Top 10: Organic
1 in 10,000 of us will live to die from old age.
7 out of 10 of us will die prematurely from a lifestyle-induced preventable disease.
Our philosophy of the importance and interaction of diet, lifestyle, and avoidance of toxins will provide the panacea for a healthier and longer life. We are virtually genetically identical to our ancestors, so we know that our nutrient needs should be similar. We also know that our ancestors did not suffer from our modern diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and some cancers, so what has changed to induce this pandemic?
The old adage “you are what you eat” still stands true. Hippocrates (450BC) said, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”
Have you read any good food labels lately? The number of FDA-approved preservatives, flavorings, dyes, and other chemicals is growing yearly.
The table below shows just some of the chemicals found in our foods:
One simple rule will serve you well: If you can’t pronounce it, don’t eat it! Some of these food ingredients actually made our Top 12 Toxin list and will be discussed in detail below.
Genetically Modified Foods
Since early in the history of human agriculture, our ancestors attempted to select the most hearty or tasty plants to grow year after year. This is called selective breeding and has a long history of safety. It is completely unrelated to the production of GMO foods, also known as genetically modified organisms.
GMO refers to artificially inserting the genetic material (DNA) from one species into the DNA of a totally different species. Although this may be used to increase the nutrient density of a particular crop, in most cases, it has another purpose. Serious health concerns arise when the purpose of genetic modification is to make a plant species resistant to pesticides and herbicides, thus allowing the plants to survive exposure to high concentrations of those toxins. This allows farmers to apply large amounts of herbicides to kill weeds and insecticides to kill insects.
Another genetic modification of concern actually induces the plant to produce Bt toxin, an insecticide. This substance and residues of the applied weed killers will remain in food permanently. These toxins cannot be washed off the produce because they incorporate into the fruit or vegetable itself. Any animal fed the contaminated food will also absorb the toxins. This includes all corn, wheat, and soy fed to non-organically raised cattle, pigs and poultry.
Argentina is one of the largest producers of genetically modified corn and soy. During their transition from organic to GMO agriculture, they experienced a significant increase in miscarriages, infertility, and birth defects. In some regions, birth defects rose by 400% during the first decade of GMO farming.
What does this mean for you and your baby? GMO food is mystery food. Does it contain glyphosate and other herbicides, many of which have been proven to mimic estrogen and increase the risk of birth defects and cancer in animals? Does it contain Bt toxin, which may not only kill bugs on crops, but also kill the beneficial bacteria (flora) in your gut? Could the genes inserted into genetically modified food manage to insert themselves into your DNA, as many researcher believe they can?
By purchasing certified organic meats and produce, you can avoid these toxic chemicals and the risks associated with them.
Look for the USDA 100% Organic label, which indicates the food you purchase is not genetically modified or treated with pesticides or herbicides. This should not be confused with other terms used on product packaging such as “natural”, which have no legal definition or requirement and are often used to confuse consumers.
The following guidelines are currently in use for package labelling:
USDA 100% organic: Products contain only organically produced ingredients.
Organic: At least 95% of the ingredients are organically grown, and the remaining ones must come from non-organic ingredients that have been approved on the National List. These products can also display the USDA organic logo and/or the certifier’s logo.
Made With Organic Ingredients: Made with at least 70% organic ingredients, three of which must be listed on the package. All non-organic ingredients must be approved on the National List. These products may display the certifier’s logo, but not the USDA organic logo.
Certified Naturally Grown: These foods are grown using the same standards as those that are certified by the National Organic Program of the USDA, but without the high cost of obtaining this certification. Certified Naturally Grown is a nonprofit organization that insures the food it certifies meets their high standards for organic farming practices. This is not to be confused with food simply labelled “natural” which, as mentioned above, is often nothing more than a marketing ploy.
Non-GMO Project Verified: The Non-GMO Project is a non-profit organization that provides the only third-party labeling program in North America for products grown without using genetic engineering. They verify that the processes products go through, from seed to shelf, are produced according to their rigorous best practices for GMO avoidance.
