Organic or Conventional?

What is the difference, you ask? Let me explain. I did some research online and found some specifics about the differences between the two types of farming. The following lists were obtained from The Mayo Clinic's website.

Organic farmers:
1. Apply natural fertilizers, such as manure and compost, to feed the soil and plants.
2. Use beneficial insects and birds, mating disruption or traps to reduce pests and disease.
3. Rotate crops, till, hand weed or mulch to manage weeds.
4. Give animals organic feed and allow them access to the outdoors, and they use preventative measures - such as rotational grazing, a balanced diet and clean housing - to help minimize disease.

Conventional farmers:
1. Apply chemical fertilizers to promote plant growth.
2. Spray insecticides to reduce pests and disease.
3. Use chemical herbicides to manage weeds.
4. Give animals antibiotics, growth hormones and medications to prevent disease and spur growth.

You will have to make the choice as to which one you will purchase. Personally, I don't want to be exposed to all the chemicals, hormones...etc. that are found in conventionally-grown products. Check out Wikipedia's entry on "Organic Foods" to get a better picture of how it's grown (or better yet, how it's NOT grown). You can also read about how farmers (and even migratory birds) are affected by the pesticides used in conventional farming---it's really bad!

There are strict standards placed on organic food producers. Don't be confused by labels placed on products that read, "all-natural," "free-range" or "hormone-free." Unless it is USDA Certified Organic, these products can NOT be interpreted as being organic. In order for a product to have the above-pictured "Organic" seal, it must be 95-100% organic. If it is only 95-99% organic, it is because some ingredients are not organically available but are approved by the USDA's National Organic Program (NOP). You may see products labeled, "Made With Organic Ingredients." These only contain 70-94% organic ingredients and will not have the USDA Organic seal. If a product has less than 70% organic ingredients, it will only be allowed to list the ingredients on the information panel of the packaging and will not show the USDA Organic seal.

Take into consideration that the use of the USDA Organic seal is voluntary. Some smaller farming operations may not want to go through the complicated process to become certified organic, so if you shop at a farmer's market, don't be afraid to ask how they grew and managed their crops.

At this point, we buy all of our produce at either Whole Foods Market (in Tampa) or Publix. If you know of a farmer's market that strives to meet organic farming standards, please let me know. Most all of our other grocery items are purchased at Whole Foods. Sometimes, we can find better deals at Wal-Mart (or Publix) on items like cereal, canned goods and soy milk.

Let me warn you, though. Just because a product is labeled "USDA Organic" does not mean that it is "good for you." Organic products can still contain ingredients like sugar and milk. "Organic Sugar" is NOT "okay." If a product contains Evaporated Cane Juice, Fructose, Agave, or some other type of natural sweetener, then it would be fine to eat.

Dr. C. has told me several times that he considers sugar consumption to be a bigger "killer" than cigarette smoking. If you want to make changes to your diet, my recommendation is to start with the sugar. This is not a "Carb-free" way of eating, so don't view this as one of those fad diets. A serving of Agave Nectar (1 Tbsp.) has 60 Calories and 16 grams of Carbs, but like I said in my post about sweeteners, Agave is a natural sweetener that your body will know how do digest and therefore will not store it as fat.

If you have any questions, please let me know, and I'll do my best to answer them. I am by no means an expert (yet), but I have plenty of resources to answer my questions. I hope you are enjoying all of this unsolicited information. =) I look forward to sharing more with you all.