Time To Start Buying Organic?

It is April 14Th and a rainy Tuesday morning here in central Florida. This past weekend Stephen C. Sharp was questioned by some family members on the reason why he always opts for organic versus conventionally grown fruits, meats, and fish if nothing else.For all the new food and health conscious people out there as well as the veterans Stephen gives his list of the most essential foods to purchase in organic form rather than conventional supermarket style.Starting with the fruits, well lets just say paying a few extra cents for organic fruits such as oranges, apples, and peaches is well worth it. Organic certified fruits are grown without any dangerous pesticides and fertilizers which makes them many times more nutritious and healthy to consume. Non organic fruits tend to be one of the foods that contain more pesticides than other food crops. These higher levels of pesticides linger on the fruits and seep into the fruit. Even after washing your fruits extensively the pesticides will still be present in the fruit. If you still decide to eat conventional fruits remember to stay away from the last 1/4 of the fruit’s inside edible area. Studies have shown this is the part of the fruit that is highest in pesticides and contaminants. So this is why Stephen always chooses organic fruits for his family and friends.The second food group that Stephen always purchases organic is meats. Very simply stated meats that are organic certified come from animals that eat foods with absolutely no by-products, synthetic growth hormones, antibiotics, and other harmful chemicals. These animals are usually allowed to graze and eat fresh grass as part of their diet. The farms they are raised on contain fresh earth and the end result by far outweighs the potential risks of the cheaper non-organic meat. While organic meat is by far more expensive a simple reduction in the amount of meat we eat per week can easily balance out the extra cost. Buy you meat organic and smile more!The third item on Stephen’s list is fish. While it is very hard to classify any ocean free fish as organic, as they may swim thousands of miles of ocean and eat smaller fish which are obviously not organic, the one important factor here is wild caught. Stephen has done much research on the health concerns with regard to farm raised fish versus wild caught fish. Stephen chooses wild caught fish hands down for his family and friends. The whole concept of raising fish via farm is great but much work needs to be done to make these fish less harmful and chemical free. Farm raised fish ponds are treated with dangerous pesticides to prevent the fish from getting lice. They also are fed food pellets that contain artificial colors. Binders, which hold the food pellet together are also used. These pellets may contain other fish and animal parts as well as other artificial flavors. The other worrisome topic with seafood is the PCB/Mercury contents in fish. Stephen limits his weekly intake of seafood to not more than one pound total per week. He only buys fish that are lowest in mercury levels such as haddock, tilapia, sardines, and anchovies. He does though enjoy an occasional can of white albacore tuna packed in spring water maybe twice per month. He always cooks his fish well to remove any PC B’s present and will turn down raw fish such as sushi almost every time.We hope this guide will help get you and your loved ones on the right track to choosing and eating healthy. The benefits of the above mentioned foods in organic form far outweigh the potential health hazards with prolonged consumption of those foods not classified as organic and wild caught. Have a healthy and happy Tuesday.

Florida’s Organic Bits

FloridaHerbHouse.com

The market for organic foods is growing dramatically. It is estimated that organic sales of food products through supermarkets, mass merchandisers and natural supermarkets was $3.6 billion in 2006 in the U.S., double the figure in 2000. The Organic Trade Association estimates that the total organic food and beverage sales were $13.8 billion in 2006.
The organic revolution is a global phenomenon witnessed in every corners of the world and countries -
Argentina, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand , Turkey, UK, USA and other countries.The primary demand driver for the increased consumption of organic food is health concerns. Consumers are increasingly interested in foods that are free of pesticides, and other health risks
Organic farming is also a viable means of sustainance for small farmers in the developing countries. Most of the organic fertilizers and pesticides requirement can be met through on-farm and local production. Hence, organic farming does not involve huge capital investments in buying fertilizers and pesticides. Small farmers, therefore, find organic farming beneficial.
Organic food are produced, processed and packaged wihtout using chemicals. Organic food is increasingly becoming popular due to its perceived health benefits over conventional food. The industry is growing rapidly since the past five years and has caught the attention of farmers, manufacturers and, above all, consumers.
Popular organic food items include organic tea, organic coffee, organic wine, organic meat, organic beef, organic milk, organic honey, organic vegetables, organic fruits, organic rice, organic corn, organic herbs, organic essential oils, organic coconut oil and organic olive oil.
The price of organic food is about 10% to even 200% higher than conventional food.However,considering the health benefits and the long term cost of medical care due to unhealthy and sometimes poisonous chemicals found on our food today, many has realized the significant benefits of organic food.How else can we explain the rising demand for organic food across the world today?
Consumers buy their organic foods from a wide variety of locations. The most common location of organic food purchases is supermarkets. Of those consumers who bought organic foods 68 percent purchased them from supermarkets; followed by natural or health food stores at 45 percent.
Organic fruits and vegetables remains the largest market of the organic food market.They are also the most popular commodities purchased by consumers.70 percent of the consumers surveyed who has purchase organic foods, also purchased fresh vegetables while 67 percent also purchased fresh fruits. Sales of fruits and vegetables is estimated at $1 Billion in 2007.
Many stores buy the organic food direct from the farms. The price of a food item in an organic food store depends on whether the stores are able to buy them in bulk discount prices direct from the farmers or wholesalers.There are 1000s of organic farms around the world that has open their doors to visitors and tourists and they offer both the experience and information on organic food and the farming methods.
If you are buying organic food for yourself or your family,you can find the nearest organic store in your area through the Internet.Most of these online stores also provides valuable information on the organic foods they are selling as well as the nutritional value,recipes and cooking methods.