| What Science Says About the Organic Revolution |
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| Organic Food - Organic Food - Articles |
| Written by Frank Mangano |
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Not so long ago, organic foods were the sole proprietorship of health food specialty stores like Good Earth and Whole Foods Market. Today, organic cereals, milks, produce, meats, poultry and dairy can be found throughout supermarket shelves, refrigerators and freezers making it more convenient for shoppers to purchase organic foods than ever before. For sure, this is partly due to the increasing consumer demand that grew the organic foods business into a $14 billion industry last year alone. But another reason for the increase in prevalence is the supermarkets’ acceptance of the mounting pile of scientific evidence suggesting that eating organic not only cleans up our environment, but also our bodies as well. In simple terms, “organic” is anything that’s been grown or farmed naturally, without the use of chemical agents such as pesticides, herbicides, fungicides or chemical fertilizers. Since the word “organic” has been used somewhat loosely in the past, the National Organic Securities Board passed an official definition in 1995: “Organic agriculture is an ecological production management system that promotes and enhances biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity. It is based on minimal use of off-farm inputs and on management practices that restore, maintain and enhance ecological harmony.” The organic food process, of course, starts at the farm. Environmentally conscious farmers harvest and treat their vegetables in an environmentally friendly manner. Instead of loading their labors of love with pesticides and other chemicals (used to help them grow faster and to ward off insects), which corrode the soil and water supply, farmers use alternative methods to help their vegetables grow clean and strong. Some of these methods include crop rotation, recycling organic matter, conservation of resources, picking vegetable species that grow naturally according to climate (e.g. Oranges and lettuce don’t grow particularly well in northeast, but corn and apples do), as well as unleashing certain species of bugs to eat pests that feed on plants. In other words, they seek out natural methods that don’t have long-term negative effects on the environment. Pro-pesticide farmers remain unconvinced that there is any serious negative impact of pesticides, but mounting research suggests otherwise. For instance, the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry published a study in 2000 showing that harmful chemicals stay locked in the soil years after use. The study found that chlordane, a pesticide that’s been banned for years now, continued turning up in the studied region’s vegetable supply—38 years after its original use! The good news is that the chlordane and other pesticides found were safe according to federal regulations. But the American Chemical Society has said that if a person eats enough vegetables containing trace amounts of chlordane over his or her lifetime, it can lead to digestive and nervous system disorders. Side effects like these are just the beginning. Other researchers point to studies of their own, which suggest that pesticides can negatively impact the neurological, endocrine and immune systems. The five year study was completed by several science professors out of the University of Wisconsin who examined common insecticide/pesticide mixtures farmers will use, such as aldicarb, atrazine and nitrate. They discovered that when those mixtures get into the water supply, it altered several vital systems in rats and mice. This finding along with other research led the professors to believe that a water or food supply contaminated with similar mixtures can have a particularly harmful effect on children, such as impairments in learning capabilities and changes in their behavior (e.g. Aggression). If findings like these aren’t compelling enough to be rooting for the organic side to win the war, perhaps the nutritional component is reason enough to defect. A study published in 2001 in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine showed that after reviewing 41 different studies, organic foods were more dense in nutrients than their non-organic counterparts (27 percent more vitamin C, nearly 30 percent more magnesium and 21 percent more iron, to name a few). In yet another study, this one performed by scientists at The Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences, rats fed organic produce slept better, were leaner and had stronger immune systems than the rats fed conventionally grown produce. The time has come to embrace support the organic revolution. The next time you head to the supermarket, look for foods with the “Certified Organic” label. There are a number of regulations and procedures that organic foods and their farmers must go through in order to become certified, including periodic soil testing for contaminants, record keeping on organic farms and past findings and farm inspections. The procedures and guidelines were written in 1990 under the Organic Food Production Act and were enacted in 2001 along with other guidelines and regulations. It is overseen by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Organic Program. Bottom line, if it says organic, you can bet the farm that it’s all-natural. Frank Mangano is a natural health expert and best selling author who teaches you how to dramatically improve your health naturally, without expensive and potentially dangerous prescription drugs. The hard work and persistence that Frank has invested in recent years is reflected through his writings: The Silent Killer Exposed The 60 Day Prescription Free Cholesterol Cure The Mind Killer Defense, co-authored by Kim Wierman
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