Did You Know
What Is Organic?
Definition of Organic Produce
Organic produce has been produced according to certain production standards. Before a product can be labeled organic, a Government-approved certifier inspects the farm where the food is grown to make sure the farmer is following all the rules necessary to meet organic standards.
The basic principle of organic farming is to achieve optimum quantities of produce and food of high nutritional quality without the use of artificial fertilizers or synthetic chemicals. It does not use genetically modified foods, growth promoters or hormones. Organic farming emphasis’s the need to maintain appropriate land management and aims to ecologically achieve the balance between animal life, the natural environment and food crops. Organic farmers do not use pesticides or herbicides. The produce that is produced through organic farming is thus at its most natural form.
Ethical Principles of Organic
A key factor is that organic farming is consistent with sound moral and ethical principles; it benefits the environment, the air and the soil, animals, our children and farmers. It stores more carbon in the soil and there is less wildlife and environmental damage from fertilizer and pesticide run off.
Why Buy Organic?
Some benefits of choosing organic food include the following:
- Organic Food is Highly Nutritious - According to a study conducted by the Journal of American Nutrition, organic food contains up to 250% of the essential minerals and vitamins of regular non-organic foods (i.e. "Conventional Produce". The stuff found in all grocery stores that are not marked "Organic"). Studies prove that micronutrients from organic fruits and vegetables are more easily absorbed than those of conventional product.
- Organic Food Tastes Wonderful! - Well-balanced soils grow healthy plants that contain more flavour-enhancing essential minerals and vitamins.
- Organic Production Reduces Health Risks - 60% of all herbicides, 90% of all fungicides and 30% of all insecticides used in conventional farming are harmful and are considered potentially cancerous. Organic Farmers do not use these chemicals in their farming.
- Organic Food is GMO-free - Organic production standards prohibit the use of genetically modified organisms.
- Organic Farms Respect our Water Resources - Organic farms protect and conserve water resources by extensive soil building and by eliminating pollutants such as chemicals and nitrogen fertilizers.
- Organic Farmers Build Soil - We're having the worst topsoil erosion in history due to chemical-intensive, mono-crop farming. Organic farming builds soil to prevent such topsoil erosion.
- Organic Farmers Work in Harmony with Nature - Rotational forage crops retain fence rows, wetlands and other natural areas, which provide habitat for a wide variety of species.
- Organic Producers Strive to Preserve Diversity - Organic farmers grow food naturally and have a high regard for biodiversity. Many organic farmers have been collecting and preserving seeds, and growing unusual varieties for years.
- Organic Farming Helps Keep Rural Communities Healthy - Organic farming focuses on smaller sustainable operations, providing a viable survival tactic for family farms and rural communities.
- Certified Organic Products Carry a Guarantee - Certification is the public's guarantee that products have been grown and handled according to strict procedures without toxic chemical inputs.
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The Best Food for Bones: Fruits and Vegetables
By Kelly Childs
Millions of women have been falsely led to believe that there is a correlation between osteoporosis and the inadequate intake of dairy foods. Bone health is much more than just calcium. Vegetables, beans, fruits, and nuts are rich sources of calcium, potassium, vitamin K, magnesium, and vegetable protein, as well as the phytochemicals and micronutrients that are gaining recognition to be important for bone strength. Calcium is an important component, but like protein, we don’t need as much of it as most people think. The current U.S. daily calcium recommendation of 1200 to 1500 milligrams for postmenopausal women is an attempt to offset the ill-effects of the Standard American Diet which creates excessive calcium loss in the urine because most people consume so much sodium, caffeine and animal protein (milk, cheese, yogurt, chicken, beef, etc.).
Contrary to popular belief, you do not need dairy products to get sufficient calcium. Every natural food contains calcium. When you eat a healthy diet, rich in natural foods such as vegetables, beans, nuts, and seeds, it is impossible not to obtain sufficient calcium. In fact, the addition of more natural plant foods to the diet has been shown to have a powerful effect on increasing bone density and bone health. Fruits and vegetables strengthen bones. Researchers found that those who eat the most fruits and vegetables have denser bones. These researchers concluded that fruits and vegetables are not only rich in potassium, magnesium, calcium and other nutrients essential for bone health, but, because they are alkaline, not acid-producing, they do not induce urinary calcium loss. Green vegetables, in particular have a powerful effect on reducing hip fractures, for they are not only rich in calcium, but other nutrients as well, such a vitamin K, which is crucial for bone health.5
So most unprocessed, natural foods contain calcium and green vegetables have particularly high levels. In fact, one four-ounce serving of steamed collards or kale has about the same amount of calcium as one cup of milk. Take a look at some natural foods and their approximated calcium levels.
Bok-choy two cups ............................300 mg
Broccoli, two cups ..............................150 mg
Collard greens, two cups ......................600 mg
Calcium-fortified orange juice (8 oz)........300 mg
Garbanzo beans, one cup .....................150 mg
Kale, two cups ...................................350 mg
Orange (one).......................................60 mg
Romaine Lettuce 4 cups........................150 mg
Sesame seeds ¼ cup............................350 mg
Soybeans, one cup ..............................175 mg
Spinach, two cups................................500 mg
Sweet potato, two cups.........................150 mg
Tahini (sesame seed paste) two tbsp........300 mg
Tofu one cup......................................150 mg
Turnip greens, two cups........................500 mg
Green vegetables also have calcium absorption rates of over 50 percent, compared with about 32 percent for milk. And, since animal protein induces calcium excretion in the urine, compared to dairy, the calcium retention from vegetables is higher. All green vegetables are high in calcium.
