Why Organic?

A friend of mine recently asked me to help her come up with some "pro-organic" arguments that she could use to persuade her husband that organic food was worth the extra cost.  The more I thought about my answer, the more I felt that a blog post was waiting to be hatched!  Short answer to why I eat organic? It's safer, it preserves the environment, sustains soil quality, is safer for the farm workers, it's more nutritious, and the food generally tastes better.

To me, choosing organic is demanding quality and freshness. Throughout the time I have spent reading, writing, talking, and campaigning about the food industry, I can tell you the most common response from people is something along the line of "what I don't know, can't hurt me." And I would argue that what you don't know IS hurting you. This country is fat and sick and, while we spend thousands of dollars searching for cures, maybe we should consider the causes. We eat multiple times a day and the average person consumes food from fields and factories in this country as well as around the world. We are eating food (including produce) that is full of chemicals, preservatives, additives, dyes, artificial flavors and colors, etc. We are eating meat and drinking milk full of antibiotics and hormones from animals raise in inhumane and unsanitary conditions. Our food (meat, fruits, and veggies) is washed in bleach or ammonia and is coated with waxes and ripening agents. Packaged and processed foods have all of these chemicals as well and also high fructose corn syrup which, even if it is as safe as sugar (it's not), is hidden in so many things that even when you try and eat healthy, you are consuming tons of this sweetener (which is making you fat, by the way).

We're passing these habits on to our kids by feeding them convenience foods, packaged treats, and snacks that are dyed all colors of the rainbow. It's no wonder we have cancer, depression, anxiety, obesity, autism, and ADD. We hardly eat any REAL food. I'm tired of being labeled at the lunch table because I make food from scratch and don't feed my son oreos.  I work full time and so does my husband, so if we can make time to sit down to home cooked meals every night - then so can you. It's all about priorities.  In addition, I'm a teacher and my husband is a builder in the middle of a housing crisis, so if we can afford to add organic foods to the cart, then so can you. Again, it's all about priorities.

Okay, rant over. The point of this post was to explain why eating organic is good. Rather than summarize other people's brilliance, I thought I'd just point you in the direction of some useful links.

Why eat organic?

1. It's safer. 
Check out the  Environmental Working Group's annual report as well as the Pesticide Action Network's studies. There's real proof that pesticide residue is showing up in our bodies. And there's growing evidence that this is not a good thing.

2. It's More Nutritious. (read)
This point has been argued for some time. There are now valid studies that prove that organic food does contain more nutrients that conventional produce, but the relationship isn't causal. Produce that is grown organically is generally grown in more natural conditions, often by farmers who use sustainable practices. This means healthier soil and healthier soil means more nutrients in your produce. Also, organic fruits and veggies are not sprayed with ripening agents or preservatives, so they have to be picked closer to their natural ripeness - which means more nutrients for you.  Non-organic produce like bananas and tomatoes, are picked while still raw, then sprayed in a warehouse with a ripening chemical. This changes the color, but does not enhance the flavor. That's why a store-bought tomato can't hold a match to a fresh, just picked 'mater out of your garden.

3. It's Better for the Environment and Humanity
I don't need 100 links to prove that spraying chemicals has an affect on the environment. Pesticide residue pollutes lakes, streams, and rivers and adversely affects natural species (everything from deer to fish to bees). In addition, many large corporate growers are showering the plants and employees with dangerous chemicals and affected families are having a hard time fighting the corporate giants. In addition, the variety of food in this country is dwindling. We are literally putting all of our eggs in one basket when we let heirloom seeds go extinct so that Monsanto and Cargill can hold patents on 5-10 species of corn. (check out this graphic) We haven't even touched on terminator seeds, foreign seed policies, and genetically modified organisms (GMOs) - another post maybe.

So Why Does it Cost More? 
Short answer? Less insecticide/fungicide/weed killer means more crop fatality which means loss to the farmer.  In addition, more weeds means more manual labor for the farm crew as well. Organic foods cost a bit more because they take a little more time and care to grow.

There are also fertilizer differences.
Some of the things organic farmers can't use that conventional farmers can: Sewage sludge, which is cheap to buy, and chemical fertilizers, which are both cheap to buy and cheap to transport. Instead, organic farmers fertilize their land with compost and animal manure, which is bulkier and more expensive to ship..." (read more)

Where to Start

If you can't/don't want to make a commitment to filling your grocery cart with organics, then I would urge you to start with The Dirty Dozen. So named by The Environmental Working Group which issues an annual report about pesticide use and presence in American produce. (You can check it out here) The Dirty Dozen are the 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables. They include: apples, celery, strawberries, peaches, spinach, imported nectarines, imported grapes, bell peppers, potatoes, domestic blueberries, lettuce, and kale/collard greens. 

Produce that you should not lose sleep over are: onions, sweet corn, pineapples, avocado, asparagus, peas, mangoes, eggplants, domestic cantaloupe, kiwi, cabbage, watermelon, sweet potatoes, grapefruit, and mushrooms.

More great links to check out: http://www.organicconsumers.org/organlink.cfm
http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/