# Organic, Not So Good?



## TATTRAT (Sep 14, 2007)

this was an interesting read to me. I still won't rush to eat pumped up, "laced" food, but this was still interesting.


*Organic Farming Is a Load of--hmmm--Fertilizer*


A superb article in the Australian popular science magazine _Cosmos_ debunks the organic food and farming craze. On claims that organic is more nutritious, the article notes:...A comprehensive review of some 400 scientific papers on the health impacts of organic foods, published by Faidon Magkos and colleagues in 2006 in the journal Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, concluded there was no evidence that eating organic food was healthier...​
LINK TO FULL ARTICLE HERE


----------



## Renee Attili (Sep 14, 2007)

Maybe organic is not "healthier" but it has to be better for you.
(p.s. Your pics are cool!)


----------



## Jeekinz (Sep 14, 2007)

Renee Attili said:


> but it has to be better for you.


 
Not so good for the wallet though.


----------



## Renee Attili (Sep 14, 2007)

Gotta point there Jeenkins. But knowing I am not ingesting pesticides and hormones will more than balance out the cost IMHO.


----------



## Uncle Bob (Sep 14, 2007)

Ah, but are you sure you are not....


----------



## Andy M. (Sep 14, 2007)

Renee Attili said:


> Maybe organic is not "healthier" but it has to be better for you.
> (p.s. Your pics are cool!)


 

I'm not sure what the difference is.  Please explain.


----------



## GrillingFool (Sep 14, 2007)

So I bought a package of mint leaves from the store. Used a few, stuck them in 
the fridge and forgot about them. 
Bought another package 3 days later.... an ORGANIC package of mint leaves.

Two days later the organic leaves were black and nasty, while the other package
was "tired" but still green and attractive. (5 days in fridge, vs 3 for the organic).

There was no mention of any stabilizers, additives or other "improvements" to
the first package, and both had expiration dates within 3 days of each other.

Interesting, huh?


----------



## BreezyCooking (Sep 14, 2007)

I think the problem has to do with all the recent hoopla & thus high prices of "organic" food.  Once something is touted as "the way to go", prices skyrocket.  And once the government gets involved - look out!!

Years ago, when I first became interested in organic gardening, it wasn't such a big deal.  I never used commercial pesticides or fertilizers, & that was it.  My chickens were fed non-medicated feed plus all sorts of kitchen scraps, & the eggs were fabulous.  The vegetable & herb gardens flourished.

Now organic gardening is "big business", & frankly I'm not sure that's such a good thing.  These days there are all sorts of contraptions, fertilizers, pesticides, yadayadayada that you're supposed to buy to be "organic".  But before you do, please investigate, because a lot of these companies are just trying to jump on the "organic" bandwagon.


----------



## middie (Sep 15, 2007)

Nutriton value is the same I'm sure. I'm still not going to pay the extra bucks for organic though.


----------



## cara (Sep 15, 2007)

I think there are two sides you have to look at...
every way of farming has its advantages/disadvantages.

I'm sure organic farming isn't so much different to "normal" farming.
They use the same tractors, the same harrow, the same seeder and the same combine.
They act like ecologists, they have to bring some money home and they do what they need to do, but mostly not more.

We have farming friends, both organic and normal... 
it's less work for an organic, there are just not so many steps to perform to bring in the harvest.. and they bring much lest pesticides and insecticides on there land.

I see a much bigger problem in animal health, but for me it's too late now to write about it.. maybe later this week..


----------



## elaine l (Sep 15, 2007)

I agree with Middie.  Whenever I can I buy from local farmers/bakers.  The growing season where I am is short so I do have to buy from large supermarket chains and not ready to pay the price for everything organic.  Typically I am deprived of certain veggies and fruit during off season.  Just can't bring myself to buy them.


----------



## Green Lady (Sep 15, 2007)

A few years ago consumer reporter John Stossel made a statement that shocked me.  He said a study showed organic food wasn't any better for you than non-organic. Eventually the truth came out; he had made that story up to fill up some air time. 

It depends on who sets the standards for organic.  The California organic act has some stringent standards. Not every product labeled organic outside of CA has abided by those standards.  At www.mercola.com, Dr. Mercola warns that the organic food bought at Wal-Mart is not the same as organic foods bought at smaller, specialty markets.  Go to the archives of mercola.com and read his comments.  He also knocks Horizon milk which pictures a happy cow on the carton.  He feels the growth of the organic industry has made room for those who are fraudulent in their growing practices (my phraseology, not his).  And large stores, like Super Wal-Mart, carry foods that aren't truly organic because they require the farmer to sell to them at very low prices.  The truth is that true organic farming is labor intensive.  So in order to sell to Super Wal-Mart for a low price, compromises are made.

Truly grown organic fruits and veggies, eaten at their peak, are  more flavorful than conventionally grown because they are more nutritious.  An organic banana evokes memories of my childhood because the flavor is reminiscent of that era 
before pesticides.

There is a technique in organic farming called companion planting.  Certain plants are grown next to each other because they complement each other by acting as natural pesticide. companion planting is used to confuse insects, repel them or trap them.  It is also used to make plants healthier. (Sara Rosenthal, Ph.D.) It is very interesting. I don't know how many in agriculture today are aware of these methods.  In a perfect world farmers would return to these methods.


----------

