We’ve had a few questions
regarding the comments I made about what “organic” seems to mean today, so
perhaps we should expound on that subject just a bit. What’s the
Difference between Conventional and Organic Foods? The difference between organic and conventional food begins with the
growing process. Conventional farmers have the option to use things like pesticides,
fertilizers containing synthetic ingredients, sewage sludge (the semi-solid waste
byproduct from municipal sewage treatment plants), or even bioengineering to help produce
their crops. Organic farmers, on the other hand, use none of these things. Instead, they
use strategies like crop rotation, mulching, and manure to help them grow their products.
(There’s a whole ‘nother rant from organic farmers getting messed up by the
conventional farmers next door - wind blowing their junk into our fields, etc., but we’ll
leave that one out of this article.) This difference applies equally to plant and animal products. For
example, animals used to produce organic products, such as meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy
products are given no antibiotics or growth hormones. The following table lists the
differences between conventional and organic farming:
How Can I Be Certain My Organic Food is Really Organic? Until just last year, it was difficult to know what the term “organic”
meant unless you were familiar with complicated sets of rules set by individual states and
private institutions. However, in October 2002, the United States Department of
Agriculture (USDA) implemented national organic standards for agricultural products (and
thereby officially changed the definition of the word). These standards regulate the way
all foods bearing the USDA organic label are grown, handled, and processed. The
only exception to these standards applies to small organic farmers who sell less than
$5,000 a year in organic foods. These new standards means that organic products, or products making
organic claims, regardless of where in the country they are produced, now fall into four
clear categories, only two of which are allowed to display the USDA organic label. The
following table lists these categories and outlines clearly what products making these
claims may, and may not, contain.
People who sell or label a product as organic when they know it does
not meet USDA standards can be fined up to $10,000 for per violation. You and I both know,
however, that without a complaint that goes to court, that really isn’t going to
happen. Going Organic People who choose to “go organic” do so for many more
reasons than just the price of broccoli. Here’s a list of things you may want to keep
in mind while making up your own mind. Nutrition The USDA does not claim that organic food is any better, or
any less nutritious than food produced by conventional methods. The only difference
between organic foods and conventionally produced foods is the way they are grown,
handled, and processed. Quality and Appearance Organic foods must meet the same standards of quality and safety as
conventionally produced food. However, you may notice organic foods look less
perfect (odd shapes, varying colors, smaller sizes) than conventionally produced foods.
You may also notice that organic fruits and vegetables spoil slightly faster. This is
because conventionally produced foods are often selected for their perfect appearance and
then treated with waxes or preservatives to prolong their shelf life. Pesticides Some people buy organic foods as a way of avoiding exposure to the
pesticides conventional farmers use to protect their crops from molds, insects, and
disease, and this might be a factor in your decision making. However, most experts agree
that the small amounts of residual pesticides found on conventionally grown produce poses
a very small health risk to humans, and that the health benefits of eating fresh produce
far outweigh any risks. I think only you should make the decision about how much is too
much. Environment Many people opt for organic products because they support the goal of
organic farming, which is to benefit the environment by reducing pollution and conserving
soil and water. Cost Cost is often a consideration when making the decision to purchase
organic products. Most organic products do cost more than their conventionally produced
counterparts. This is because the practices used to produce them are more expensive (more
dedicated man-hours because the machines can’t do it) than those used to produce
conventional products. Taste Some people claim to be able to taste the difference between organic
and non-organic foods. Others say they cannot. Taste is a personal and very subjective
consideration. Buying Tips In the end, deciding whether buying organic is right for you will be
a highly personal decision. Here are some additional buying tips to keep in mind:
Sources: Organic foods: New options with growing differences. The
Mayo Clinic website. Go to: http://www.mayoclinic.com/invoke.cfm?objectid=039DC948-6412-41AE-A46232789E371DC5 Organic food standards and labels: The facts. The
National Organic Program website. Go to: http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop/consumers/brochure.html Veneman marks implementation of USDA national organic standards. USDA news release. Go to: http://www.usda.gov/news/releases/2002/10/0453.htm Resources: The National Organic Program.
Go to: http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop United States Department of Agriculture. Go to: http://www.usda.gov Other Animals Treat
Illness with Herbal Remedies Too Sue passed on a website she visited, and while our “healthy
living” philosophy was not their main subject; some of the stuff they quoted is worth
repeating here. It
happened one day in 1987 in Tanzania's Mahale Mountains National Park. Scientific
researchers found an isolated female chimpanzee who was terribly sick. They observed she
barely had enough energy even to defecate, but somehow dragged herself over to a Vernonia
amygdaline bush. This foul tasting plant is definitely not on the regular menu for
chimps. However, the sick female tore off some of its tender shoots and chewed them just
long enough to get the juice, while spitting out the fibrous leftovers. Much
to the amazement of the scientific observers, by the next afternoon this same chimpanzee,
who was so sick the day before, behaved as if reborn. Her energy was completely restored.
