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10/10/2006: "Why Go Organic?"
We all buy a lot of produce from the supermarket. As we are usually in a hurry, it is the best we can do just to pick out the fruit that looks OK to us. Unfortunately, the produce that is the prettiest, cheapest and easiest to find, is usually not organic. Slowly, we are starting to see more and more organic products in our regular supermarkets. Even Safeway has released a whole new brand of organic products.
So why should you go through the extra effort and money to make sure your food is organic? The first reason is pesticides. Our produce is sprayed with pesticides to keep bugs from eating it before you do. Unfortunately, the thousands of different pesticides used are designed to kill living organisms. Developed during World War II as chemical warfare, pesticides are classified as either organophosphates or n-methyl carbamates. These chemicals are lethal to humans as exemplified during the 1984 Bhopal disaster in India where 16,000 died and a half million became chronically ill due to a leak. The US EPA estimates that over 100 pesticides in current use are possible carcinogens.
In 1995 the USDA tested 7,000 fruit and vegetable samples and found two out of three contained the residue of 65 different pesticides. As agencies work to ban certain pesticides like DDT, we then sell them to foreign countries. Fruits and vegetables produced with these banned chemicals are then sold back to the US consumer. And only 1 percent of fruits and vegetables imported to the US are tested for illegal pesticides.
Children are usually fed the most heavily sprayed fruits like apples and pears. Only a fraction of the weight of an adult, a two year old eating ½ an apple a day would exceed the government’s daily “safe” exposure level. Pesticides in our bodies gradually weaken our hormonal, reproductive, circulatory, immune and central nervous systems.
Because the soil contains rich nutrients and microorganisms, organic produce also has a higher nutritional value. A 2001 study found organic produce contained 27% more vitamin C, 21% more iron, 29% more magnesium and higher levels of all twenty one minerals. Organic berries contain up to 58% more polyphenolics than those grown conventionally.
A final reason is that many of the chemicals used are classified as "persistent chemicals" and will stay in our environment for years to come. More than 1 billion pounds of pesticides, or about 5 pounds per person, is applied to the US food supply each year. Everyone, even children and babies have about 250 different chemicals currently in their body that did not exist as early as 1945. These mainly come from agriculture. We are also concerned about farming run off. Our rivers, estuaries, bays and oceans are all polluted with fertilizers and pesticides. The EPA found that 100 million Americans are drinking water from pesticide-contaminated water supplies.
So spending a little extra (the costs are decreasing because more are buying) for organic goods sends a message to the farms and grocers and supports the farmer who is taking care of our environment.
Oh, you'll also live a longer and healthier life. Here's hoping for it!
I have been singing the praises of organic foods for almost six years now. I have been teased and called the "organic lady", "organic auntie" and other similar comments. But after I got pregnant and had Angelo, it has kind of been my goal to eat organic as much as possible. My pushiness has paid off, because my Japanese 80-year old Mother and my crotchety 78-year old father now eat organic too! Heck my Dad is even doing organic aloe Vera shots every day! Even my oldest brother is getting the organic message. Now I just have one brother and my in-laws to convince.