OUR FOOD – FRIEND OR FOE?

The unprecedented pressures due to the unchecked exposure of chemicals to mankind and the environment are having catastrophic effects on our bodies and the world around us.  The increasing incidence of harmful chemicals in the foods we eat are disrupting our bodies natural biological processes and placing undue pressure on our body's biological systems, thereby turning a taut and trim contributor to society into a sluggish and sickly burden on both family and society. The current statistics on obesity, diabetes and other degenerative disorders, including cancer, can no longer be overlooked.  We can no longer just say that we eat too much and do too little.  Although eating too much and doing too little are contributing factors to our current obesity, diabetes, cancers and ADHD epidemics, it becomes patently obvious that these cannot be the only causes.  We must start looking carefully at what we are eating, what chemicals (colours, flavours, antibiotics, pesticides and growth hormones) we are introducing into our bodies.  What is the future we are charting for ourselves, and more importantly, what is in store for our children. How much of our children"s future are we cancelling out? There is of course a viable and sustainable solution.  Let's Talk Organic.

Organic foods are those that are produced in the absence of conventional pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, fertilizers made with synthetic and harmful ingredients, bio-engineering or ionizing radiation.  Organic meat, poultry, eggs and dairy products are derived from animals that have not been fed antibiotics, growth promoters or other drugs.  Before continuing, something of great importance needs to be addressed here, and that is that organics and natural health is not an alternative, but rather the standard and it has been the standard for many thousands of years.  The chemical solution has been the alternative only for the last few decades, and this alternative has proven to be disastrous for mankind and the environment we live in.

The ethics and standards driving the organic food movement is so compelling that the advantages in eating organic foods can no longer be overlooked and disregarded.  Due to the manner in which organic foods are cultivated, they contain a far denser nutrient value, i.e. vitamin and mineral content, than conventionally grown foods.  Some of the nutrients that are significantly higher in organically cultivated foods are Vitamin C, Iron, Magnesium and Phosphorus. 

As organiacally grown food is not only considerably more nutrient dense, but also free of harmful repugnant neuro toxic chemicals it contributes in disease prevention and actually aides in the treatment of disease.  It is safe to say that the only real health food is found growing in aour natural environment and not on a supermarket health food store shelf. The cultivation of organically grown foods is also environmentally sustainable, as there is an endless supply of powerful and natural fertilisers such as Sea Minerals (hyperlink to seamineral or gropal.com).  By  eating organic foods you are protecting the general health and wellbeing of you and your family, and promoting ecologically responsible and sustainable farming methods .  By encouraging the proliferation of organic farming you will also drive prices down making it affordable for all.

Organically grown foods are higher in cancer-fighting chemicals and antioxidants than conventional grown foods.  Research suggests that pesticides and herbicides inhibit the production of phenolics.  These act as a plant"s natural defence and are also beneficial to our health.  Alyson Mitchell, Ph.D., a food scientist at the University of California reported, that "Organically…grown marionberries had approximately 50 percent more antioxidants than conventional grown berries.”  Now that's worth considering.  A study undertaken by the University of Washington reported that children, who were being fed organic foods, had six times less pesticides in their bodies than those consuming conventional foods.  It has been established that organic foods are more nutrient dense than conventional grown foods.  Importantly, this points to the differences in nutrient density between the two.  The research and data to support this has been obtained from a study performed by the Rutgers University in the United States.

Vegetables	Phosphorus	Calcium	Magnesium	Potassium
Snap Beans Organic Non-organic	0.36 0.22	40.5 15.5	60 14.8	99.7 29.1
Cabbage Organic Non-organic	0.38 0.18	60 17.5	43.6 13.6	148.3 33.7
Lettuce Organic Non-organic	0.43 0.22	71 16	49.3 13.1	176.5 53.7
Tomatoes Organic Non-organic	0.35 0.16	23 4.5	59.2 4.5	148.3 58.8
Spinach Organic Non-organic	0.52 0.27	96 47.5	203.9 46.9	237 84.6

