Organics - taste the difference

By Becky Brown

Co-Owner of Natural Health Organic Foods

Now that spring has arrived, my thoughts are turning to the taste of the fresh organic lettuce, onions, peppers, tomatoes and other produce we will be getting from our garden this summer. Because of our concern for food quality my husband, Mike, and I take time away from our busy schedules to grow our own vegetable garden.

We don't raise a garden like most people, ours is grown organically. To us, organics is not simply a food trend, but a way of life.

Over the past few years, we have seen quite a change in the availability of organic foods. Not so long ago, you were lucky if you found a few shriveled up organic carrots. Now, there is a wide variety of organics on the market.

Along with a number of packaged and convenience foods, there is quite a variety of fresh produce available. In our store, we are seeing not only more organic produce available, but we have access to quite a variety of organic products.

Due to the growing concern about food safety, many consumers are buying organic foods. Organic foods are the fastest growing segment of the food market, increasing at a rate of about 20 percent a year for the past several years. There are over 5,000 certified organic farmers in the U.S., farming over 1 million acres, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

"Organic" is a term used to describe the way agricultural products are grown and processed. Organic agriculture does not allow for the use of synthetic pesticides, herbicides, fungicides or fertilizers. Genetic engineering, using sewage sludge for fertilizer and irradiation may not be used in organic production.

In organic agriculture, compost, and other organic matter are used to replenish the nutrients in the soil. Beneficial insects also reduce the need for pesticides. The basic principle of organic agriculture is to work with nature, not against it, to produce healthy plants.

According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, organic farming is a safe way to grow food and is not subject to possible health and environmental risks associated with genetically modified foods. The FAO also believes, "Organic practices can reduce e-coli infections that cause food poisoning, and also reduce the levels of contaminants in foods."

Cornell University research has demonstrated that cattle fed mainly hay, a standard practice of organics, generate less than 1 percent of the e-coli found in the feces of grain-fed cattle. According to the Center for Disease Control, there are at least 76 million cases of food-born illness every year in the U.S. Not a single one of these cases has been the result of eating organic meat or poultry.

The term "organic" is not a health claim, but a term to describe the process by which a product is produced. However, according to a study published in the "Journal of Applied Nutrition," organically grown produce has a higher mineral content. Over a two-year period, organically grown and conventionally grown apples, potatoes, pears and sweet corn were analyzed for mineral content. On a per-weight basis, the organics were shown to be an average of 63 percent higher in calcium, 78 percent higher in chromium, 73 percent higher in iron, 118 percent higher in magnesium, 12 5 percent higher in potassium and 60 percent higher in zinc. The organic produce was also found to be 29 percent lower in mercury than conventionally raised food.

Organic foods may have a little higher price tag in the grocery store, but at what price are you really getting the food you eat? The over-use of pesticides and other chemicals is detrimental, not only to the environment, but many of them have been linked to cancers, neurological diseases, immune dysfunction and birth defects.

Whether you grow your own garden or buy your produce at the grocery store, I encourage you to give organics a try. Aside from the environmental and health issues, organic produce just tastes better!