It's Official: Organic Really is Better

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It's Official: Organic Really is Better

Posted by: Dr. Mercola
November 17 2007 | 86,473 views

The debate over whether organic food is healthier than conventionally grown food may be over, according to results from a $25-million study into organic food -- the largest of its kind to date.

The four-year, European-Union-funded study found that:

Organic fruit and vegetables contain up to 40 percent more antioxidants
Organic produce had higher levels of beneficial minerals like iron and zinc
Milk from organic herds contained up to 90 percent more antioxidants

The researchers obtained their results after growing fruit and vegetables, and raising cattle, on adjacent organic and non-organic sites. They say that eating organic foods can even help to increase the nutrient intake of people who don’t eat the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables a day.

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.

Sources:

Times Online October 28, 2007

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

Many “health” experts continue to state that there is little difference between organic and conventionally raised produce, but if they review this evidence, they will likely have to change their tune.

Food grown in healthier soil, with natural fertilizers and no chemicals, simply has to be more nutritious. It is common knowledge -- though knowledge that is greatly suppressed in the United States.

A 2003 study in the Journal of Agricultural Food Chemistry, for example, found that organic foods are better for fighting cancer.

And in 2005, scientists found that, compared to rats that ate conventional diets, organically fed rats experienced various health benefits. Rats that ate organic or minimally fertilized diets had:

Improved immune system status
Better sleeping habits
Less weight and were slimmer than rats fed other diets
Higher vitamin E content in their blood (for organically fed rats)

Does this mean that you should ditch all of your conventional produce and meat, and only buy certified organic foods? Well, yes … and no.

Be Very Wary of What Organic Foods You Buy, and Where You Buy Them

Although the organic label has really only become widely popular in the last several years, it has already been greatly compromised.

Whereas organic foods were once truly raised naturally, on small farms with great integrity, big business has now stepped in and tainted many of the principles upon which the organic label was founded.

Wal-Mart, for instance, is now the largest organic retailer in the United States. According to the Organic Consumers Association, the mega-store is:

Selling Horizon and Aurora Organic milk that comes from intensive confinement factory farm dairies
Importing cheap organic foods and ingredients from China and Brazil
Posting signs in its stores that mislead people into believing that non-organic items are actually organic

In other words, organic food now represents a $14-billion business in the United States, and the quality and meaning of the organic label is undergoing a fast decline.

You are, in fact, being ripped off by much of the organic food you are buying.

One of the biggest rip-offs, in my opinion, is organic milk. Milk is not something I recommend that anyone drink unless it is in raw form. Organic milk is NOT raw milk, it is pasteurized milk, and will be associated with all of the health problems of pasteurized milk, regardless of its organic certification.

Another big-time deception is all of those “organic” convenience, junk foods like ice cream, crackers, cookies, pizzas and potato chips. A potato chip is one of the worst foods you can eat, regardless of whether or not the potato is organic.

Yet big business is cashing in on your desire to “have your cake and eat it too,” so to speak, and deceiving you into believing that you can eat cookies, ice cream and potato chips without feeling guilty because they’re “organic.”

Local is Now Better Than Organic

If you want to get the freshest, most nutrient-rich foods available, you simply must seek out real sources close to your home. When I say “real sources” I’m referring to farmers, food coops, farmers’ markets, and community-supported agriculture programs -- NOT your local supermarket, or even your local big-name health food store.

These are the people who are growing your food, and only by speaking with them and establishing a rapport will you truly know if your food is being raised with integrity and health in mind.

Know also that many small farmers raise their foods according to organic standards, yet are unable to afford the federal certification progress to legally call them so. Ask your local farmers, and you’ll likely be surprised at how natural their farming methods are.

The bottom line?

Folks, simply stick to eating food that comes from your community, and from nature. Eat meats, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and more that come from a farmer you trust, according to your Nutritional Type, and you will thrive.

For those few foods you can’t find locally, buying from a supermarket or health food store is, of course, a practical option. Just make sure that these supermarket foods make up only a tiny portion of your family’s overall food.