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Let's be clear: in the best of all possible worlds, all
the foods we eat would be organic. There is no such thing as a conventional food
that is better for you than its organic counterpart:
- Organic crops contain significantly more vitamin C, iron,
magnesium and phosphorus and significantly less nitrates than conventional
crops.
- Organic fruits and vegetables have fewer pesticide
residues than non-organic produce, lower levels of pesticides, and less
overall pesticide toxicity than fruits and vegetables grown with chemicals.
- Fruits and vegetables grown without pesticides,
herbicides, or fungicides contain between 19 and 60 percent more
cancer-fighting flavonoids than conventionally grown produce. Flavonoids are
compounds that combat oxidative damage which permits free radical
accumulation.
- Conventional meat contain the residues of the antibiotics
and growth hormones fed to animals living in stressful conditions,
not to mention the threat of disease such as Mad Cow Disease and Avian Flu.
- Conventional dairy products, especially those that are
not fat free, have an even higher concentration of antibiotics and growth
hormones than meat.
- Farmed salmon have up to 16 times the levels of toxic
PCBs found in wild salmon, largely because the chemicals accumulate in fatty
tissue. PCBs are persistent, cancer-causing toxins that were banned in 1976
but continue contaminating food supplies and the environment.
Unfortunately, cost and availability make it impossible for
everyone to eat organic foods all the time. So if compromises have to be made,
what are the most important foods to be eaten organic? It's the ones where their
conventional counterparts are most likely to carry unhealthy residues of
pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, antibiotics, and growth hormones. These
include:
Conventional meat and dairy, Farm raised fish, Strawberries, Peaches, Apricots,
Cherries, Grapes from Chile, Cantaloupes from Mexico, Green beans, Celery, and
Spinach.
If you do have to purchase and eat any of these items, be sure to trim the fat
and wash the produce before cooking. Water alone is not enough to remove the
chemicals. Add some vinegar or lemon juice to the water before spraying,
soaking, or scrubbing the fruits and vegetables. Then rinse thoroughly.
Remember to wash the outsides of melons, squash, and other produce with
disposable rinds since cutting can carry contaminants into the edible core.
Discard the outer leaves of leafy green vegetables. Be sure to wash organic
produce as well, since all fruits and vegetables can carry bacteria and other
contaminants from the soil and fertilizer.
One way to maximize your consumption of organic foods is to frequent local
farmer's markets and to join the Community Supported Agriculture movement
Click. Do
whatever it takes to tip the scales of this vital balance in favor of organic.
For more information visit
www.OrganicConsumers.org.
Coaching Inquiries: Do you go out of your way to eat organic? Are you willing to
spend more for higher quality? Do you know any organic farmers or ranchers? How could you become more of a
green consumer?
 To reply to this Pathway, use our
Feedback Form. To learn more about our
Wellness Coaching programs and to arrange for a complimentary wellness coaching
session, use our Contact Form or
Email Bob.
May you be filled with goodness, peace, and joy.
Bob Tschannen-Moran
LifeTrek Coaching International
121 Will Scarlet Lane
Williamsburg, VA 23185-5043
U.S.A.
Telephone: 757-345-3452
Fax: 772-382-3258
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