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Organic 'Hype'?While getting my typical morning fill on Google News, I happened to come across Only hype makes organic food healthier. Obviously the author quantifies 'healthier' far differently than the medical community, health experts, and myself. I would definitely tend to lean towards looking at healthier as combination of being more nutritional/vitamin filled, having less chemicals/carcinogens, and higher fertility. All of these health benefits you will only receive from eating organic foods. A relatively small number of people getting sick from organic produce does not make organic food unhealthy, and most certainly not less healthy than non-organic foods. All it means is that a couple of organic farms made some mistakes just like most every one of us has done today and will do tomorrow. The farmers who have caused the rash of sickness definitely need both to be punished and to correct their error in ways, but most organic food is perfectly safe to eat and is without a doubt far healthier than non-organic food. I would venture to argue that we probably see a similar number of people sick from non-organic food products ALL THE TIME, and on top of that think about the masses that have or will have life long complications from all of the chemicals/pesticides, genetic modifications, decreased antioxidants, and lack of nutrients. Next time you decide to write about a subject Judi, please study up on it a bit and make sure you are not the one spreading the 'hype'. Also, you might want to avoid links like this on your site if you want any credibility.
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No proof
Unfortunately, you do not realize that there is no scientific evidence to say that organic foods are healthier. The thing Judi is pointing out is that no particular way of doing things is 100% safe. Organic believers completely buy into that and assume there are no risks; to the point where some people don't even wash the vegetables before consuming "because I'll lose the nutrients."
Also there has been no proof of organic foods being nutritionally healthier than non-organic. And even then, this is negligible. I mean for example, an orange, organic or not, has almost 100% of the vitamin c you need. Plus, most people don't eat the skin so there is no risk of wax and pesticides. Show me proof of a scientific study showing more nutrients are in organic produce.
And the farmer. He shouldn't be punished. It happens. Being from the country, we always farmed placing fresh manure into the soil. There is no precaution really to prevent any bacterial contamination other than washing and cooking the vegetables. The only reason why this may have occured is that since the organic produce has to be shipped, there is time for one microbe that may have remained in the food to reproduce and became a lethal colony. It happens. Society has to stop putting blame on people immediately without even knowing what went on. If he put manure on the fields right before shipment? OK, maybe then we have a case.
Finally, show me people that have had sickness from eating produce using pesticides and waxes other than the mistake of using PCBs, and those who have been literally drinking the pesticides. Over 50 years of safe use, it goes to show that people are dying from a lack of eating vegetables and fruits and nothing else. So for me, I am happy with growing my own vegetables in the garden, and buying others I can't in the supermarket. And if you'd like, you can pay upwards of triple the price for your produce. It's a free world.
organics
I can't argue with the healthiness issue, and I don't really care. For me the real point in buying organics is that the economy is controlled by market forces determined by consumer demand. Therefore, each individual has a vote in which direction he or she wants the market forces to act. Pesticides or fungicides may kill pests for a while, but in many cases those pests evolve to be resistant against pesticides, so more and stronger pesti- or fungicides need to be used. In addition, many pesticides are not specific, but kill a wide range of organisms outside of their targets, both on land and as they travel in run-off into rivers. Especially, small invertebrates which are biologically extremely similar to insects (food for fish) and fish eggs are highly susceptible to pesticides. Ask fishermen in Lousiana and Oregon if they like pesticides, they will probably vehemently say no. Do you think they buy organic?
Newest research shows that
Newest research shows that pesticide exposure correlates directly with an increase in the risk of developing Parkinson's disease - link
Its also been tied to an increase in brain tumors (specifically gliomas) - link
as well as an increase in cryptorchidism (that is, missing testes) in infants born to mothers with higher levels of pesticides in their blood - link
And the list continues on and on, from mild effects to fatal ones, but is often ignored. While we may peel oranges, we do not peel apples or strawberries or potatoes (some of us) or squash or most other produce that we eat. So if you would like to consume foods bathed in pesticides and other synthetic chemicals, you can. It's a free world. But do so based on fact instead of rhetoric and understand the consequences it may have on your health (and hopefully the health of our world).