What Is Organic Eating?

You’ve heard of organic foods, but what does organic eating mean? Is organic really better for you than non-organic? The more I started to learn about food and factory farming during my Whole30 reset, the more excited I became about organic eating.  Here’s a little bit of what I’ve learned so far…

What Does Organic Mean?

According to Organic.org, organic is defined as “organic produce and other ingredients are grown without the use of pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, genetically modified organisms, or ionizing radiation. Animals that produce meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products do not take antibiotics or growth hormones.” They also tell us that:

The USDA National Organic Program (NOP) defines organic as follows:
Organic food is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations. Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones. Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation. Before a product can be labeled “organic,” a Government-approved certifier inspects the farm where the food is grown to make sure the farmer is following all the rules necessary to meet USDA organic standards. Companies that handle or process organic food before it gets to your local supermarket or restaurant must be certified, too.

-Organic.org FAQ

So basically, I am reading into this that organic foods are produced in the safest ways for human consumption. You can see that they don’t use the phrase genetically modified organisms (although they do use the phrase bioengineering), so I went in search of and found the USDA’s policy on GMOs dated April 2011.  Basically, it states that the use of GMOs in organic production are prohibited, AND that “The NOP [National Organic Program] relies on organic certifiers and producers to determine preventative practices that most effectively avoid contact with GMOs on an organic operation.” You can find the entire policy memorandum at the USDA website.

Label Watching

When the USDA certifies a product as organic, that product gets to use their official USDA Organic seal on their labeling.  There are three categories of labeling products that are organic in some form.  The image to the right is from Greener Ideal, and I think it really encapsulates the rules into a manageable format.  The three categories that the USDA allows on the front panel of products are:

• 100% organic – 100% of the ingredients used are organic (you will see the USDA seal on these items)
• organic – 95-99% of the ingredients used are organic (you will see the USDA seal on these items)
• made with organic ingredients – 70-94% of the ingredients used are organic (you will NOT see the USDA seal on these items)

If an item uses less than 70% organic ingredients, it may list the organic ingredients on the side panel, but absolutely cannot state it on the front panel.  You can find more information about USDA food labeling guides at their website.

Benefits of Buying Local

I knew that some of the benefits of buying locally, either direct from farms and CSAs or at farm markets, were that the food is fresh, looks and tastes better than what I can find in a traditional grocery store, and I am supporting my local farmers. Yay!! Heart smiling!! What I didn’t realize are some other benefits that the University of Vermont mentions in their Ten Reasons to Buy Local Food factsheet:

• local farmers have a relationship with local livestock processors which helps oversee the quality of the processing
• local farmers often grow many different kinds of crop which preserves genetic diversity of the crops
• the local food is better for you than the food bought at a traditional grocery store, primarily  because less time traveled equals fresher foods, which really means less nutrients lost

Buying Local Resources for Everyone

Trying to figure out where to buy local to you? If you don’t know of farm markets near you, check out these resources:

• EatLocalGrown.com – farms, farmers markets, co-ops, artisans, restaurants searchable by zip code
• LocalHarvest – farms, farmers markets, CSAs, restaurants, co-ops, grocery stores, u-pick, farm stands, wholesale, meat processors searchable by zip code
• EatWild – clearinghouse for information about pasture-based farming and features a state-by-state directory of local farmers who sell directly to consumers

And don’t forget that you can always buy online from ThriveMarket (and help support this blog at the same time!)

Action Steps You Can Take

Feeding your family organic foods is a great way to make your heart smile.  Not everyone will go total organic in their life – I certainly am not there, but I’m slowly incorporating more and more.  The best first step in going organic is to shop with the Dirty Dozen in mind.  The Dirty Dozen Report is a yearly report created by EWG (Environmental Working Group) that highlights the top twelve produce items with the highest amounts of pesticide residue found on them. The 2017 Dirty Dozen are strawberries, spinach, nectarines, apples, peaches, celery, grapes, pears, cherries, tomatoes, sweet bell peppers and potatoes. If you check out their summary page, you can find information on their 2017 Dirty Dozen list and Clean Fifteen list.

If you’re ready to go beyond the Dirty Doze, then you can follow these three steps:

• Shop the perimeter of your grocery store where the fresh foods are; all processed foods are found in the inside aisles. (Heart smiling? Check!)
• Start label watching. Look for the USDA Organic seal. (Heart smiling? Check!)
• Buy local. (Heart smiling? Check!)

I think you’re all set to go out there and explore now.  I’d love to hear about your experiences. Do you eat organic food? Where do you shop? Do you need more information that I left out? How can I help you?  I’d love to hear your thoughts and questions, so feel free to leave a comment after the related posts show below or send me an email.  Thanks for visiting.  I appreciate you!

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Stacie

Learning about mindful, healthy food choices that keep your family healthy and free from disease. Sharing info about food, what's in it, organic eating, and recipes. I believe we can change our lives and prevent or reverse disease by changing the way we eat. Sound like something you want to explore more? Then I will meet YOU in my kitchen! Get my FREE One Week Meal Plan Using Real, Whole Foods and updates to my blog by clicking here!