Vukovic, "A Shopper's Guide to Organics"

8/3/2019 Vukovic, "A Shopper's Guide to Organics"

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a shopper's guide toorganicsBy Laurel Vukovic


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t's a clear sign that organic has gone m ainstream when retail behe-mo ths such as Wal-Mart and Target stock organic food alongside the irconventional offetings. Even McDonald'sthe target of the scathingdocumentary Super Size Menow offers organic coffee in some of its

^ New lingland locations.There's no question that organics have come a long way since the early 1970s,

when grassroots food co-ops stocked barrels of self-serve organic beans andgrains for a hippie clientele. Since then, the cornucopia of organic offerings hasmushroom ed to include a wide variety of gourmet and prepared foods, beer andwine, baby food, pet food, supplemen ts, skin and body care products, clotbing,and hom e and garden products. It's clear tbat going organic is a growing trend,but is it really a better iboicc?

TIP: Organictomatoes are morenutritious thantheir conventionalcounterparts, sayUniversity ofCalifornia, Davis,researchers inthe Journal ofAgriculture andFood Technology.Levels of flavo-noids, compoundsthat help preventdisease, are twiceas high in organictomatoes as inconventionallygrown varieties.

Rea sons to GoOrganicDn a personal level, choosing organic foods and products protects you from pesticides, herbicides, bormon es, and otber chem icalthat are commo nly used in conventional food production. Many of those chemicals bavc been linked to cancer, imm une suppres-sion, .\nt[ other degenerative diseases.In a siudy publisbed in tbe October 2002 issue of/:ii'iroiHJri(i/ Uciitth Perspeciii'cs, University of Washington researchers comp.ircd pesticide residues in children aged 2 to 3 years old. The children who consumed mostly organic foods over a ihrec day periohad dramatical ly lower levels of compounds produced by tbe metabolism of organopbosphate insecticides {commonly used onfruiis and vegti,iblfs) in tbcir urine than children eating a conveiitional diet. In fact, the children eating a conventional dietaveraged almost nine times tbe amo unt of pesticides as children eating organic foods. 1 be researchers concluded that ch oosingorganic produce is a simple dietary solution for parents to take to help reduce pesticide exposure in tbeir cbildren.

On .1 larger scale, yoti're belping lo prevent tbe destrticllon of the environment caused by toxic cbemicals used in agriculture .mmanufacturing. Here's one example; Synthetic fertilizer runoff from agricultural crops is a primary contributor to dead /ones in theoceanareas overtaken by fertilizer-fed algae that deplete oxj^en in tbe water and suffocate fisb and otber marine Hie.Research is proving ibat organic foods are richer in nutrients too. In a study at Washington State Universit\', scieiilists lounti ih.utirganic lemonade contains U) times more eriocltrin [an antioxidant) than conventional lemonad e. Organic apple juice, i;ra|irfruijuice, and lime juice also proved to be ricber in antioxidants tban tbeir conventional counterparts.And List but not least, tirganic foods taste better than their conventional counterparts because organic fruits and vegetables arejiinwii for (I.ivor. not shflf lift-, ami [trganic processed foods arc made from pure, whole foods.


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Thank you tor using natural, non-toxic prod uc ts.Each time you use these products, you are helpingto m aintain a healthier and sustainable home, life-style and environment. One by one, we can changethe world and make it aBETTER place.

Organic Skin and Body Care Pr odu ctsPiggybacking on the popularity of the organic food moveineni, h undred s ofskin and body care products have added "organic" to their labels. Unfortu-nately, the word is often just marketing hype, and products can contain a longlist of chemical and synthetic ingredients. Many of these chemicals are knowncarcinogens, hormone disntpiors, and neurotoxins.You might be surprised to learn that w hat you put o nto you r body is just asimportant as what you eat. Research shows that the skin and scalp readilyabsorb chemicals and toxins. In fact, toxins absorbed throu gh the skin andscalp can be even m ore harmful th an those that are ingested, because theybypass the liver's detoxification process and pass directly into the blood-stream and fat cells.A few companies have taken the step of registering their prod ucts w ith theLISDA's organic-certification program . These products bear the USDA organicseal and must meet the same stringent guidelines applied to certified-organicfoods.In general, when choosing body care products, look for recognizableingredients derived from natural sources. Read the labels of products, andbecome familiar with ingredients to avoid, such as parahens, which someresearchers believe are linked to cancer. An excellent resource for checking outthe safety of products is the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep

Cosmetic Safety Data Base.

