So, is it worth it? Many of you may have heard of the “Dirty Dozen”. It’s from the US Department of Agriculture and it’s the twelve pieces of produce they say you should ALWAYS buy organic. It seems that no matter how much you wash these fruits and veges, a lot of pesticides remain. So for those of you that don’t even wash your produce, you might be extra concerned!
So just what does our government recommend we always buy organic?
Apples
Cherries
Grapes, imported (Chili)(personal note-don’t buy Natures Partner either)
Nectarines
Peaches
Pears
Raspberries
Bell peppers
Celery
Potatoes
Spinach
Potatoes
Strawberries
Okay, that’s thirteen but who’s counting?
Strawberries. Who doesn’t love a fresh strawberry?
Strawberry Shortcake, Yum. Chocolate dipped strawberries – Yum Yum! I haven’t been able to eat a non-organic strawberry since I saw the movie “The Future of Food”. One of the final scenes is in a strawberry field, you see a man dressed in a gas mask, full suit of protective gear, carrying a small machine with a long nozzle, lifting up each strawberry leaf to get better access to the strawberry fruit that he douses with a steady stream of his chemicals – then cut to young boy popping a plump, fresh strawberry into his mouth! UGH! I don’t want to eat those chemicals, don’t want my kids to eat them, and as cheap as I am, discovered I didn’t want the guests at my last party to eat them either.
And potatoes. Wow, somehow I thought the ground would protect them, but of course that was before I knew about how the treated the dirt with synthetic nitrogen before planting, among other icky things I’m sure. Now new research is finding that the synthetic nitrogen actually destroys soil carbon instead of enriching it. An ultimate end result is more nitrates in ground water that then enters the atmosphere as nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas with some 300 times the heat-trapping power of carbon dioxide (read more here http://www.grist.org/article/2010-02-23-new-research-synthetic-nitrogen-destroys-soil-carbon-undermines-/ ). BTW, nitrogen is used for nearly all conventional crops, its just that potatoes really remind me of it.
So, is it all worth paying more for organics? I know this is just a small, small argument for a very large topic, but yes, it is. Not only for me, but for all the current and future residents of the earth. All these pesticides are terrible for our health, it’s no wonder we have “grown” so many more diseases since the 1970’s when pesticides, herbicides etc started becoming so widespread. Innocent residents near fields of sprayed crops are adversely affected from drift, so much that the EPA is considering increasing buffer zones around fields (more info http://action.ufw.org/page/s/epadrifts or see below).
Bottom line, we’re all worth the few more dollars it’s costing to fill my grocery bag. Aren’t you worth it?
Okay, I posted a comment, I thought, it must be out there in cyberspace. So...I did a college research paper titled the same way! As an organic buyer for almost 30 years, I think the sticker shock disappears when you realize that you are being part of the solution, and not the problem. You feel better about not contributing to the chemical soup that is pervasive. Another great website that is non biased and a wealth of information, is www.ewg.org. you can find info on just about anything. You can enter a fruit and vege and they will tell you what chemicals have been found on it. Look up cell phones, make up, etc. It's great. Make up would be another great topic to tackle. We absorb so much through our skin, it's good to know what's going on and in, is healthy. Watch out for nanotechnology...
ReplyDeleteYou're right, Kris, there are so many chemicals everywhere it's so hard to avoid them. Babysteps I think, for some of us that are just beginning to realize their impact. I know you've been ahead of the curve so many years trying to tell us these things, but I guess we -or I- don't hear until we're ready. I'm afraid to tackle all the home and beauty products. I use animal-friendly personal care stuff but that doesn't mean they're good for me. As soon as I do investigate more, I'll post! I'll go to that website and check it out. Thanks!
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