How To Eat? Part II Organic Foods

English: Organic cultivation of mixed vegetabl...

So now that we know what to eat and some nice eating habit tips from our last blog, let’s explore the quality of our foods. In other words how important is organic?

Scary study! I know we already had Halloween but check out this frightening study:

Farmed Out? Most US citizens are suffering from dangerous diet deficiencies. The alarming fact – fruits, vegetables & grains – are now being raised on millions of acres that no longer contain enough minerals! No matter how much of them we eat, these foods are starving us! It’s bad news to learn from our leading authorities that 99% of North Americans are deficient in vital minerals. A marked deficiency in any of these results in disease. Senate Document No. 264, 1936.

Did you see the date on that study! 1936! So our farm lands have been over used and most of the nutrients we expect to be in our foods are not!

More scary. 80% of organic farmers report GMO‘s (genetically modified foods) being carried by wind or water into their fields. Commingled crops during harvest or  cross-pollination can also cause contamination.

53% of the public say they won’t buy GMO food, but there are no current labeling requirements in US.

92% of soybeans (soybean oil) & 80% of corn (high fructose corn syrup) are said to be GMO!

Whole Foods Magazine, 2008

Okay, okay so you’re scared, so we need to be sure we are getting our foods from good sources.

Labeling for products that meet the USDA-NOP s...

 

What’s Organic? USDA

Single-Ingredient Foods. On foods like fruits & vegetables, look for sticker version of the USDA Organic label or check the signage in the produce section for the seal. The word “organic” & the seal may also appear on meat packages, egg or milk cartons, cheese & other single-ingredient foods.

Multi-Ingredient Foods. Beverages, snacks & other processed foods use the following classification system to indicate their use of organic ingredients.

100% Organic. Foods with this label are made with 100% organic ingredients & may display the USDA Organic seal.

Organic. These products contain at least 95-99% organic ingredients (by weight). The remaining ingredients are not available organically but have been approved by the National Organic Program. These products may display the USDA Organic seal.

Made With Organic Ingredients Food packages that read “Made With Organic Ingredients” contain 70-94% organic ingredients. These products may list up to 3 ingredients on the front of the package & can’t bear the USDA Organic seal.

Other Products with less than 70% organic ingredients may only list organic ingredients on the information panel of the package. These products will not bear the USDA Organic seal. Even if a producer is certified organic, the use of the USDA Organic label is voluntary. Not everyone goes through the process of becoming certified, especially small farming operations. When shopping at a farmers’ market, consumers should ask vendors how the food was grown.

Eat right, eat well!

See you soon…

If you have more questions about the organic foods and the benefits of chiropractic just ask: Dr. Lance Casazza.