The American, “chicken and pasta” diet-style is significantly low in calcium, so adding dairy as a calcium source to this mineral-poor diet makes superficial sense—it certainly is better than no calcium in the diet. However, it is much more than just calcium that is missing. The only reason cow’s milk is considered such an important source of calcium is because the American diet is centered on animal foods, refined grains, and sugar, all of which are void of calcium. Animal source protein for calcium also works against your health and healing as it causes tremendous acidity in your body that will then rob your bones and teeth of calcium to neutralize the acidity.
Of course, when our calories come mostly from oil, sugar, flour, and animal meat, instead of unrefined plant foods such as these, it can appear that, without dairy, the diet would be too low in calcium. But, medical studies confirm that drinking cow’s milk does not lead to stronger bones and just relying on milk without sufficient vegetable intake can actually worsen bone health. When more vegetables are consumed, you get extra calcium and a cornucopia of phytochemicals that are not found in dairy. Studies demonstrated that individuals who drank one glass or less of milk per week were at no greater risk of breaking a hip or forearm than were those who drank two or more glasses per week. It was also noted that high total calcium intake and milk consumption did not protect against osteoporotic fractures.
Other Highly Critical Issues
Vitamin D Deficiency
Vitamin D is the sunshine vitamin, but since most people work indoors, most Americans have sub-optimal levels of this important vitamin. Recent research studies have corroborated the fact that most Americans are vitamin D deficient. This deficiency occurred even among a majority of study subjects who were already taking a multivitamin with the standard 400 IUs of vitamin D. More and more health authorities are recommending that an additional 800 to 1200 IUs of vitamin D be taken over and above the 400 typically present in a multiple vitamin. The way to know for sure if you are taking the right amount of vitamin D, or if the mixture of your sun exposure and vitamin D intake is adequate is to test your blood for vitamin D, 25 hydroxy. Most women take an excessive amount of calcium, recommended by authorities and their doctor, but insufficient amounts of vitamin D.
Vitamin A Supplements
In high doses, vitamin A (retinol) is associated with birth defects, and recent research suggests the dose that causes risk is much lower than previously thought. If vitamin A is toxic to a person who is pregnant and potentially harmful to the developing baby, it can’t be good for us the rest of the time. Research has shown it is linked to calcium loss in the urine and osteoporosis. For example, an important study found that subjects with a vitamin A intake in the range of 1.5 mg had double the hip fracture rate of those with an intake in the range of .5 mg.8 For every 1 mg increase in vitamin A consumption, hip fracture rates increased by 68 percent. Most multivitamins contain about 5000 IUs of vitamin A, which is equal to 1.5 mg. This means if you conform to the current recommendations, which have become outdated, and get your vitamin A from supplements, you could be weakening your bones. Instead, the body can naturally self-fabricate vitamin A by consuming beta-carotene and other carotenoids in real food. Vegetables contain beta carotene and other carotenoids (not vitamin A), which do not lead to excessive vitamin A formation or cause calcium loss. Vitamin A supplements have also been documented to shorten lifespan. Do not take vitamins that contain vitamin A.
How much calcium is needed?
Government advisory panels reviewed many calcium balance studies, which examine the point at which the amount of calcium consumed equals the amount of calcium excreted - suggest that a reasonable or adequate intake of calcium is about 550 mg/day. To ensure that 95 percent of the population gets this much calcium, the National Academy of Science recommends:
- 1,000 mg/day for those age 19-50
- 1,200 mg/day for those age 50 or over
- 1,000 mg/day for pregnant or lactating adult women
The advice that most people get regarding how much calcium to consume assumes that the person taking the supplement consumes no calcium in their diet and the supplements typically supply 1000 mg or more of calcium daily. Taking supplements of 1000 mg or more of calcium is likely excessive. It important that the majority of your calcium intake comes from healthy, micronutrient-rich food, not supplements.
In an analysis of trials involving calcium and bone density it is generally recognized that calcium supplements alone do not prevent osteoporosis. Similarly, high-dose calcium supplements do not prevent or reduce the severity of osteoporosis more than low-dose supplements. A long-term, 18-year analysis showed that 600 mg of calcium was as effective as 1200 mg in preventing osteoporosis as long as adequate Vitamin D was present. Low serum Vitamin D levels correlated best with fracture risk.11 Plus, the research shows we do not need as much calcium when our dietary habits do not promote excessive calcium loss in the urine. That would be an animal centered diet that causes high levels of calcium in the urine.
Thank you.
eat well, chew well, be well.
Some Famous Vegans & Vegetarians, and their quotes.
Socrates
Henry Ford
Mark Twain
Plato
St. Francis
Sir Isaac Newton
Ben Franklin
Pythagoras of Samos
Abraham Lincoln
Jesus Christ
Ramana Maharshi
Albert Schweitzer
Rabindranath Tagore
Henry David Thoreau
Kelly Childs about Kindfood - "A kind and mindful gathering where no animals were harmed for the sake of our pleasure".
Making friends.
Photo Taken by Dogsled owner.
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