Vegetables	Sodium	Boron	Manganese	Iron	Copper	Cobalt
Snap Bean Organic Non-organic	8.6 0.9	73 10	60 2	227 10	69 3	0.26 0
Cabbage Organic Non-organic	20.4 0.8	42 7	13 2	94 20	48 0.4	0.15 0
Lettuce Organic Non-organic	12.2 0	37 6	169 1	516 9	60 3	0.19 0
Tomatoes Organic Non-organic	6.5 0	36 3	68 1	193.8 1	53 0	0.63 0
Spinach Organic Non-organic	69.5 0	88 12	117 1	158.4 49	32 0.3	0.25 0.2

It is important to realise that the nutrient level of the foods we eat is not the only factor that affects the 'goodness" of food.  The manner in which the food is cultivated and grown, and the substances that are applied during the growth process, also greatly affects the quality and 'goodness’ of food, and this is precisely why organically grown foods are a better and healthier option.  Not only are the nutrient levels significantly higher in organic foods, but more importantly, we are not guilty of putting potentially harmful chemical residues into our bodies. 

Conventional grown foods pose an alarming threat to our overall health and wellbeing.  Just stop and think.  You are consuming a dangerous chemical cocktail every time you eat non-organic foods.  These chemicals make their way into our bloodstream and into our body’s cells.  The use of synthetic chemicals in our foods has been linked to a long list of serious degenerative disorders.  Cancers, infertility, thyroid dysfunction, birth defects, behavioural problems, immune system suppression and deformities of the reproductive organs, to name just a few.  They could also very well be the cause of minor problems such as allergies, migraines, digestive problems and rashes.  The adage "You are what you eat” is certainly a truism.  Our bodies are being thrown out of balance and into complete and utter chaos by the introduction of the chemical cocktail that is present in non-organic foods.  Already there exists an astounding number of environmental stressors that we cannot control, and it can only be described as unthinking and foolish to add to the stress that our bodies are experiencing by consuming nutrient poor, chemicalized foods.

These chemicals affect all of our body’s systems.  A number of these chemicals have been found to directly disrupt the endocrine system and are known as ‘endocrine disruptors’.  This system includes the thyroid, pituitary, testicles, ovaries and adrenal glands.  This is a system of great importance to the health of our bodies as it produces our bodies hormones, is involved in the  regulation and utilisation of all hormones and many chemical messengers in the body.  It is responsible for growth, sexual development and has many other functions.  These ‘endocrine disruptors’ negatively impact on adults, however, the impact is more dangerously on children as they are still developing.  Children become more vulnerable to serious degenerative health problems such as increased susceptibility to cancer and other disease, learning difficulties, behavioural and reproductive problems. Accordingly, there is definitely conclusive and damning evidence that points to the dangers in consuming conventional grown foods.

There are those who argue that the cost of organic foods is too high, and that they cannot afford it.  This argument doesn’t stand up as any short term cost increase in switching to organic produce can be easily justified by the savings in health care costs and the inconvenience caused through illness, and as mentioned previously by supporting organic growers we are ultimately driving prices down.

If you are a farmer, and would like further information on using nutrient dense sustainable Sea Minerals as a natural fertiliser, please call 1 877 835 5555  or click here.  Grow Power nutrient solutions for sustainable farming.

ORGANIC ARTICLE RESOURCES:

http://www.mercola.com/2005/apr/13/organic_diet.htm

http://www.greenlinedelivery.com.au/html/s02_article/article_view.asp?id=101&nav_cat_id=131&nav_top_id=57&view=&history=1&gback=home&dsa=13 - table.

http://www.organicconsumers.org/organic/polyphenolics031203.cfm - Alyson Mitchell, Ph.D., a food scientist at the University of California

http://www.wacotrib.com/featr/content/wacotoday/stories/2006/05/25/05252006wacorganic.html - description of how organically grown foods need to be grown.

http://www.planorganic.com/organic%20attack.htm - organic food better for children.