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And now for something about Organic Foods:
Experts disagree whether organic food is healthier
By Lisa Marshall, Camera Staff Writer
October 13, 2002
By Lisa Marshall, Camera Staff Writer
October 13, 2002
Debbie Enssle is a picky eater. Once a week, the petite mother of six piles her children into her white Suburban and makes the trek from her mountain home to a Boulder health food store to fill her cart with organic food.
She buys organic produce at farmers' markets, and special-orders organic chicken, eggs and beef from area farms. She estimates she spends 30 percent to 40 percent more than if she bought conventionally produced food. But it's worth it, she says. "My children are really important to me. It's about better health."
But is it?
On the eve of a sweeping new federal labeling program that aims to standardize what can be called organic , the question of whether organic foods are better for your health is becoming increasingly controversial. Sixty-six percent of shoppers who buy organic list better health and nutrition as their motivator for buying organic, according to the Washington-based market research firm. Fewer than one-third cite environmental concerns.
But some food experts say that while there may be many reasons to buy organic foods, there is little proof yet that they are better for you. "The health question is really tough," says Boulder writer Elaine Lipson, author of "The Organic Foods Sourcebook." "The reasons to buy organic are environmental reasons. It has not been proven that organic is more nutritious."
"I think the new standards are going to confuse consumers," says Avery, who along with his father, Dennis Avery, launched a campaign four years ago to expose what they call the "myth" that organic foods are healthier. USDA officials have made a point of clarifying that the agency, "makes no claim that these foods are more nutritious or safer," says Demaris Wilson, National Organics Program specialist with the USDA.
But Ronnie Cummins, national director of the Minnesota-based Organic Consumers Association, disagrees. "There is no doubt that organic food is better and safer than conventional food," Cummins says. The fact that an organic carrot has not yet been proven to have more nutrients than a non-organic carrot is irrelevant, he says, because most shoppers are "more concerned about what is not in it than what is in it." Click here for the Complete Article.
Well that's the story, and I thought organic foods were supposed to taste better. (The above is not meant to be medical advice. Please read the attached Disclaimer, Etc.)
Best wishes. Dr. Rehert
Best wishes. Dr. Rehert
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