organic foods

[msuder0583]

I hardly ever eat out anymore. After awhile it just sorta loses its appeal. So I cook at home. Plus I wanna practice for when I get married, so I can cook for my wife. Anyways, do you think its ok to eat organic foods? Because I really don't know what's in our food anymore - between growth hormones, steroids, weird nutrients. The food and animals are mass produced/bred and fed weird things. I just don't trust it.

[Endless]

I think it's a very good idea to eat organic food. There is no way it can hurt, and it may very possibly help.

The soil where it is grown is very healthy - no chemicals! Natural compost is used to boost the content of the soil. Natural companion planting, crop rotation, and useful insects (like ladybugs) are used as pesticides.

There is a lot of debate around exactly what effect that agro-chemicals have on the body, and what concentrations are required to get those effects (like cancer or when they act as a neurotoxin). Very few studies have looked at the cumulative affect of many chemicals all added up together. They look at only one chemical at a time.

Whether organic fruits and veggies have more vitamins and minerals is also under debate. The UK Food Standard Agency says no, and so does the FDA. But there are other things to consider as well, like Frankenfood (GMO - genetically modified food, which takes genes from one plant or animal and splices them into another animal or plant's DNA)

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/org...ence.nutri.php

If I was allergic to more foods, I'd eat completely organic. GMOs are not allowed in organic foods. There is some debate over whether an apple with a brussles sprout gene spliced in would cause an allergic reaction for someone who is allergic to brussles sprouts. In other words, a food isn't purely that food. It could be 5 other mystery foods as well, and a person can react to any one of them.

Don't even get me started on the Bovine Growth Hormone and antibiotics that is in dairy and meat. They are not allowed in organic foods.
http://www.consumersunion.org/pub/co...ty/002269.html
http://www.psr.org/chapters/oregon/s...ne-growth.html


Also the mercury and other heavy metals in our fish. http://www.nrdc.org/health/effects/mercury/guide.asp

I eat organic whenever I can. I'm sensitive to chemicals so I think it's probably a good idea to be on the safe side. It's expensive, though. Sometimes twice the cost of non-organic alternatives.

BTW, if you can't afford to eat organic, there is a list of the "dirty dozen" foods which have the highest level of pesticides and other chemicals. If you substitute just those foods with their organic form, it'll go a long way.

12 Most Contaminated

Peaches
Apples
Sweet Bell Peppers
Celery
Nectarines
Strawberries
Cherries
Pears
Grapes (Imported)
Spinach
Lettuce
Potatoes

12 Least Contaminated

Onions
Avocado
Sweet Corn (Frozen)
Pineapples
Mango
Asparagus
Sweet Peas (Frozen)
Kiwi Fruit
Bananas
Cabbage
Broccoli
Papaya

http://www.organic.org/articles/showarticle/article-214

Mercury in fish:

This list applies to fish caught and sold commercially. For information about fish you catch yourself, check for advisories in your state.

LEAST MERCURY
Enjoy these fish:
Anchovies
Butterfish
Catfish
Clam
Crab (Domestic)
Crawfish/Crayfish
Croaker (Atlantic)
Flounder*
Haddock (Atlantic)*
Hake
Herring
Mackerel (N. Atlantic, Chub)
Mullet
Oyster
Perch (Ocean)
Plaice
Pollock
Salmon (Canned)**
Salmon (Fresh)**
Sardine
Scallop*
Shad (American)
Shrimp*
Sole (Pacific)
Squid (Calamari)
Tilapia
Trout (Freshwater)
Whitefish
Whiting


MODERATE MERCURY
Eat six servings or less per month:
Bass (Striped, Black)
Carp
Cod (Alaskan)*
Croaker (White Pacific)
Halibut (Atlantic)*
Halibut (Pacific)
Jacksmelt
(Silverside)
Lobster
Mahi Mahi
Monkfish*
Perch (Freshwater)
Sablefish
Skate*
Snapper*
Tuna (Canned
chunk light)
Tuna (Skipjack)*
Weakfish (Sea Trout)


HIGH MERCURY
Eat three servings or less per month:
Bluefish
Grouper*
Mackerel (Spanish, Gulf)
Sea Bass (Chilean)*
Tuna (Canned Albacore)
Tuna (Yellowfin)*


HIGHEST MERCURY
Avoid eating:
Mackerel (King)
Marlin*
Orange Roughy*
Shark*
Swordfish*
Tilefish*
Tuna
(Bigeye, Ahi)*

http://www.nrdc.org/health/effects/mercury/guide.asp

[msuder0583]

awesome thanks alot for that. yeah organic food is expensive but i definitely think its worth it too