Last night I watched a full 2 hours and 49 minute House committee hearing on C-Span on Bill 1549 to ban the use of antibiotics on livestock. I heard testimony after testimony on the effect the overuse of drugs in the factory farm systems (which supply almost all the meat in the U.S.) has on human health. It is to the point that we are becoming immune to these life-saving drugs because we are exposed to them in our food and even ground water supply.
Last week I saw Food Inc. and learned that genetically modified foods are in 70-75 % of foods on supermarket shelves. Companies like Monsanto want the future of our food to be made in a lab where genetic material from one organism is inserted into the permanent genetic code of another. Biotechnologists have engineered numerous novel creations, such as potatoes with bacteria genes, “super” pigs with human growth genes, fish with cattle growth genes, tomatoes with flounder genes, and thousands of other plants, animals and insects.
But all this doom and gloom, I am motivated and inspired that individuals really can make a difference. One of the fastest and loudest ways an individual can tell industry and government that we refuse to be a part of an unprecedented experiment on human health is to BUY ORGANIC ANY TIME WE CAN.
In the hearing on Bill 1549, there was testimony by two founders of hugely successful organic food companies that showed their profits keep rising while conventional farmers are loosing money. In Food Inc. they showed Walmart executives visiting an organic farm because they know even thier customers demand it. So it is working- we are making a difference by choosing organics, and now it is more important than ever to continue.
It is true, it does seem to cost more, but truthfully does not when you take into account the financial costs of being unhealthy from eating a diet of processed, pesticide-laden products. And the more we support organic foods, the more they will be available at lower prices.
So your challenge is to really think about what you are buying and think if you can do better. And you can always supplement produce form your backyard garden!
But if your budget doesn’t always allow you to buy organic here is a list of foods that retain the highest levels of chemicals so that you know to avoid them unless they are organic (and watch out for the free-range, or natural label. These terms are merely marketing ploys that cost you more, but have no certified meaning. Only ORGANIC means something) :
VEGGIES
Bell peppers
Celery
Potatoes
Spinach
FRUITS
Apples
Cherries
Grapes, imported (Chili)
Nectarines
Peaches
Pears
Raspberries
Strawberries
OTHER (if you eat these)
Milk
Beef
Poultry
