Definitions and health implications

Organic vs conventional

The term “0rganic” describes foods and fibers that are grown without the use of toxic pesticides and fertilizers.  This is in contrast to the term “conventional”, in which farmers and growers apply synthetic herbicides, pesticides and fertilizers to their crops and soils.  There are four categories of organic.  Think of these categories as a range or a spectrum where some things are “more organic” than others.  Here’s the break down.

Certified organic

“Certified organic” is the top of the spectrum- the most organic, if you will- and is used interchangeably with the term “100% organic”.  Foods or materials categorized this way adhere to strict standards set by the US Department of Agriculture, as verified by independent state or private organizations.  Farmers of certified organic crops do not use synthetic chemicals to boost their yield or minimize pests, but instead use methods of prevention for disease, weed and insect control.  Achieving 100% organic status is fairly difficult because very few additives, no matter how “safe”, can be used in 100% organic foods.  Many foods that fall into this category are whole foods like fruits, vegetables and grains.  Foods in this category may display the USDA’s organic seal.

Organic

“Organic” is the category that a majority of organic foods fall under.  This category stipulates that the food contains 95-99% organic ingredients.  The foods classified as “organic” may not be considered “100%” or “certified” organic due to the use of processing aids, flavorings or natural preservatives.  Foods or fibers in this category may display the USDA’s organic seal.

Less than 70% organic

The final category doesn’t have a name, per se, but rather applies to a product in which some of the ingredients are listed as organic.  This category has less than 70% organic ingredients, and cannot make an organic claim on the main face of the package.  Foods or fibers in this category are not allowed to display the USDA’s organic seal.

Are organic foods better for you?

This is a highly disputed topic; but what is undoubtedly true is that organic foods are free of toxic pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and fertilizers.  Many of these chemical inputs are being applied to crops with the Environmental Protection Agency’s approval, which was granted long before research linked these chemicals to diseases such as cancer.

In the last fifty years, vitamin and mineral content of American-grown fruits and vegetables has declined significantly.  Nitrogen fertilizers are often used in conventional farming, and while they increase yield, they simultaneously deplete the mineral content of the soil.  Over time, the soils become deficient in minerals and so, subsequently, are the foods grown in these soils.  Natural, organic fertilizers, on the other hand, are rich in minerals and trace minerals, and pass these nutrients onto the foods that thrive in the soils to which they are applied.  Many studies conclusively show that organic foods are up to 40% higher in cancer fighting antioxidants than their conventional counterparts.

Free-range, grass-fed, pasture-raised, cage-free

These categories are usually applied to meat, such as beef or chicken, or animal products, such as eggs or milk.  The term free-range means that the animals were allowed to roam a prairie or ample-sized pen rather than be confined in a feedlot or henhouse.  This practice is not only used to improve the happiness (and arguably health) of the animals, but to produce a more nutritious product.  Generally speaking, these terms are all used to show that the animal has been allowed to live a more traditional life and consume its natural diet- grass in the case of cattle and insects and plants for chickens.

Raising animals in highly confined spaces is a substandard arrangement and usually calls for frequent doses of antibiotics and growth hormones to help them survive into adulthood.  Feedlot cattle are raised on grains laden with pesticides or on soy feed (which is too high in protein for them and therefore toxic to their livers) and injected with steroids to make their meat more tender.  Between the hormones and the fat-inducing high-grain diets, feedlot cattle are sent to slaughter at a much younger age than their grass-fed, free-range counterparts.  These systems ultimately lower the cost to the consumer, but at what price to the animals’ and your own health?

Providing animals with a proper diet has a direct effect on the nutrient content of the meat you consume.    Grass-fed beef has higher levels of CLA, an antioxidant compound that has been shown to offer protection from cancer and reduce the deposition of body fat while increasing the ratio of lean body muscle.  Pasture-fed chicken eggs are the most complete and nutritious form of animal protein available.  Eggs from these chickens have an ideal omega-3 to omega-6 ratio of approximately 1:1, whereas those chickens fed only grains have almost 19 times more omega-6 than omega-3.  Clearly this further perpetuates the American overconsumption of omega-6 fatty acids (also found in vegetable oils).  Remember, omega-3 fatty acids help protect us against heart disease, cancer, strokes, high blood pressure, arthritis, eczema and psoriasis, asthma and autoimmune disorders.  Unfortunately, only a small percentage of hens are pasture-fed and given ample space.  The overwhelming majority of hens live their lives in tiny wire cages with their beaks trimmed to prevent them from harming themselves or others.

Wild-caught vs farm-raised

Due to being forced into confines that are inappropriate for them, farm-raised fish often receive antibiotics and inappropriate feed, like soy meal (containing toxic pesticide residue).  Due to this improper diet, the fatty acid profile, or omega-3 content, of farm-raised fish will not be as good as that of wild-caught fish.  This is physically apparent in salmon, as farm-raised salmon are pale cream in color and are therefore dyed pink, giving grocers and restaurateurs the expected appearance of salmon without the price tag.

So you want me to spend more money on food?

With organic foods, just as with conventional foods, consumers pay for the steps of growing, harvesting, transportation and storage.  Organic foods see additional costs because they must meet stricter government regulations throughout all of these steps, making the process more labor and management-intensive.  Because of this, you pay more up front for organic products.  However, there is mounting evidence that the indirect costs of conventional food production (such as cleanup of polluted water and replacement of eroded soils) actually cause organic foods to be cheaper or the same price as their conventional counterparts.  Just like any “new” technology, the prices for organic products will likely fall as more consumers demand these products and support organic farmers.

There are a several rules of thumb to make the most of the organic label while maintaining your budget.  Sign up for the Environmental Working Group’s shopper’s guide to pesticides at http://foodnews.org.  This guide will show you which types of produce are most and least exposed to pesticides and thus help you decide which you’d like to purchase as organic.  As another method to reduce your potential pesticide exposure, consider purchasing the organic versions of the items that you consume most often.  Purchase organic meats and dairy products whenever possible, because any chemicals that an animal has been exposed to will be concentrated in the animals’ fat.  Purchasing organic dairy and meat products is more expensive, but those are the real and fair prices for an animal to be properly raised and cared for.  These practices produce a nutrient profile that properly cares for your body as well.

Considering the environment

You don’t have to fancy yourself an environmentalist nor consider yourself part of the green movement to recognize the differences in the effects of conventional versus organic farming.  Conventional agriculture pollutes our air, water and soil and harms our wildlife.  This topic is another article in itself, so let’s just focus on how soil health eventually impacts our drinking water.  Organic farming maintains and replenishes soil fertility without using toxic and long-lasting pesticides and fertilizers.  Conventional agricultural methods, on the other hand, deplete and contaminate the soils, eventually leaching their chemicals into the water supply.  Tap water testing across the Corn Belt and in parts of the Pacific Northwest revealed widespread contamination via pesticides from farming, at levels high enough to present serious health risks.  In some cities, herbicides in tap water exceed federal lifetime health standards for weeks or months at a time.  The organic farmer eliminates these polluting chemicals while rebuilding healthy soils.  These healthy soils help grow healthy foods which in turn nourish healthy bodies.

Quality counts

It’s been said that you vote with your dollar.  We can choose to spend our dollars on quality food that nourishes us, voting for healthier selves now and in the future.  These choices also suggest improved health for animals and the environment, but that’s not necessarily why we make them.  We make them for ourselves and our loved ones.  We may pay more for these choices now, but we will be supporting practices that produce food the way it was meant to be: rich in nutrients, free of damaging chemicals and from a place where the land and animals were treated with respect.