It's been a long journey to come to understand what it really means when people say organic. In my mind, I think of organic foods as those natural items that are grown or raised without genetic modification, hormones or pesticides. The problem is that the organic food industry is even less regulated than our regular food industry so you still have to be careful when choosing organic foods. Just because something says organic or natural on the label doesn't necessarily mean it's organic and also understand that organic doesn't necessarily doesn't mean its good for you. (I digress but it always reminds me of that hair care product that was out several years ago, I think called Rio or something. But it proposed to be a natural straightener for Black women's hair. The problem is that the pH balance was so far off that it caused people to lose their hair. )
So why organic? Despite our nation being much more educated about the problems associated with obesity, it continues to assail our general health and well being. I think that obesity is on the rise for a number of reasons, our more sedentary lifestyle, what we eat and how much we eat. When I say "what we eat", I don't just mean burgers and fries. I really believe that a lot of it has to do with all the additives in our food like pesticides and growth hormones. If you were to really start researching the harmful effects caused by certain additives in our foods, you'd be shocked and angered. Growth hormones are used to speed growth in cattle and genetically engineered grains are used to feed our livestock. Chemical preservatives have been used to elongate the shelf life of many foods. Pesticides are commonly used to ward off pests and protect crops. These things have to transmit to us in some form or fashion.
Did you know that scientists have genetically modified sweet corn so that it produces a poison which kills harmful insects? This means that the farmer no longer needs to fight insects by spraying it with insecticides. Despite being claimed as safe for humans, I'm not buying it. Those insecticides are now IN the corn and there's nothing that we can do to not ingest them, except not eat the corn. Think about how many times we have been told that a drug is "safe" but later find out that it's caused serious harm to a large number of people. Safe in these industries does not mean the same thing as "safe" to us. There should be a qualifier - safe = an acceptable risk of harm to those ingesting the product. You have to do the research. Does this mean that I don't eat sweet corn? Heavens NO. I LOVE sweet corn in the summer. I just try to get organic corn instead of the corn that I find at the regular grocery store. (Cotton and potatoes often have this same genetic modification)
And what about tomatoes? I don't even eat them often but was still surprised to find out that they have been genetically engineered to the point that many would argue that they've lost much of their nutritional value. One of the side effects of genetic engineering in tomatoes to make them have longer shelf life is that they become antibiotic resistant. This resistance has been proven to pass on to humans. Crazy! Strawberries, pineapple, sweet peppers and bananas have also been genetically modified for longer shelf life.
I think the first thing that I converted was milk. I remember years ago, one of my friends was talking about how she was not going to give her daughter regular milk because of all of the hormones. At the time, I thought she was a health food nut and frankly a little peculiar. Little did I know. Now, when I look at her daughter who is now 14, she incredibly has the body of a 14 year old. She's tall but she also thin and not overly developed. No man would confuse her for being a grown woman. I thought organic milk (and raw milk) would taste funny. It doesn't. There had to be some difference besides the cost. I finally tried it a few years back after I really started paying attention to some of this stuff. It still took finding Horizon brand organic milk to pull me over to the bright side - it lasts forever. I recently learned, however, that not all things organic are good. Horizon milk may last a long time, but that's because it's ultra pasteurized (put through the pasteurization process more than once) which means that many of the nutrients are lost. Uuugh. Now what? How do I choose a good organic brand of milk when there are so many choices.
I found a website for the Cornucopia Institute (www.cornucopia.org). This group evaluates and rates a number of certified organic producers. This type of site has helped me tremendously. They also do eggs and a few other products. Check them out for yourself if you're interested in buying organic items. Feel free to share additional information here. I'm always learning and looking out for new things.
Did you know that scientists have genetically modified sweet corn so that it produces a poison which kills harmful insects? This means that the farmer no longer needs to fight insects by spraying it with insecticides. Despite being claimed as safe for humans, I'm not buying it. Those insecticides are now IN the corn and there's nothing that we can do to not ingest them, except not eat the corn. Think about how many times we have been told that a drug is "safe" but later find out that it's caused serious harm to a large number of people. Safe in these industries does not mean the same thing as "safe" to us. There should be a qualifier - safe = an acceptable risk of harm to those ingesting the product. You have to do the research. Does this mean that I don't eat sweet corn? Heavens NO. I LOVE sweet corn in the summer. I just try to get organic corn instead of the corn that I find at the regular grocery store. (Cotton and potatoes often have this same genetic modification)
And what about tomatoes? I don't even eat them often but was still surprised to find out that they have been genetically engineered to the point that many would argue that they've lost much of their nutritional value. One of the side effects of genetic engineering in tomatoes to make them have longer shelf life is that they become antibiotic resistant. This resistance has been proven to pass on to humans. Crazy! Strawberries, pineapple, sweet peppers and bananas have also been genetically modified for longer shelf life.
I think the first thing that I converted was milk. I remember years ago, one of my friends was talking about how she was not going to give her daughter regular milk because of all of the hormones. At the time, I thought she was a health food nut and frankly a little peculiar. Little did I know. Now, when I look at her daughter who is now 14, she incredibly has the body of a 14 year old. She's tall but she also thin and not overly developed. No man would confuse her for being a grown woman. I thought organic milk (and raw milk) would taste funny. It doesn't. There had to be some difference besides the cost. I finally tried it a few years back after I really started paying attention to some of this stuff. It still took finding Horizon brand organic milk to pull me over to the bright side - it lasts forever. I recently learned, however, that not all things organic are good. Horizon milk may last a long time, but that's because it's ultra pasteurized (put through the pasteurization process more than once) which means that many of the nutrients are lost. Uuugh. Now what? How do I choose a good organic brand of milk when there are so many choices.
I found a website for the Cornucopia Institute (www.cornucopia.org). This group evaluates and rates a number of certified organic producers. This type of site has helped me tremendously. They also do eggs and a few other products. Check them out for yourself if you're interested in buying organic items. Feel free to share additional information here. I'm always learning and looking out for new things.
On another note, my Power90 DVDs arrived. I'm so excited. I am going to create my plan for next week - meal plan and workout schedule. There's a quick start program so I think I'm going to do it for the first six days and eat exactly what it tells me to eat for those 6 days even if it's something I don't like (ie cottage cheese) LOL. I'm a list person so I know that if I want to accomplish something, I need to write it down. I'd recommend this approach for anyone. Sit down at the end of each week and think about your plan for the following week. This will help. Also, evaluate your successes and opportunities from the week before.
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