Why Organic?

Last semester at Orange Coast College, I took an Ecology class with a wonderful professor named Lisa Snyder. She also teaches Marine Sciences and, despite the fact that her class was shockingly depressing, she was a delightful instructor and just an over all neat person to meet.  A large portion of the class was spent talking about Climate Change, diminishing global fresh water supplies and mass extinction.  And the other time was spent talking about pollution. As it turns out, a great deal of that pollution, in the form of fertilizers, herbicides, insecticides, hormones and antibiotics, has compromised our food supplies. (See what I mean about depressing? Seriously, bring me a rope and point me in the direction of a nice strong ceiling joist.) 

Just to give you a quick summary, large agriculture producers use a lot of chemicals that are toxic to humans and other organisms. Some examples are Chloropicrin, a widely used biocide and fungicide that, according to WebMD, "...has the potential for widespread destruction as a chemical warfare agent."  How about a little bleach, a.k.a. Sodium Hydrochlorite on those potatoes? Yeah, according the the EPA,"...residues of sodium and calcium hypochlorite may remain on certain food crops as a result of their disinfectant uses. However, these residues pose no known hazard to human health."










Conventional livestock farms, (feedlots), are nothing short of a horror show. Between the overcrowding, inhumane treatment, generous dosing of antibiotics, (to prevent disease from over crowding and unsanitary conditions), hormones, and heavy metals, (to increase the size of the "crop"), the meat, eggs, and dairy products have been known to carry salmonella, e-coli, parasites, cause breasts in babies, and contribute to the evolution of antibiotic-resistant microbes, just to scratch the service.  The waste from these factory farms is wreaking havoc on our fresh and ocean water supplies and contributing to Dead Zones and Climate Change in the form of methane, carbon dioxide, and nitrous oxide emissions.  Ready to go Organic yet?  

Many holistic health advocates recommend that you buy, at minimum certified organic, grass fed beef, forest fed pork, (this is rare, and therefore many people stay away from pork), and grass fed, free range poultry. This includes dairy and eggs as well. 

Where produce is concerned, following chart can be used to choose which organic produce to splurge on, and which non-organic fruits and veggies you can buy to save a little money! It's a quick way to start, and not only make a difference in your own health, but do your part to slow down Climate Change. Bon Appetit!