification.

Organic Food is Expensive Right?

From nutritionist Shane Heaton: “Statistics in Australia and the UK reveal that the average family spends five times more on junk food, take-away, alcohol, and tobacco than on fruits and vegetables, and five times more on recreation than on fruits and vegetables. To make healthier choices they need encouragement and education.”

Like most things, it really is a matter of priorities.

Food Principle #3: Eat Organic.

Yours in Health,

Richard Sawyer.

Key Message

• Organically produced food is essentially the original natural state of food that humans have eaten for thousands of years.
• Certified Organic farming methods are the healthiest option for farmers, the environment, and you.
• Organic food contains higher nutritional levels and much less toxic chemicals compared to its ‘conventional’ counterpart.
• ‘Conventional’ Farming methods damage the environment, the farmer’s and the consumer’s health. Conventional farming is not ecologically sustainable.

Making It Real

1. Start to introduce organic foods into your kitchen.
2. Visit the Organic Farmers Markets this weekend and taste the difference of the fresh organic produce.
3. Consider growing some of your own.

References

1. PLOCHBERGER K. Feeding experiments. A criterion for quality estimation of biologically and conventionally produced foods. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment. 1989;27(1-4):419-428. Available at: http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/0167880989901023.

2. Curl CL, Fenske RA, Elgethun K. Organophosphorus pesticide exposure of urban and suburban preschool children with organic and conventional diets. Environmental health perspectives. 2003;111(3):377-82. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12611667.

3. Staiger D. The Influence of Conventional and Biologically/Dynamically Developed Feeds on Fertility, All Around Health and Meat Quality in Domestic Rabbits. NAL Call n. Universitat Bonn. Landwirtschaftliche Fakultat; 1986.

4. MONSEN H. Heart lesions in mice induced by feeding irradiated foods. Federation proceedings. 1960;19:1031-4. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/13772078.

5. Charlier C, Albert a, Herman P, et al. Breast cancer and serum organochlorine residues. Occupational and environmental medicine. 2003;60(5):348-51. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12709520.

6. Lee D, Lee I, Song K, et al. A strong dose-response relation between serum concentrations of persistent organic pollutants and diabetes: results from the National Health and Examination Survey 1999-2002. Diabetes care. 2006;29(7):1638-44. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16801591.