RIPE FOR CHANGE: CHOOSING TO GO ORGANIC IS EASIER THAN  EVER FOR YOU AND YOUR LOVED ONES

By Linda A.Odum

I am convinced that my family needs to eat more organic foods. When I first noticed the increasing wave of organic choices a few years ago, price held me back. As the head grocery shopper in my household, I felt honor bound to feed my family the healthiest produce available. But I also had a responsibility not to bankrupt the food budget. So I swallowed my guilt and kept walking.

Fear in My Food

It wasn’t long, though, before I began noticing reports of problems in our conventional agricultural system. First came news from Great Britain about mad cow disease causing a variant of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease in humans. (Traditional cattle feed may contain remains of slaughtered animals, which is believed to be the reason behind the spread of this disease; organic cattle feed, on the other hand, is free of these suspicious components.) Next, manufacturers started pulling food inadvertently contaminated with StarLink corn—a genetically engineered product not intended for human consumption—off the grocery shelves. I come from a long line of Midwestern farmers. Discovering that the children of farmers, farm workers, and agricultural communities (including more than 500,000 preschoolers) are exposed to high amounts of dangerous pesticides really hit home for me.
The more I investigated, the more concerned I became. One study of a sample daily diet (three meals and two snacks, no prepackaged foods) shows 37 potential toxins in a total day’s intake. Currently, the Food Safety and Inspection Service of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) routinely analyzes more than 150 chemical residues in poultry and meat.

The Organic Difference

By contrast, organic food is raised and processed without synthetic pesticides, artificial ingredients and preservatives, and does not use irradiation or genetically modified organisms (GMOs). When asked why she chooses organic food, nutritionist and author Marcia Zimmerman, MEd, CN, says, “It tastes better.” The Chefs Collaborative agrees: More than 1,500 influential chefs have committed to using good, safe, wholesome food that is locally grown, seasonally fresh, minimally processed, and provided through environmentally sustainable and humane farming and fishing.

Researchers are beginning to quantify scientifically that organic tastes better (see this month’s News Bites on sweeter apples). John Diener of Greenways Organic, a farming operation that produces both organic and conventional crops, reports that his organic tomatoes consistently receive higher Brix scores (a measure of the sugars in fruits and vegetables). Some studies suggest that organic produce may contain higher levels of some nutrients.

“What I’m hoping is that, as the public buys more organic and asks for research on these foods in a louder and louder voice,” says Kathleen Merrigan, former director of the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service, which includes the National Organic Program, “that our scientific institutions, both government and university, will invest the kind of resources necessary to really give us the answers we are seeking.”

The Bigger Picture

“The reason I buy organic,” says Merrigan, “is the clear environmental benefit. When you pay that extra premium, you are supporting a farmer who has gone the extra distance to do an environmentally sound production system.” Organic agriculture uses compost and manure to renew the soil instead of chemical fertilizers. Crops are routinely rotated to prevent the depletion of vital nutrients in the soil. Birds and beneficial insects help control pests without pesticides, and weeds are tilled under regularly, rather than continually doused with poisons.
Pesticides contaminate groundwater in 38 states, according to estimates by the Environmental Protection Agency. Since organic farming uses no toxic and persistent pesticides and fertilizers and carefully preserves the soil, it also protects our water resources. This is just one of the many ways that organic farmers respect the earth’s ecosystems and the harmonious balance found in nature.

Making the Switch

Personally convinced of the benefits of organics, I found everything from cereal to macaroni and cheese, along with luscious red cherry tomatoes, tiny new Yukon gold potatoes, and vivid green broccoli at my local food co-op. I switched my nonfat milk to organic, along with our butter, oils, and yogurt. The first sign of resistance came when I served the macaroni and cheese. The kids, accustomed to television marketing, looked at their plates, and said, “But it’s not orange.”

 I found that Feeding the Whole Family by Cynthia Lair had useful tips on how to change our diet, and you may too.
  • Explain your commitment to organic foods. Chances are, when your family knows what you know, they will want to make changes too. (A number of organizations have educational materials for kids: see below.)
  • A family outing to a farmers’ market is a great way to emphasize how food is grown. Many children have no concept of food before it reaches the store, one reason that Horizon Organic created educational exhibits at its state-of-the-art dairy outside Washington, DC, for families and school groups: www.horizonorganic.com, 410-923-7600.
  • Plan your own organic garden, even if it is just in containers on your outside deck. “When my children were growing up, we grew a lot of our own produce and trained our Labrador retriever to hunt for tomato hornworms,” says Zimmerman. “With a nose that’s 10,000 times more sensitive than ours, he had no trouble finding even the tiniest worms.”
  • “Make changing what you eat a gentle, healing process.” Lair suggests, picking one food to change at a time. Always think in terms of weeks or months when altering your diet to gives everyone the time and space they need to adjust.

Selected Sources

Kathleen Merrigan, personal communication, 6/19/01
Environmental Nutrition by Buck Levin, PhD, RD ($39.95, HingePin, 1999)
Feeding the Whole Family by Cynthia Lair ($18.00, Moon Smile Press, 1997)
Healthy Cooking for Kids: Building Blocks for a Lifetime of Good Nutrition by
Shelly Null ($14.95, St. Martin’s Griffin, 1999)

“Sustainability of Three Apple Production Systems” by John P. Reganold et al., Nature, 4/19/01
“Behind the Organic-Industrial Complex” by Michael Pollan, New York Times, 5/13/01

Organic Kids

The following are just a few ways to introduce your children to organic foods and a healthy planet.

  • The Organic Trade Association (OTA) offers coloring books on growing organic. You can order “Help Us Grow the Organic Harvest” and “It’s a Dirty Job” by faxing the OTA at 413-774-6432 or online, www.ota.com
  • “Choose Your Future” is an adventure game booklet for 10- to 14-year-olds about creating a sustainable environment. You can order it through the OTA, by contacting the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA) at 413-774-6051, or visiting www.nesea.org. NESEA also offers curriculum ideas and items for educators.
  • The Rodale Institute has begun a campaign called “Take Your Health into Your Own Hands” to teach children about the link between soil, food and health. It combines their “10 Steps to a Healthier You” program, a traveling exhibit called “Healthy Soil, Healthy Food, Healthy People,” and coming this November, a webzine called Kid’s Re-Generation Resource Network (www.kidsre-generation.org). For more information, call 610-683-1400 (or visit www.rodaleinstitute.org).

Reprinted with permission from the September 2001 edition of Taste for Life, Nutrition Solutions You Can Trust, www.tasteforlife.com, 603-924-7271.
                                                                                                                                    close this window