Grassfed: The USDA has a grassfed standard for animals like cows that, under normal circumstances, would primarily eat grass. The American Grassfed Association is one organization that certifies beef, bison, dairy, lamb and goat, insuring that animals are fed only grass and forage during the growing season. This certification also indicates that animals are raised without antibiotics, synthetic hormones, or in confinement and with high standards for animal welfare.
Free Range: This term refers to chicken and other poultry that spend part of their lives outside and don’t live in cages. Unfortunately, their time outdoors could be minimal, making this label unreliable. Similarly, there are no official standards for eggs, beef, or pork labeled “free range”.
Reading labels gets much easier with practice, and you will soon purchase safer and more nutritious food for your family. Support your local organic co-op or farmers market and consider growing your organic produce, a cost-effective way to increase the nutritional value and safety of your food.
Toxin - History of Pesticides
Pesticide is a general term referring to anything that kills life forms that we determine to be a nuisance. This may include insecticides, rodenticides, fungicides, and weed killers (herbicides). The use of substances to control insects and weeds is not new. Original treatments were naturally occurring substances that came from plant sources such as nicotine from tobacco plants or rotenone form a climbing vine. Not all of these substances found in nature are safe for humans, however.
Sulfur use has a very long history and heavy metal based substances like copper arsenate or mercury based fungicides have been used for two centuries. However the current use of pest-control chemicals took a major turn after the development of organophosphate chemicals in the 1930’s. These substances were stockpiled secretly in Germany for possible use as potent chemical warfare agents. After the war these chemicals were rebranded as insecticides. DDT was the first agent to be developed as a synthetic pesticide. It was so successful and inexpensive to produce that it spurred the new age of massive pesticide use, first in agriculture followed soon by use in homes, schools and lawns. DDT was so effective that in 1949 a Nobel Prize was awarded to the Swiss scientist Paul Muller for its development as an insecticide. In the years to follow many other chemicals were introduced into the marketplace and the volume of pesticide chemicals reached 400,000 tons worldwide by 1960 with 70% being used in agriculture.
In 1962, Rachel Carson published Silent Spring. This was a momentous book that raised national and international awareness of the long-term toxic effects of pesticides on animals and the environment. It is credited with spurring the environmental movement.
In 1970, DDT use was banned in this country and in 1976, in response to growing environmental concerns, Congress passed the Toxic Substances Control Act. Unfortunately this was little more than window dressing. It has been called the weakest legislation Congress ever enacted. It grandfathered in all 62,000 chemicals already in use and offered very limited powers for control of chemicals being released into the environment. There was no requirement for safety testing for new or existing chemicals and the law only gave the EPA the ability to investigate a substance after it had been shown to produce harm. In fact, since inception, there have only been 5 chemicals banned by EPA. The ban against one of these, asbestos, was overturned in 1991.
Today there are hundreds of chemicals being used as insecticides, fungicides, rodenticides, herbicides, etc. None of these have undergone adequate safety testing and none have been evaluated for safety upon exposure to pregnant mothers or infants. At the same time, there are many studies that have associated pesticide exposure with neurodegenerative diseases, in particular Parkinson’s disease, ADD/ADHD, autism and learning disability.
These substances are known to disrupt normal hormone function and increase risk of cancer. They interfere with mitochondrial production of energy stores and are toxic to nervous system cells.
Perhaps most important concept to understand is that pesticides and other chemicals have even more hazardous effects on our health when we are exposed to several toxins simultaneously or over time. There have been no studies to adequately answer the very serious questions about what happens when we are exposed to thousands of different chemicals over a lifetime. With the understanding that these substances are prevalent in our environment, unregulated by government, and unsafe for our children, it becomes absolutely clear that we must educate ourselves in order to protect our self and our family.