Her appetite had returned, and she now socialized with the other chimps. The
scientists had observed for the first time, a wild animal's health actually improved after
eating a plant with known medical properties. It was noted that the native people
of the area use the same plant to fight parasites and gastrointestinal disorders. Anthropologist
Richard Wrangham of Harvard University observed, on many occasions, that a large number of
chimps walked as long as 20 minutes in search of Aspilia, a member of the sunflower
family. The animals would then gulp down the leaves of this plant whole, even to the point
of vomiting. It was later discovered that Aspilia is high in a red oil called thiarubrine-A,
which kills parasites, fungi, and viruses. However, more recently, biochemists,
inspired by the chimps repeated use of the plant, began to test the properties of thiarubrine
more seriously in the lab. They found, to their surprise, that thiarubrine-A killed
cancer cells in solid tumors, such as those of the lungs and breast. Maybe
some of the mystery as to how early humans discovered medicinal plants is hereby revealed.
For, on further observation, scientists have found that chimpanzees use at least 15
different species of medicinal plants, which supply the animals with a full range of
potions and salves for a number of various ailments. Scientists
have also discovered, however, that it's not just chimpanzees that take advantage of
Nature's pharmacopoeia, but there are many other animal species that do as well. In fact,
there are so many different kinds of animals that use plants as medicine, a specialized
branch of zoology has developed just to study this phenomena called
"zoopharmacognosty." (1) Within
this specialized branch of study, some very interesting discoveries have been made. One of
these is the fact that animals use psychoactive plants to deliberately alter their
consciousness. Ronald Siegel, a psychopharmacologist at UCLA's School of Medicine, has
spent most of his career studying drugs and their impact on animals. In 1979, he
discovered a shard from an ancient ceramic bowl in the Peruvian Andes. A painting on the
piece shows two llamas eating from a branch of coca leaves. Two Indians are pointing to
the llamas while they themselves conspicuously reach for the leaves with open mouths. With
further investigation, Siegel discovered that this illustration was not an isolated case
by any means. One legend, dating back to the year 900 CE, describes an Abyssinian herder
who found that his animals became energized after eating the bright red fruit of a tree
that was later named coffee. Another story has a shepherd in Yemen watching his
goats run wild after chewing on certain leaves, discovering the amphetamine-like stimulant
known as qat. In tropical Asia, legends describe birds that became strangely quiet after
visiting rauwolfia trees. As a result, an Indian psychiatrist isolated the tranquilizer
reserpine, which then revolutionized the treatment of the mentally ill. A
number of other such examples are recorded in all parts of the world. In the mountains of
Sikkim, weary horses eagerly consume bitter tea leaves for added energy. Pack donkeys in
Mexico, when particularly tired, deliberately grazed on wild tobacco for the same
rejuvenating effect. During the recent war in Cambodia, it was observed that free-ranging
water buffalo and antelope increased their normal browsing of opium poppies to overcome
the stress of their hostile environment. While in Africa, elephants feasting on the
fermented fruit of doum and marula trees, which contained an alcohol solution as high as
7%, were seen to display the same range of reactions shown by humans. Some elephants
became boisterous and aggressive, trumpeting and attacking nearby animals, including
researchers. Some became increasingly passive and lethargic. Still, others appeared
amorous. In the emerald forests of Colombia, jaguars gnaw the nauseating psychedelic bark
of yaje, a habit the local people believe sends the cats on flights to other worlds. Wild
boars dig for the hallucinogenic roots of iboga, a West African shrub that send the
animals into a wild frenzy. On the Asian tundra of the North, reindeer eat the beautifully
red-capped Amanita muscaria, a psychoactive mushroom also used by Siberian shamans
to aid in their spiritual journeys. (2)
An interesting aside on the elephants: On one of those wildlife shows
on Discovery channel (or something like it) a few years back, they said that the vast
majority of the elephants that get drunk and raise hell are immature males from the
bachelor herds. Rarely do the females or the mature bulls get involved in this drunken
display of troublemaking. How like humans they are… Sources: (1)
Newsweek,
Feb. 3, 1992: How Wild Animals Use Nature's Medicine Chest, Sharon Begley,
Elizabeth Ann Leonard. (2)
Omni,
March 1989: Jungle Revelers, Ronald K. Siegal. Is the Pen Mightier Than the Pill? from Spirituality and Health magazine (Fall 1999):
Why are we suddenly giving our readers homework? What we just described is
the exact exercise doctors used in a landmark mind-body health study that was published
last spring in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The people doing
the writing were asthma patients and rheumatoid arthritis sufferers, all outpatients whose
clinical conditions were confirmed by medical examinations. A control group with the same
diseases wrote about neutral topics. When the researchers evaluated their subjects' health
four months later, 47% of those who had written about stressful experiences showed
clinically significant improvement, while only 24% of the control group showed any
improvement.
I, personally, believe this is a stress
reducer. To write about just anything won’t do the trick. You need to write about
what ails you – get it off your chest, and some of the negative energy you hold in
flows away from you with the ink. Perhaps, one of these days, I will write
an article for this newsletter about the psychological benefits of PMA (positive mental
attitude). In short: Those of you who are the most determined to get well, and who believe
you are doing so, will be at the head of the pack. Those who are waiting for the
pharmaceutical companies to invent the magic pill or waiting for your doctor to fix
your problems for you will be pushing up daisies long before your time. The only true
magic in this world is your imagination – what you visualize is what you put into
your Field of Intentions, and that is the reality you will create. No one is in
control of your future but you. |
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