Organic! Organic! Organic!
It seems like everywhere you look today you see the word organic? Whether it’s in a health food store, a restaurant, or even your local grocery store- organic foods and products are all the rage. They are being sold practically everywhere, and you can find everything from organic fruits and vegetables to organic flour, and even organic meats.
So, what's the difference between what most of us have eaten all of our life and these CERTIFIED ORGANIC foods and products we are seeing in our stores in abundance today?
Simply put, certified organic products are grown and processed without the use of synthetic chemicals, fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, or GMO's (genetically modified organisms). It is an innovative method of farming and production that is increasingly being recognized as being the way of the future for food and fibre technology. Organics are not labeled such simply by way of a test, though.There are stringent guideline that govern such labeling. It's much more than that. It's about the way the product ingredients have been grown, prepared, processed and packaged. The whole system is linked. And each step is as important and vital as the next.
Standards to achieve certification are internationally recognized and are assured through annual audits of all certified operators by an independent third party auditor. In the United States the USDA seal is requires on products that advertise being certified.
What's the difference between a product that says "100% Organic", "Certified Organic", or "Made with Organic Ingredients"?
100% Organic
- Contains 100% organic ingredients. The USDA seal and certifying agent may appear on the package.
Certified Organic
- Product must consist of at least 95% organically produced ingredients. Any remaining product ingredients must be on the approved USDA/NOP National List. The USDA seal and certifying agent may appear on the product package.
Made with Organic Ingredients
- Made with a minimum of 70% organic ingredients with strict restrictions on the remaining 30%. The product cannot carry the USDA seal but the certifying agent may appear on the package.
So is this increase in organic products just a fad? Or is it a trend towards health that baby boomers are forging.
The truth is that holistic health is no longer just for the "tree huggers" and "earth people" :) The whole world is becoming environmentally and chemically AWARE. Intelligent people from many different backgrounds, professions and generations are beginning to ask questions about WHY we are so sick. Questions are being asked about the chemicals and pesticides that are used on the foods we eat and the skincare products we use . INTELLIGENT people are acknowledging the acute and chronic effects that these chemicals appear to be having on our health. Being environmentally savvy is no longer just for those "health nuts". It has become the concern of all those who have ears to hear and/or eyes to see. To ignore the truth concerning these chemicals, and how they are effecting the earth and all it's inhabitants, is to choose to remain ignorant.
Washing fruit and vegetables thoroughly before consuming them has always been advocated by authorities on the subject, but the Environmental Working Group (www.ewg.org) reminds consumers that even a thorough cleaning does not effectively remove all of the chemicals left behind.
"While washing fresh produce may help reduce pesticide residues, it clearly does
not eliminate them," says EWG. "Nonetheless, produce should be washed before
it is eaten because washing does reduce levels of some pesticides. However, it is important to remember that some pesticides are taken up internally in the plant, or in the fruit, and cannot be
washed off…”
Does eating and using certified organic fruits, vegetable, food, and products really mean you are making a better health decisions? Does it really matter?
It seems that more and more evidence is being uncovered that suggests the answer to that question is a resounding "Yes"!!
In essence, synthetic pesticides and herbicides are toxic. And consuming foods that have been subject to pesticide spraying means that you’re consuming those toxins. Nowadays, pesticides are suspected to have negative effects on development and on neurological systems. In fact, the EPA recently agreed to begin a study on the effects of 73 of the most common pesticides on the endocrine system and thus our health.
Granted, eating one apple grown in pesticides may not cause your health to go suddenly downhill; however, prolonged exposure and consumption over an extended period of time is of great concern to scientists.
In contrast, the potential for positive impact that eating organic foods can and most probably will have on your health is quite significant.
ORGANICS! ORGANICS! ORGANICS!
They're here to stay. It's food as it was originally intended. IT'S HEALTH AS ORIGINALLY INTENDED.
May God Himself make you whole~spirit, soul, and body!
Peace!~
Kimberly