T I P : Organics canbe cheaper than oth-er (less healthful)consumer goods. Oneexample: For the cosof a medium coffee-house lattearound$4 in most citiesyoucan buy three organicbananas, a handfulof organic walnuts,and a small organiccoffee.


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Dening OrganicAs of October 2002, the ikSDA has strict guidelines for organic foods. To qualify as organic, foodmust be grown without the use of most conventional pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, or sewagesludge, and th e land must have been free of these applications for at least three years prior tocertification. G enetically modified organisms and irradiation are proh ibited. Organically raisedlivestock mu st have access to tbe outdo ors, be fed 100 percent-o rganic feed, and not b e treatedwith antibiotics or hormones. In addition, farmers are required to protect the environment byenriching the soil naturally, conserving water, and practicing crop rotation .The LlSDA's certification program is voluntary, and some farmers using organic methods dono( pursue certification for a variety of reasons, including cost and paperwork. States can alsocontinue to maintain their own certification programs, but their requirements cannot be lessstrict than the national guidelines.i lowever, no food {including imported foods) can claim to be organic unless it meets thestrict USDA standards. O rganic farms and producers are visited by certifying agents wh o verifythat the fanner is meeting the USDA organic standards.Fraudulent use of tJie word organic carries a befty penalty: Anyone wbo sells or labels a product asorganic when they know it doesn't meet USDA standards faces afineof up to $10,000 per violation.

How to Ide ntify Organic FoodsManufacturers are required by law to list all ingredients on food packaging. For a product to belabeled organic, it has to contain at least 95 percent organic ingredients. Products participatingin the USDA certification program will bave the USDA organic seal, but many other productswill simply have tbe word "organic" on the front of the package.Thf USDA also allows products with at least 70 percent, but less than 95 percent organicingredients to advertise the organic ingredients on the front of the packaging, but they can't callthemselves organic. For example, the front of a trail mix package might be labeled "made withorganic nuts and raisins." Products with less than 70 percent organic ingredients can list tbeorganic ingredients on the side label, but can't make organic claims on the front of the package.

T I P : To avoidsynthetic chemcals in your foochoose certifiedorganic producBe sure to talk farmers at youlocal farmers'market; theymay also usesustainable groing practices, eif they're notcertified organ

Creating an Organic H om eThe products that you use to clean and cair for your home prc>vidcyet another avenue for creating a liealtbful lifestyle, lut as witb thebody care products industry, the consumer must be wary. Manult-turers are well aware of the appeal of organics an d c>in freely l-ibeltlicir prod ucts as organic or natural with no government regulationThe majority of ho usehold cleaning products contain a soup ofpotentially hasmful chemicals that arc linked to serious problemssuch as biri defects, cancer, an d asthm a. I he linvironmenta!Proteaio n Agency has found tbat the indo or air quality in tb etypical American home i.s far more loxic than outdoor aireven inpolluted (e s. Chemical-lat en hou sehold products bear much olthe blame".Manufacturers looking to jump on the organic bandwagon cmtluow some essential oil into a chemical product .md label ilorganic. Ihe best approach is to buy products from reputablenatural products manufacturers who disclose all ingredients on ibelabels. Read tho se labels, and look for recognizable ingred ients sucas baking soda, vinegar, and non petroleum -based cleansers. TheWomen's Voices for the Farth Web site (womenatidenviroment.org) contains a wealth of information about how to create a healthhome environment.


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Vukovic, "A Shopper's Guide to Organics"