By Sarah LoBisco, Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine
History and Background
It has been stated that the baby-boomer generation is exposed to more chemicals in one day than our grandparents were in their lifetimes. The use of chemicals, pesticides and monoculture farming is a relatively recent development in agricultural techniques. Therefore, it can be argued that what today is considered “organic” farming is the equivalent of the majority of agricultural history. The mass production of “foods of convenience” which have longer shelf lives and easier preparation methods than traditional cooking has mostly been welcomed by the American consumer without much opposition.
It wasn’t until the 1950s that consumer awareness in organic farming began. There were a variety of motivations for this movement. The first motivation was the impact of more natural methods on the environment. In comparison to modern agricultural techniques, organic farmers do not release synthetic chemicals into the environment; they maintain more diverse ecosystems, use less energy and produce less waste. A further motivation for organic farming was human health; chemicals used in conventional farming are not only bad for the environment, but harmful to the body’s organ systems. Some side effects of pesticides range from headaches, abdominal pain to neurological and immune conditions. (These same side effects can be said for the additives that are included in non-organic food products). Other benefits of eating organically grown food include better taste and more nutritional value.
Organic foods in the United States are regulated by the USDA through the National Organic Program (NOP) Standards. One way to recognize organic food is through a certified USDA seal. This signifies that the ingredients are at least 95% organic. In comparison to non-organic foods, products marked organic must prove that the crops are grown without the use of chemical pesticides, fertilizers, sewage sludge, human waste, ionizing radiation or food additives. In most countries, organic produce must also not be genetically engineered. To be considered organic meat, animals must be raised humanly without the use antibiotics or growth hormones.
As opposed to being purchased from industrial farms and warehouses, fresh, unprocessed produce is purchased directly from local growers through programs such as the CSA (community-supported agriculture). “Processed organic food” must still have most of its ingredients certified organic and any additional ingredients must be free from food additives, food irradiation, chemical ripening and genetic modification.
Organic Foods are Important for Nutrition
Processed Foods are devoid of the nutrition of their whole food counterparts. For example, although processed white bread has longer shelf life then organic bread, many nutrients are lost in the refining process. A whole unprocessed wheat kernel is comprised of three parts, the starch, the nutrient rich-bran and the germ. In the processing, the bran and germ are removed; resulting with only the starch left which is considered to be the flour. This flour is then bleached to improve texture and appearance to consumers.
Bleached flour is then enriched with a few synthetic nutrients that had been removed from this refining process, but the synthetic additives are not equivalent to what nature made in the bran and germ. They are isolates of the whole vitamin. In order to process these isolates, the body must use more of its reserve of missing nutrients. It is for this reason, that if someone eats a whole, organic diet, they need less supplementation.
Another example of how nutrients are devoid in processed foods is processed sugar. People may be surprised to learn that the whole sugar beet plant contains nutrient dense ingredients, but once again, that is lost through manufacturing. As Alive website states:
“Like refined salt, white sugar has been stripped of all the vitamins, minerals and trace elements that naturally occur in the whole sugar cane plant. The whole plant contains only 14 percent sucrose, along with fiber, water and various other nutrients. The refining process separates the sugar from the molasses, the nutrient-rich part of the sugar plant. Refined white sugar is pure sucrose. Brown sugar is refined sugar that has some of the molasses added back to it, mostly for color. It is still a refined sugar product.”
For more information or to set up a consultation about implementing more organic foods in your diet call:
Sarah LoBisco, ND
518-339-4788
slobisco@yahoo.com
References
Wikepedia. Organic Foods. [seriel online] 2007. [cited 2007 Sept 11]. [1 screen].
Available from URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_food
Alive. Whole vs. Processed Foods. 2005. [cited 2007 Sept 11]. [1 screen]
Available from URL: http://www.alive.com/1339a4a2.php?subject_bread_cramb=194
Lee, Royal, DDS. Vitamin News. Standard Process, Inc. Palmyra, WI. 1943.
Standard Process, Inc. Whole Foods. The Importance of Whole Food Supplements. 2007. [cited 2007 Sept 11]. [1 screen]
Available from URL:
http://www.standardprocess.com/display/theimportanceofwholefoodsupplements.spi