It's Official: Organic Really is Better

re: It's Official: Organic Really is Better

agapegrl — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 16:03:14 GMT

Just one more thought. When people report that organic foods do not have much better vitamin and mineral content than non-organic foods, I wonder who is paying them or what planet they are from? We can taste and FEEL the difference in organic foods and what they do for our bodies! Besides, the organic producers in this area are all well versed on how to add the naturally occurring minerals back into the soil. They also know how to get the soil to recreate a more natural growing medium via the microorganisms that are in (or should be in) the soil to start with!

We have been part of a local organic CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm for 5 years now, and we would not trade it for ANYTHING!!! They do use 100% organic seed that can be purchased from Fedco.com, and they produce the most fabulous veggies anywhere! In fact, Elizabeth Henderson, the head farmer, speaks all over the country as an organic specialist. :-)

By now...

agapegrl

Joyce

Central New York

re: It's Official: Organic Really is Better

agapegrl — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 15:54:54 GMT

Dear Mercola "bloggers":

You can find out more information about which cooking oils are safest to cook with from Dr. Perricone's website. Well, at least he is a HUGE proponent of MacNut Oil because it has such a high "smoke point".

By the way, smoke point/transfats is not the only prerequisite for using healthy cooking oils, but it is a good place to start.

However, for the Beyond Organic family, BRAVO for you! You have been using coconut oil for so many more years than the rest of us!! Coconut Oil is lots cheaper and is great for you!! Those who say otherwise are being bribed! Many recipes, even from "Green websites" tell us to use Olive Oil to cook and bake with. WHAT ARE THEY THINKING??!!! Olive oil has a very low "smoke point", so should not be used to fry anything! As soon as it changes viscosity in the frying pan and starts smoking a little, you have just made a superb batch of homemade TRANSFAT! Those who know any science about cooking oils and smoke points, KNOW that you should use Olive Oil to add FLAVOR at the end of cooking (like for sauces.) That way, you aren't boiling or frying it at high temps.! BTW, unheated, extra virgin cold-pressed organic Olive Oil and fresh organic Lemon juice ingested regularly help to clean your liver and gallbladder, in case you wanted to know that!

For those of you who are asking about Brand Names for Raw Organic Milk, my goodness, I don't believe there IS such a thing! The government will not allow that! The only way I know of to get Raw, Organic Milk is from a farmer!!! We are so blessed to have so many Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs) farms in this area as well as a raw milk certified organic farm within about 15 mins. drive. You CAN get your calcium from herbs, though, if you do some research...

Gotta run now. I hope this has helped someone out there. I also appreciated many of your comments posted, as well. :-)

Blessings,

Joyce

agapegrl

CNHP

re: It's Official: Organic Really is Better

KC-Food-Circle-WebMinion — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 21:33:14 GMT

Thanks, Islander... "Follow the money" is right on point. Nuf sed about that.

I'm glad Dr. Mercola has brought out the local organic food subject as a viable and preferable alternative to conventional eating - the Kansas City Food Circle has been working for years to educate and introduce local eaters to local organic, natural and free-range food producers, and recent research is confirming what we've been promoting all along. We thank you, so much, for your even-handed approach and look forward to reading more.

The road to health is paved with good ingestion.

Dave Lawrence - WebMinion - KC Food Circle //

Developing a Local Sustainable Food System, Supporting Your Local Farmer, Providing Good Food.

re: It's Official: Organic Really is Better

kelly_in_houston — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 12:12:37 GMT

Gosh, I'm thoroughly confused. I thought I was buying the best milk, and dairy products for my family (Horizon).

Please , can anyone provide me with a brand name for raw milk, and is that the best for me to buy? I just want to buy the best for my family!

Thank you.

re: It's Official: Organic Really is Better

jennieM — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 18:48:17 GMT

As someone running a small business selling organics I can categorically state that high prices have nothing to do with making excessive amounts of money!! One of the reasons organic meat is more expensive than conventional is that without using chemicals such as antiworm drenches stocking rates (ie number of animals per farm area unit) have to be lighter to ensure that there is less stress on the animals so in order for the farmer to make a living producing fewer animals prices have to be higher otherwise the meat would not get produced. Certainly here in New Zealand we have proper certification inspection and almost all our beef is grass fed i believe there are only 2 feedlots in the entire country and that meat is mostly exported to people that prefer grain fed!! However the one meat I can guarantee is all grass fed and mostly very rarely touched by human hand is NZ lamb. We have a conventional sheep farm and our lambs get vaccinated against tetanus and similar nasties, given cobalt and selenium which the whole country is short of and the occasional anti worm drench and that is it. certainly not a hormone or antibiotic or grain in sight and I stress that we are a standard conventional non-organic farm.

re: It's Official: Organic Really is Better

pinus56 — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 12:45:57 GMT

With the gov. allowing 1000 new UNTESTED FOR SAFETY synthetic chemicals into the market place each year and our soils being depleted of nutrients (compared to 50 yrs. ago) one simply must buy locally and certified orgainic. Every disease in the U.S. is on a sharp incline, all the trillions of dollars spent on research doesn't seem to have made much difference. To have a chance, one must start with pure food.

re: It's Official: Organic Really is Better

elsie202 — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 15:09:13 GMT

Dr. Mercola, I always find your information very helpful and informative. I am trying to eat as health as I can but they (the food industry) don't make it easy. I was trusting the label "organic" but now I can't do that either. I have to find local farms to buy my vegetables and fruit as well as the meat.

