What Does Organic Mean and Why is it Important?
What Does Organic Mean and Why is it Important?
We’ve all seen the label on our food
The USDA defines Organic food in the following way in their Consumer Brochure: Organic Food Standards and Labels: The Facts“What is organic food? Organic food is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations. Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones. Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation. Before a product can be labeled ‘organic,’ a Government-approved certifier inspects the farm where the food is grown to make sure the farmer is following all the rules necessary to meet USDA organic standards. Companies that handle or process organic food before it gets to your local supermarket or restaurant must be certified, too.” Consumer Brochure, USDA National Organic Program. 2007.
In other words, when you see this label it means that they have met these standards:
- Organic crops cannot be grown with synthetic fertilizers, synthetic pesticides or sewage sludge.
- Organic crops cannot be genetically engineered or irradiated.
- Animals must eat only organically grown feed (without animal byproducts) and can’t be treated with synthetic hormones or antibiotics. ***Note: just because meat is labeled organic does NOT mean it is grass-fed. It must specifically say “Grass-fed”. Organic cows can still be fed organic corn, keep that in mind.***
- Animals must have access to the outdoors, and ruminants (hoofed animals, including cows) must have access to pasture.
- Animals cannot be cloned.
In Season Produce
What foods are in season? Purchasing produce that is in season increases your chances of finding organic options, as well as locally grown options. In season produce is often cheaper as well because it does not have to be imported from other states or countries.
Winter Produce
Date Plums Dates Delicate Squash
Grapefruit Jerusalem Artichoke Kale
Kiwifruit Leeks Lemon
Maradol Papaya Oranges Parsnips
Passion Fruit Pear Persimmons
Pineapple Pomegranate Potatoes
Pummelo Red Banana Red Currants
Rhubarb Satsumas Sharon Fruit
Spinach Swede Sweet Dumpling Squash
Sweet potatoes Tangerines Turnips
So why is it important to eat organic?
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Everything you consume that has some amount of toxin adds to your overall toxic load. What kind of toxins could you be consuming? That’s an incredibly long list. But let me give you an example.
In 2015 The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the specialized cancer agency of the World Health Organization, has assessed the carcinogenicity of five organophosphate pesticides.
The herbicide glyphosate and the insecticides malathion and diazinon were classified as probably carcinogenic to humans (Group 2A).Source: IARC Monographs Volume 112: evaluation of five organophosphate insecticides and herbicides So, how are you consuming glyphosate? Roundup Ready Seeds by Monsanto. These modified seeds are resistant to glyphosate, which means that farmers can spray them down as much as they want to kill all the weeds around them and the plant won’t die. Then you get the pleasure of ingesting the glyphosate on the surving plants.
This is particularly important for people with the MTHFR mutation as your body’s ability to remove toxins can be hindered anywhere from 40-80% depending on which variation you have.
Don’t know if you have a mutated MTHFR SNP? There is a genetic test that can be done specifically for it. Call us today to find out more and see how you can be tested.
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