Food Inc

I just watched the movie Food Inc which is a documentary about where are food comes from and what is happening to our farmers these days. Most of us don't have a clue about any of this. The food is in the grocery store and we buy it, end of story.

Seeing this movie really makes you think about what you are putting into your mouth and into your body. One of the lines out of the movie is if your great grandmother would not recognize what you are about to eat as food, don't eat it.

A few major corporations have a strangle hold on our food sources and we have no idea of what is genetically altered food. While there is no hard evidence that the increase of heart disease, diabetes and multiple other diseases may be related to our "food," I think we need to be looking long and hard at what we are eating.

The fact that junk food is cheaper than organic fruits and vegetables sends many shoppers who have little money to the junk food isles. I think this may be an excuse as well to eat junk food rather than healthy foods. What other things are these individuals buying? Cigarettes? sodas? specialty coffees?

Things to think about and take a stand to only eat healthier foods. Don't settle for the beef that is full of growth hormones and antibiotics or only corn fed. Cattle were designed to eat grass and if they are only fed corn, they do not produce CLA - conjugated linoleic acid - a nutrient that helps us as humans. See my previous posts on CLA.

Rent the movie. It is worth the 90 minutes to see where your food is coming from.

More On Healthy Foods

I started talking a couple of days ago about healthy foods. Most of us have heard that canola oil is one of the better oils to be using these days. Well, once again you need to read the label. The canola oil which is good is that which is cold processed.

The most common process for getting canola oil out of the plant is to extract it with extremely high temperatures. What this does to the good omega 3 is make it rancid. To help correct this the manufacturers use some caustic refining to improve the taste and remove the smell. which creates some trans-fatty acids. So this type of canola is not all its cracked up to be.

Read the label and look for organic, cold processed.

Egg Labels

Eggs that are labels organic are the only ones that meet USDA standards and regulations. These eggs come from chickens that are allowed to roam freely outside. They are fed organic grain which does not contain any pesticides and the chickens are not given antibiotics.

Cage free eggs, just means that the chickens are not kept in a cage. It does not mean that the chicken ever sees the light of day - in other words they may still be kept confined in an enclosed area, just not a cage. The environment and eggs are not audited by a third party.

Use caution when the label says free range, natural, no pesticides or no antibiotics. These terms are not regulated and may be put on any label. The only term that is regulated is organic.

Farmer's Markets

Summer is here and the farmer's markets are starting to take off. Just a word or two about farmer's markets. While it is great to get fresh fruits and vegetables, you need to be aware, that just because you bought something at the farmer's market does not mean that it is organically grown. Look for the organically grown label to be sure you are getting organic fruits and vegetables or you are likely to be getting a lot of pesticides in those fruits and vegetables that are not organically grown.

Also, remember that all fruits and vegetables, organically grown or not should be washed before eating, especially if they are to be eaten raw.

Eating Healthy

One of the issues that faces us today is the contamination of our food by pesticides. The 12 fruits and vegetables that contain the highest amounts of pesticides are apples, imported grapes, nectarines, cherries, pears, red raspberries, strawberries, peaches, spinach, celery, potatoes, and bell peppers.

The way to avoid these pesticides is to buy certified organic fruits and vegetables. Natural does not ensure that you will not get the pesticides. Only organically grown fruits and vegetables are free of pesticides.

Fruits and Vegetables

Remember that the best fruits and vegetables are those that are labeled organic. Those labeled with natural may have been sprayed or synthetic fertilizers used.

Organic fruits and vegetables can only be labeled organic if the farm from which they come has been inspected and meets the criteria for organic growers.

Organic Foods - Should You or Shouldn't You

I have had many people ask me about organic foods and whether they should buy organic or not. How do they know that they are actually getting organically grown foods and what does organically grown actually mean.

Let's start with what is organic food. Foods that have an Organic label are foods that are grown without the use of synthetic pesticides, artificial fertilizers, or any form of biotechnology (like irradiation which is used to kill bacteria). Organic meats come from animals which are fed only organic feed, and the animals are allowed free range in pastures and not confined in pens 100% of the time. The animals are also not given antibiotics or synthetic growth hormones.

Farmers who raise crops which are labeled as organic must go through a rigorous verification to be able to use the organic label.

One of the things that I do not is have organic fruits and vegetables delivered to my door by a company called Door to Door Organics. I've had a very positive experience with them and my husband and I love the fruits and vegetables that we get. If you are interested in learning more and if they are available in your city, just go to Door to Door Organics.