A recent study in England reveals that organic food is a lot healthier than conventional food:
The Quality Low Input Food project, the biggest of its kind, took a 725-acre farm in north-east England, grew conventional produce (like cabbage, lettuce, potatoes and what) next to organic produce, and compared the results.
The biggest contrast was found for milk. The study found that levels of antioxidants in milk from organic cattle were between 50% and 80% higher than conventional milk (60% to 80% more nutrients in the summer than conventional milk, and 50% to 60% more in the winter). Organic milk also has higher levels of vitamin E, and 60 percent more antioxidants and desirable fatty acids. Antioxidants help with a healthy circulatory system and help keep cancer and heart disease away.
Other highlights:
1. Fruit and vegetables contain up to 40% more nutrients if they are grown without chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
2. Up to 40% more antioxidants could be found in organic fruit and vegetables than in those conventionally farmed.
3. Potatoes, kiwi fruit and carrots were among the organic produce found to be higher in vitamin C.
4. Higher levels of minerals and antioxidants were found in organically- farmed lettuce, spinach and cabbage. Organic spinach and cabbage have more minerals.
5. Organic produce also had higher levels of iron and zinc, vital nutrients lacking in many people’s diets.
6. Organic cheese can have up to twice as many nutrients than conventional varieties.
7. Organic tomatoes, wheat, potatoes, cabbage, onions and wheat have 20 to 40 percent more antioxidants than conventional fruit and vegetables.
(http://green.msn.com/articles/article.aspx?aid=295>1=10725)
I’m not surprised. I know this to be true for pastured eggs and grass-fed meat and dairy.
When they say “organic milk” in this study, I wonder how the cows were raised. Where they grass-fed? And I wonder if the milk was raw. Of course they didn’t go into all the other benefits of raw dairy like the probiotics.
Still, I think it’s great that people are realizing how much better organic food is. To me, it’s always been a no-brainer. I always knew organic was better — it just came down to money.
I know organic food is more expensive. I pay $12 for a gallon of organic raw milk. (See why I want to have my own cow?)
But it is worth it. I would never go back to the swill that they sell at Ralph’s. Not only is it extremely concentrated with pesticides (meat and dairy have the highest concentrations of pesticides), it is completely devoid of nutrition. It comes from sick cows who are eating grain and soybeans and corn instead of what they were born to eat: grass. The grain/soybean/corn melange makes them sick.
They are also sick because they are standing shoulder-to-shoulder in a cement-floor factory. They are then pumped with antibiotics to combat their illnesses. They are forced to produce up to 30 times the milk they would normally give each day (1.5 gallons is a normal amount for a cow).
The reason it is pasteurized is because it is so unhealthy they have to boil it to kill off all the nasty stuff. The reason it is homogenized is because they want it to last as long as possible on the shelf. Pasteurization kills the enzymes and probiotics. Homogenization is linked to heart disease.
Still want to drink milk from Ralph’s (or Safeway or Walmart)?
And as far as the cost — the more people buy a thing, the cheaper it gets. It’s all about supply and demand.
Besides, what is more important than your health? I can’t think of anything. The way I see it, I’d rather spend my money on good organic food now, instead of on drugs and doctors later.
Organic food can also be hard to find in stores. Not so easy to find in Ralph’s. Sure, they have a tiny section. But it’s much better to go to your local farmer’s market or, better yet, join a CSA program.
When you join a CSA, you are making a pledge to a local farm that you will be paying them every month to grow food for you. This helps them tremendously because they can plan their crops better knowing they have a regular source of income.
Plus this way you know the food is local. Just because you are buying organic food at a grocery store does not mean it is local.
Why does it need to be local? Well, it doesn’t NEED to be local but the more we can try to eat locally the better. It saves money and resources on trucking and shipping the food long distances so it’s better for the environment.
It’s also fresher. Why eat apples trucked in from the other side of the country when you can get them your own state? Why eat oranges in July or tomatoes in December when they are out of season?
Also, we want to support small, local farms, not big conglomerates.
It’s also truly farm-to-table eating. No grocery stores. No processing. No cans with bisphenol A linings (yes, a lot of them have it). No weird food additives that make you sick and fat.
We’re coming up on a new year. Isn’t it time to make a pledge to start eating local organic food as often as you can?
To find a farmers market or CSA near you: http://www.localharvest.org/
To find real raw milk near you: http://www.realmilk.com/where2.html
To find grass-fed meats and dairy near you: http://www.eatwild.com/
Lastly, not all organic milk is the same. The term “organic” has been co-opted by the conglomerates. For example, Horizon Organics (the carton with the happy cow) is a factory farm. You have to know the dairy.
To find out if that organic milk you’re drinking is from a good source: http://cornucopia.org/dairysurvey/index.html
