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If you are like me, you want to stay as healthy as you can. The foods we eat play a major role in how healthy we are. I grew up eating garden fresh vegetables, (very few because as a kid I hated vegetables), wild game (mostly venison) and good quality meat. Oh, and there was the fresh bass, catfish and walleye we caught at the lake in the summer time. We did not eat “organic” as that was a term that was not used much in the 70's. For the most part we ate pretty clean.... or so we thought. We now hear the terms like GMO, ORGANIC, FARM FRESH, ORGANIC CERTIFIED, GLUTEN FREE etc and it can be confusing if you do not understand some of the basic meanings. Let’s look at what the differences are between organic and non-organic foods.
Organic Foods
To differentiate between organic and non-organic foods there are rules set in place by the US Dept. of Agriculture (USDA). Here are the basics you need to know. Organic foods are not allowed to have any chemical pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge as fertilizer, ionizing radiation, or genetic bioengineering (GMO”’S)[1]. Organic foods must meet very stringent guidelines and inspections by the USDA. There must be no GMO’s, the use of natural pest control or the use of crop rotation and companion planting. Natural fertilizers such as compost has to be used.
WHY EAT ORGANIC?
I just read a recent study published in the 2018 October edition of JAMA Internal Medicine that looked at the relationship between the risk of cancer and eating organic vs. non-organic foods. Though the study has some flaws, the point of the study shows a link between eating a more organic diet and the reduction of cancer when compared to eating non-organic.[2]
Here is the direct quote:
“Among 68 946 participants (78.0% female; mean [SD] age at baseline, 44.2 [14.5] years), 1340 first incident cancer cases were identified during follow-up, with the most prevalent being 459 breast cancers, 180 prostate cancers, 135 skin cancers, 99 colorectal cancers, 47 non-Hodgkin lymphomas, and 15 other lymphomas. High organic food scores were inversely associated with the overall risk of cancer (hazard ratio for quartile 4 vs quartile 1, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.63-0.88; P for trend = .001; absolute risk reduction, 0.6%; hazard ratio for a 5-point increase, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.88-0.96).
Conclusions and Relevance A higher frequency of organic food consumption was associated with a reduced risk of cancer. If these findings are confirmed, further research is necessary to determine the underlying factors involved in this association.”
According to the research, eating organic foods lowered the risk of cancer by 25%. People eating organic foods experienced a 73% decreased risk of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and 21% decreased risk of developing postmenopausal breast cancer.
It is really common sense that if you eat non-organic foods (contaminated), contaminates like pesticides and the herbicides will be passed along and effect your body in a negative way. However, if you eat clean and organic you give yourself a better chance to remain healthy and Live Life and Stay Young. To learn more on how to revitalize your live and to regain your health go to livelifestayyoung.com
[1]https://www.usda.gov/topics/organic
[2]https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/2707948
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