Farm and garden
Most of us have witnessed firsthand or seen footage of the copious amount of pesticides and herbicides commonly sprayed on American farmland. Studies have shown that children who live closer to agricultural fields sprayed with pesticides have an increased incidence of autism that is directly related to the amount of pesticide usage and how close the child lives to the field being sprayed.⁴⁵ Another study of Mexican-American children showed a direct relationship between prenatal organophosphate (pesticide) exposure and PDD (pervasive developmental disorder, a condition related to autism).⁴⁶
But unless you work on a farm or live downwind from sprayed fields, it is much more likely that your exposure to pesticides will come from treatments of your own lawn, home, school, or workplace.
Outside sources are plentiful. In this country, we apply 67 million pounds of pesticides to our roughly 30 million acres of lawns each year. Our children and pets play and roll around in these pesticides. We carry them into the home on our shoes. The pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, and weed killers run off into streets and local waterways, choking aquatic life and polluting our water.
Household exposure includes indoor insecticidal sprays, ant traps, pest strips, pesticidal pet sprays and pet shampoos, flea collars, bug bombs, and foggers.
Federal regulations require the manufacturer to list the active ingredients so consumers can be aware of what they are using. All other ingredients can be listed under the general term “inactive ingredients” without any identification of what they are. The regulations are weak enough that much of the time the manufacturers can selectively identify what they want to list as the “active ingredients” while the same substance may be included with inert (non-active) ingredients in a different product so it does not have to be labeled. Typically, the label will state “99% inert ingredients.” There are currently 1,700 chemicals that are listed as “inert” although very little is known about these substances and many of them are listed as “active” on other products. The EPA has no timeframe to review these ingredients.
Food
The extent to which food choices influence pesticide exposure may be less obvious. An important study done in 2008 looked at the level of pesticides being excreted in children’s urine.⁴⁷ This study found that when the children were switched from their usual standard diet to a diet using organic fruits and vegetables, pesticides became undetectable in their urine within 3-5 days. This provides strong evidence that the major source of pesticide exposure in these children was in the food that was not grown organically.
As parents we must make decisions on how to spend limited resources. Organically grown food is generally more expensive to purchase and grocery bills for a family are already high. It is often difficult to see the real cost of eating food that is contaminated with chemicals when the resulting damage doesn’t occur until many years later and the connection may not be so obvious as when we experience vomiting and diarrhea after eating spoiled food.
Recommendations
As much as possible, choose food that is grown locally and is certified organic. There are many resources to help you find organic farms, CSAs and farmer’s markets in your local area.
When you need to conserve finances or for any other reason choose to buy non-organically grown fruits and vegetables that typically have less pesticide exposure. The Environmental Working Group publishes an updated list of the produce with the highest and lowest pesticide residue. Choose produce from the “Clean Fifteen” list when you must eat non-organic.
Choosing animals certified organic ensures that the animals were not fed chemically damaged food, animal byproducts, or sewage waste. Choosing food that was allowed to range freely their entire life ensures that the animal had the opportunity to feed naturally and that it was not tortured in confined feedlot operations.
References
⁴⁵ Maternal residence Near Agricultural Pesticide Applications and Autism spectrum Disorders Among Children in the California Central Valley. Environmental Health Perspectives; July 30, 2007
⁴⁶ Organophosphate Pesticide Exposure and Neurodevelopment in Young Mexican-American Children; Environmental Health Perspectives, 115[51], May 2007
⁴⁷ Dietary Intake and Its Contribution to Longitudinal Organophosphorus Pesticide Exposure in Urban/Suburban Children; Chensheng Lu, Dana B. Barr, Melanie A. Pearson, Lance A. Waller. Environ Health Perspect. 2008 April; 116(4): 537–542. Published online 2008 January 15. doi: 10.1289/ehp.10912
Furlong CE, Holland N, Richter RJ, Bradman A, Ho A, Eskenazi B. PON1 status of farm worker mothers and children as a predictor of organophosphate sensitivity. Pharmacogenet Genomics 2006;16(3):183-90.