But now I consume huge amounts of vegetables in my juices, and I have had to reconsider my choices. I now ALWAYS buy organic carrots, cucumber, celery, beet root and spinach which are the main ingredients in my green juices and which I don't peel before juicing. Most of the nutrition is in or just under the skin of vegetables, but so are pesticides and herbicides. So you either peel it or get organic.
I've also started to buy organic lemons (again for juicing it's best not to peel it), organic tomatoes, cheese (if and when I eat it, might as well be organic) and my new found love - sprouted bread is always organic. I try to get as much organic non-peel fruit as possible as Maya eats them a lot and I definitely don't want any pesticides in her little body. Of course our food bill has been creeping up, but is there a cost on your health?
Here are the main differences between conventional and organic farmers (source: Mayoclinic):
| Conventional farmers | Organic farmers |
|---|---|
| Apply chemical fertilizers to promote plant growth. | Apply natural fertilizers, such as manure or compost, to feed soil and plants. |
| Spray insecticides to reduce pests and disease. | Use beneficial insects and birds, mating disruption or traps to reduce pests and disease. |
| Use chemical herbicides to manage weeds. | Rotate crops, till, hand weed or mulch to manage weeds. |
| Give animals antibiotics, growth hormones and medications to prevent disease and spur growth. | Give animals organic feed and allow them access to the outdoors. Use preventive measures — such as rotational grazing, a balanced diet and clean housing — to help minimize disease. |
So it's quite obvious why organic produce is more expensive - crop rotations, higher animal welfare standards and restricted use of chemicals which leads to smaller yield - all this means that organic food costs more to produce. Add to this that government subsidies mainly go to conventional farmers so they can keep the prices low, what can a poor organic farmer do? Well, at least we can help - the more organic food we buy, the cheaper it gets.
Below is a non-organic apple my husband bought for his lunch box. I always wash all my fruits when I buy them, dry thoroughly and put them in Debby Meyers green bags. So when I tried to wash this apple, the horrible, sticky wax would not come off. Yack! Wax is used to prolong the shelf life of fruits and vegetables, and is often of same composition as those waxes used to shine floors, furniture, shoes and cars. That apple went to bin then...
Bon apetite! Not!
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I can't think of any logical reason to prejudge a particular food's health effects on whether it is organic or not. Organic food does seem to contain a wider range of chemicals. It could be that this means that you get more nutrients, but equally you could be encountering toxins you would otherwise have avoided. (In fact both are probably happening at the same time.)
ReplyDeleteOn balance, I usually give the organic the benefit of the doubt on the grounds that we have evolved eating organic food so we probably have metabolic processes to handle potential problems.
I think it is worth listening to your body though. I started off with organic carrots, but found that non-organic ones were sweeter and so switched to them. But then I noticed that whereas organic ones go green from the outside, non-organic ones start to soften inside first. I imagine what is happening is that something has been applied to the outside of the carrot to stop them visibly spoiling. You wouldn't notice if you were cooking them but if you eat them as a snack it is very unpleasant.
On the other hand I have found organic celery almost totally inedible, so non-organic is the only option.
I haven't found any difference between organic and non-organic apples yet.
On the whole though, I think it is good to have the choice but I will keep experimenting.