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Health See other Health Articles Title: Is Organic Food a Scam? Health Wire (hw-eletter@angelnexus.com) Dear Ken, You write a lot about how organic is better for you than regular food, but I remember reading an article on a study that showed that organic produce is no more or less nutritious than regular fruit and veggies. Are the higher costs of organic foods justifiable given this information? Sincerely, Julia C. I know exactly which study you're talking about, Julia. You can read more in this article from U.S. News, but here's a quick summary: Scientists found no consistent differences in vitamin content between organic and conventional foods and few significant differences in health benefits. They did note, however, that organic produce is 30 percent less likely to be contaminated with pesticides than conventional fruits and vegetables — though the pesticide levels of all foods fell within allowable limits — and that organic chicken and pork appeared to lessen exposure to antibiotic-resistant bacteria. That last sentence alone is enough for me to stick to organic foods — and the main reason you should be, too. I'm not going to delve into the dangers of antibiotic resistant bacteria, because those are already pretty well-known. Organic produce may be the same as regular produce, nutritionally speaking... but you can already see that's not why people go organic. I can tell you right now why I (and millions of other Americans) choose to eat organic: pesticides/herbicides, and genetically-modified organisms (also known as GMOs, or genetically engineered food). Advertisement Hidden epidemic is picking off Baby Boomers in their prime It starts with cold hands, leg cramps and unsightly circles under your eyes... But one world renowned physician has discovered a 'triple threat' to disarm this health minefield before it blows. Pesticides & Herbicides Most pesticides and herbicides (used to kill weeds) used in the United States these days are chemicals derived from petroleum. So every time you ingest a non-organic food product, you're also ingesting significant traces of these chemicals, depending on the fruit or vegetable you're eating... You'll ingest more pesticide if you're eating the skin. As well, certain produce requires more pesticide than others. On some produce — even non-organic stuff — you'll find little to no traces of pesticide. (You can find a complete list of the most pesticide-contaminated produce and safe, non-organic produce right here.) Many farms require harsh chemicals because they're trying to maximize their crop yields while minimizing both pest damage/weed invasion and the expenses for such. Organic pest and weed control (which involves either using plant-based chemicals or certain techniques that minimize pest and weed damage) can be both expensive and time consuming; and some argue they're not as effective as using petroleum-based chemicals. Bottom line: It's all about maximizing profits. If the thought of consuming a petroleum-derived chemical isn't enough to turn you away from non-organic foods, then maybe the consequences of doing so will... A recent study has found that glyphosate — a chemical found in Roundup, the most used herbicide in the world — may be linked to a whole slew of health problems, including Parkinson's, infertility, and cancer. The study, headed by Stephanie Seneff of MIT, states: "Negative impact on the body is insidious and manifests slowly over time as inflammation damages cellular systems throughout the body." And Reuters reports: "We 'have hit upon something very important that needs to be taken seriously and further investigated,' Seneff said." It may come as no surprise to learn in the wake of this study, the agricultural giant that produces Roundup, Monsanto, has already started damage control — insisting other studies have shown glyphosate to be completely safe. I'll leave it up to you to decide whether you want to consume your fruit and vegetables with glyphosate or not... GMOs In addition, Monsanto (valued at $56 billion) is leading the charge in promoting the use of genetically-modified seeds across the country. Why would we need to genetically modify plants that already work for us? Well... 1) Roundup is the most potent herbicide out there — but its use can also result in the death of the plants that it's trying to keep weeds away from. Monsanto has developed seeds whose genes make the plants resistant to Roundup. 2) To increase crop yield from soil that has been drained of its nutrients (something crop rotation and sowing more than one plant would solve), Monsanto can manipulate genes in certain plants to make them yield more plants per acre. However, because they don't have any more nutrients in the soil to use, farmers have to use twice as much fertilizer (again, much of it derived from petroleum). Advertisement Miracle "bean" can make you lose weight 24 hours a day America's weight problem is spiralling out of control... and it's leading to skyrocketing rates of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Luckily for you, you don't have to spend hours in the gym trying to drop those dangerous pounds... In fact, it's as simple as eliminating 2 foods from your diet — and including a little known African bean that has been shown to burn fat 24 hours a day! To find out more about this "miracle bean", you can access your free informational report here. If I'm going to be fair, I'd say Monsanto often has good intentions on their GMO creations — mainly, plants that can resist drought or that have certain vitamins and minerals that may be lacking in the diets of countries stricken with extreme poverty and starvation. But that doesn't mean the solution is to mess with plants' genes... Like Dr. Frankenstein's attempt to create a human from scratch, these attempts to manipulate plants' genes can have unintended consequences for the environment, and unintended side effects for the people consuming them. A recent study conducted by the University of Caen in France has found just that. According to the Daily Mail: "The findings, which were peer reviewed by independent experts before being published in a respected scientific journal, found raised levels of breast cancer, liver and kidney damage [in animals that consumed GMO corn]." This study was conclusive enough to lead the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to review the safety of GMO foods, and for Russia to ban them outright. You're not likely to find any of those safety concerns here in the good ol' US of A. Monsanto executives and lobbyists are already well-entrenched in the Obama administration and with the policymakers of Congress. It's hard to argue that our bodies (and our environment) have had enough time to fully adapt to such drastic changes in our food's DNA... which might lead to genetically-engineered food doing more damage than its makers intend for it to. Until I'm proven otherwise, I'll hedge my bets and continue to enjoy my food as it came out of the ground for thousands of years — without human tinkering and/or harmful chemicals. Your health and peace of mind should be worth the extra price to you, too. Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest
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