"aem" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> shroomer wrote:
> [snips]
>> Here's an article from WebMD (http://tinyurl.com/567ej) stating that
>> organic foods are higher in flavanoids which "play important roles
>> in preventing cancer and heart disease".
>>
> Thanks for the links. If only we knew enough to be more specific than
> "play important roles..." But it's a pretty well balanced article.
I'm sure you could find something more specific if you looked for it. There
really is an overwhelming amount of credible evidence that organic food is
better for the environment and less harmful to our bodies. It is not a
"belief system".
Something else I wanted to offer. I saw a Bill Moyers documentary several
years ago (wish I remembered the name of it). The thrust of it was how
harmful many chemical products are and the lengths the chemical industry
goes to hide it from the public. They showed dreadful footage of chemical
worker's physical deformities resulting from their exposure to chemical
products - even common household products. Awful stuff, but I digress. Part
of the program focused on chemicals used in agriculture and the effects on
people and the environment. Moyers grew up on a farm and was exposed to
several chemicals now banned or known to be carcinogenic. They tested his
blood and found something like 80 carcinogenic and more than 100 other known
harmful chemicals in his system, including DDT (which is banned here in the
U.S., but still in use in other countries to control mosquito populations
and resulting disease, etc.). It was really well worth watching.
> Here's another quote from it: "However, it's not at all clear that
> organic foods are much better for you than other fruits and
> vegetables. Carl J. Rosen, PhD, interim head of horticultural science
> at the University of Minnesota, St. Paul, agrees with Francis that
> nutritional value isn't the main reason many people find organic foods
> attractive."
>
> "I think it is to some degree naive to think organic foods are more
> nutritious," Rosen tells WebMD. "Still, one might buy organic foods for
> lots of reasons. One is pesticide residue. As for nutritional quality,
> a lot of the produce that is sold in the supermarket is grown
> hydroponically -- that means with no organic matter. If you compare the
> nutritional quality of a tomato grown hydroponically to one grown
> organically, there likely would be some differences, but you couldn't
> say one is healthier than the other."
Yeah, some people claim that organic food is more nutritious and more
flavorful. Now that I will grant you is B.S.
>>From these two articles it appears that the consensus is that pesticide
> residue is a primary concern, while fertilizers and food additives get
> mixed reviews.
> [snips]
I would argue that food additives are just as harmful to our bodies but that
is another subject. I will quickly say that the growth hormones, steroids,
antibiotics, flavor enhancers, and other things that are common in meat
products directly effects the health of people who consume them. Fertilizers
are harmful to the environment as it releases too much nitrogen into the
ecosystem. It changes the symbiotic relationship between trees and fungi
which effects nearly everything else in a forest. And it gets into water and
feeds algae which, in turn, depletes oxygen in the water. It's like dominos;
one thing disrupts another thing which disrupts another thing and so on.
Eventually it comes back to us.
I could go on and on about this stuff. The point of it is that things like
commonly used agri-chemcials cause a lot of havoc in the environment which
ultimately effects you and me in ways that are not obvious or expected. What
fuels it is the never ending quest of consumers to pay less for food while
farmers endeavor to maximize their profits. Chemicals are used to bring food
to market faster and cheaper with little regard for the consequences.
Even if organic foods cost a few percent more on the average, supporting it
benefits our health and the world we live in. And, no, I'm not connected to
the organic industry in any way! :^)