What are organic foods?

 

According to www.organic.org, organic means that “organic produce and other ingredients are grown without the use of pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, genetically modified organisms, or ionizing radiation. Animals that produce meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products do not take antibiotics or growth hormones”

 

Also, the USDA National Organic Program (NOP) defines organic as follows:

 

“Organic food is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations. Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones. Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation. 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 USDA organic standards. Companies that handle or process organic food before it gets to your local supermarket or restaurant must be certified, too.”

 

To qualify for the USDA Organic lable, food/products needs to be 95% organic. This means that up to 5% of the ingredients are not organic and could be a GMO ingredient.

 

What are commercially grown and GMO foods?

 

Commercially grown foods fruits and vegetables contain pesticide residue and other chemicals that are harmful to our health. They are not only exposed to pesticides on their outer surfaces, but take the chemical fertilizers up through the soil and the root, into the vine or branch and then into the fruit or vegetable. Cadmium and Agent Orange are examples of highly toxic materials in pesticides and fertilizers. In addition, a study at Rutgers University showed a significant soil mineral depletion. Results reveled that magnesium content in one organic tomato is equal to twenty four commercially grown tomatoes, and one head of organic lettuce is equivalent to four commercial heads. Magnesium deficiency can lead to diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, strokes, other cardiovascular events, and other diseases. Also, a four-year organic food study by Professor Carlo Leifert of Newcastle University states that organically produced food contains higher levels of specific antioxidants, and higher amounts of vitamins, minerals and other essential nutrients, as well as lower amounts of dangerous heavy metals.

 

According to Wikipedia, GMO, or genetically modified organisms or foods (GM foods) are “foods produced from organisms that have had specific changes ntroduced into their DNA using the methods of genetic engineering. These techniques have allowed for the introduction of new crop traits as well as a far greater control over a food's genetic structure than previously afforded by methods such as selective breeding and mutation breeding."

 

You can read more about GMO Basics here.

 

Graphic source: Best Drug Rehabilitation