We were at the mall yesterday with some of our friends when they saw my kids munching on some organic snacks, and told me there’s no real difference between organic and conventionally grown foods.
I agree – in terms of nutrition, I don’t see a significant difference. There is no conclusive scientific evidence at this time to suggest that organically produced foods are more nutritious than conventionally grown foods.
So why are more and more people switching to organic lifestyle? An organic lifestyle simply means choosing to avoid synthetic chemicals by becoming aware of your environment, and respecting life by nurturing the soil and animals and protecting the people involved in its practice. Organic food eaters have significantly decreased amounts of pesticides in their bodies using foods produced without pesticides or hormones.
An article published in March in Canada about a study conducted on kids, mentioned:
“A U.S. research team from Emory University in Atlanta analyzed urine samples from children ages three to 11 who ate only organic foods and found that they contained virtually no metabolites of two common pesticides, malathion and chlorpyrifos. However, once the children returned to eating conventionally grown foods, concentrations of these pesticide metabolites quickly climbed as high as 263 parts per billion, says the study published Feb. 21.”
Another article titled “Organic Fanatics” posted on March 2007 states that:
“A recent study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture found that, even after washing, 12 fruits and vegetables, dubbed the dirty dozen, have consistently higher levels of pesticide residue. They are: apples, bell peppers, celery, grapes, peaches, nectarines, pears, potatoes, red raspberries, spinach, cherries and strawberries.”
When you choose to eat animal products (meat, milk, eggs, etc.) that are organically raised, you provide the healthiest choice for your family and support the farms that support healthy and ecological neighborhoods. Animals raised in this way are not allowed to be fed antibiotics, the growth hormone (rbGH), other artificial drugs, or genetically modifed foods. Furthermore, organic animal products cannot have their genes modified or cannot come from a testtube. You also have a mad cow safeguard since organic cows are insured to have organic diet – without ground up animal parts.
Synthetic pesticides and fertilizers are not used on the food or land of organic farms. Residues of persistent chemicals such as DDT, PCBs, dioxin, and many pesticides concentrate on animal fat. Eating organic animal fat reduces your exposure to these chemicals.
A cookie is still a cookie – it does not matter whether it’s organic or not. I agree, they both have the same number of calories. But I still choose to eat the organic cookies because it does NOT have the preservatives, harmful food colorings, and other toxins the regular cookie has.
Bottomline is I adopted an organic lifestyle because I chose to. By feeding my family organic foods, I safeguard them from harm and help them build healthy bodies. I consider it as a gift and an important part of my responsibility.
By keeping in mind that balance is important, I incorporate our organic lifestyle with my overall strategy of raising a healthy, happy and confident kids. Integrating a healthful diet with regular exercise and spiritual connection helps establish a rhythm in life. This in turn creates a higher level of fitness, health, and state of mind which will eventually promote us into a higher level of consciousness.