Thanks for all good input.

Rosemarie Krause

re: It's Official: Organic Really is Better

Anthony_Zappia — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 21:47:12 GMT

I don't know about the U.S. but in Australia, almost anything you buy from an organic food store is way more expensive than what you'll buy from the supermarket. This ranges from vegetables to breads and meats. Is this simply supply and demand (A huge demand for something that is still in relatively small supply)? Or are businesses (and I'm speaking generically here - from the Wal-marts to the small Organic Health/Food store) just 'milking' the consumers?

re: It's Official: Organic Really is Better

healthnut2 — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 18:43:14 GMT

To Gudni - National arrogance seems to be a problem throughout history. After all, through her national arrogance, Germany got us into two World Wars. I think you should reword that to 'corporate arrogance'.

re: It's Official: Organic Really is Better

jacqueline.newing — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 09:06:07 GMT

Even if growing your own fruit and veg does not make them any more nutritious, surely the fact that you have been out in the fresh air, digging, tending and harvesting them is a health benefit in itself... not to mention the positive feeling of self-satisfaction when you eat a meal you have grown yourself!

re: It's Official: Organic Really is Better

david — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 01:00:31 GMT

..........."The UK’s Food Standards Agency, which has formerly said that there is no difference between organic and conventional foods, is reviewing the research findings."............

.........Let's hope they revue their dietry advice too, as it is just as illogical as their organic understanding.....The problem is that they disseminate their information 'down the line' to many other, misinformed organisations.

re: It's Official: Organic Really is Better

ID_Scorpion081 — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 23:19:13 GMT

If you wish be truly organic, then you should know where to buy your seeds. Most of the seeds sold in your local stores are in fact GMO seed. This GMO seed is far from truly organic in that many of the varieties have genes spliced from different organisms, to say: certain genes that are alien to the particular species you are growing.

Ever since the MONSANTO corporation began buying out all of the world's major seed suppliers ( under the guise of being a "life-sciences company" ), they have most certainly guaranteed that you will no longer see any "heritage" seeds in the supermarkets of this country! Just thought everyone would like to know.

Also, some of our local farmers markets are importing their produce as there aren't many farms left here. A large portion of those items imported are GMO and "treated".

re: It's Official: Organic Really is Better

webwitch6 — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 22:28:47 GMT

It is really just common sense, yet I cannot relate to you all how hard it is for some people to accept this stuff! I had a conversation with my mother years ago about the type of food she SHOULD have eaten-which strangely, was the type she fed me when I was little-as she got older, she started believing the package labels instead of common sense! She would read a package of DuncanHines cake mix, and try to convince me that is was the same as homemade!

She was the first person in the good old days that made her own bread, ketchup, (yup, made her own ketchup!) ice tea concentrate she kept in the freezer, and growing her own veggies. She didnt use any chemicals to grow them and she was a big believer in raw milk, which I was raised on.

I can only think that she just gave up on everything or maybe got lazy or she just started believing her conventional doctors and her friends-not sure, but she now has no teeth, she has had kidney failure numerous times, she has a form of dementia, she no longer walks and she is 300 lbs. She is 66. She eats junk and packaged everything, Sadly, she and I no longer communicate, as she found MY lifestyle (vegetarian, non-establishment, married to someone outside my faith) intolerable.

If only I could have convinced her that organic foods, raw milk and a bit of exercise would have kept her more alert and physically mobile...I wonder how thinks would have turned out.

re: It's Official: Organic Really is Better

rawfood — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 21:57:41 GMT

Organic is better for your body, more nutritious and less chemicals. How many years you have left may depend on what you put into your body. 1 in 3 people get cancer now, it used to be 1 in 100. Your odds are high and going up. In order to beat cancer, you would have to eat live foods, so why not be proactive and just eat them now? Food that is still alive kills cancer cells. Cooked foods multiply them. Your choice. The optimal diet is 3/4 live foods and 1/4 cooked like brown rice.

re: It's Official: Organic Really is Better

arlene_oneill — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 20:43:08 GMT

I love buying organic produce. I have no local farm or co-op near me, so I must buy from my local health food store or suppermarket.

Arlene