Quick Organic Facts of the Week

-A new Organic Trade Association report reveals sales of organic products in 2008 grew 17.1% over the previous year. Organic food sales grew more than three times the rate of nonorganic food sales.

-According to the Journal of Applied Nutrition, organically grown fruits and vegetables have significantly higher nutritional content than conventional produce: “Organically grown apples, wheat, sweet corn, potatoes and pears were examined over a 2 year period and were 63% higher in calcium, 73% higher in iron, 118% higher in magnesium, 178% higher in molybdenum, 91% higher in phosphorus, 125% higher in potassium and 60% higher in zinc than conventionally grown produce.” In addition, organic meats were not only found to be leaner, but also have about five times the omega-3s.

-In a conventional diet, we are exposed to over 70 pesticide-related pollutants on a daily basis. A recent 2009 report found that switching to an organic diet reduces pesticide exposure by over 95%.

-The Environmental Working Group published a list of the 12 most pesticide ridden foods based on 87,000 tests. Nectarines, peaches, apples, strawberries and imported grapes topped the list. The most pesticide-free non-organic produce includes onions, avocados, and sweet corn.

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Why Government Nutrition Programs Shouldn’t Ban Organic

A growing number of states have been preventing WIC (Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children) recipients from purchasing organic products based on three major excuses: the ‘high’ cost of organics, a supposed lack of scientific evidence that organic produce is more nutritious than its conventional counterparts, and recipient preferences (see how your state stands on this issue here). OCA is taking this issue to Congress, to demand that the federal government acknowledge the benefits of an organic diet when the Child Nutrition Act and WIC are reauthorized this year. Chantal Clement, graduate student and OCA intern, debunks the myth that there’s no difference in the nutritional value of organic and non-organic food here:

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The American Dietetic Association Buries Organic Nutrition Facts

The American Dietetic Association (ADA) is the world’s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals. Its opinions influence health care professionals, the media, and state and federal policies. While ADA claims it is committed to “improving the nation’s health and advancing the profession of dietetics through research, education and advocacy,” its perspective is clearly being influenced by corporate agribusiness. Although the ADA has nothing to say about the abundance of scientific studies exposing the dangers of genetically engineered foods , the organization’s own Marianne Smith Edge has been giving anti-organic keynote addresses at meetings of state dietetic associations across the nation. The ADA’s own studies in 2007 and 2009 revealed that plants cultivated in organic systems contain higher levels of nutrients, yet the ADA’s website claims, “nutritionally there is no evidence that organic produce is better or safer than conventionally grown produce.” It’s time to expose the ADA’s bias. Use OCA’s handy online tool to click and send a pre-written “letter to the editor” to your local media outlets.

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Doctors Call for Ban on Genetically Modified Foods

On May 19, 2009 the American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) released a landmark position paper signed by physicians across the U.S. calling for a moratorium on GE foods:

“Avoid GM (genetically modified) foods when possible… Several animal studies indicate serious health risks associated with GM food… There is more than a casual association between GM foods and adverse health effects. There is causation…The strength of association and consistency between GM foods and disease is confirmed in several animal studies.”

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Blog on haitus.

Dear readers.

I do not currently have internet access so this blog will be on haitus for a while.

Thank you for your support and haribol!

Bhaktin Jeannette

Myths and truths about vegan diet

Nobody ever seems to be especially neutral on the topic of vegan health. Most are convinced that a vegan diet is either completely dangerous or a magic bullet cure-all. The myths about vegan eating spring from both sides of the argument and are sometimes completely contradictory. Here are a few of the most common ones.
Myth: Vegans are at risk for iron deficiency.

Truth: Actually, vegans are less likely to get iron deficiency than lacto-ovo vegetarians. Vegans consume more iron and tend to replace milk (which contains no iron and also inhibits iron absorption) with iron-rich foods. Iron from plant foods is absorbed at a lower rate than from meat, but iron deficiency anemia is no more common among vegans than any other group.

Myth: Vegan diets are okay for adults, but not for children.

Truth: Studies show that vegan kids sometimes fall short on a few nutrients compared to omnivore children, but that they have better intakes of other nutrients. All types of diets for children require careful planning. Vegan diets can provide adequate nutrition for children at all stages.

Myth: Dairy foods cause osteoporosis because they are high in protein, so vegans—who don’t drink milk—have lower calcium needs than omnivores.

Truth: Two myths in one! Unfortunately, there isn’t a shred of evidence that dairy foods cause osteoporosis. And the idea that vegans need less calcium than omnivores because of differing protein intakes is debatable. The research on this one is all over the place, with lots of conflicting studies. For now, it’s wise and responsible for vegans to meet standard recommendations for calcium.

Myth: Since vegans don’t drink milk, they can’t get enough calcium without supplements.

Truth: There are a number of plant foods that are good sources of well-absorbed calcium. While vegans can get adequate calcium from natural sources, most don’t meet calcium needs without using fortified foods or supplements. And guess what? Neither do most omnivores.

Myth: Organically-grown plants provide vitamin B12.

Truth: There is no evidence that plants grown in organic soil can provide adequate B12 for vegans. Vegans need to include fortified foods or B12 supplements in their diet. There is absolutely no debate among this among responsible vegan nutritionists.

Myth: Vegans need to consume combinations of plant foods to meet protein needs.

Truth: This myth is definitely a golden oldie. It’s been around since at least the early 1970s—and even though it was refuted in the 1990s, most of the world hasn’t caught up. Sadly, this includes many health professionals and journalists. Here is what the American Dietetic Association along with all vegan nutrition experts say: When vegans get adequate calories and eat a variety of whole foods throughout the day, they get plenty of protein. Protein is not an issue for vegans.

Myth: Vegan diets cause eating disorders in teen girls.

Truth: Some teen girls who already have eating disorders choose vegan or vegetarian diet as a way to control intake. A vegan diet will not cause an eating disorder and is not a sign of an eating disorder.

Myth: Vegan diets are fattening because they are so high in carbohydrates.

Truth: Some vegans are fat and some are skinny. As a group, though, vegans tend to be slimmer than meat eaters. Whole plant foods are high in good carbs and rich in fiber and are good choices for weight control.

Myth: You will automatically lose weight on a vegan diet because it’s so low in fat.

Truth: Most vegan diets are not low in fat. Eating a low fat diet does not guarantee weight loss and eating a vegan diet does not guarantee weight loss. A vegan diet is a healthful way to lose weight, but you still have to use up more calories than you consume.

Myth: Our ancestors ate meat, so vegan diets aren’t natural.

Truth: Our ancestors gnawed raw meat off the bones of animals and scavenged for wild greens. Today’s omnivore diet is completely “unnatural,” because it includes foods like grains and dairy that played no part in the meals of early humans. Vegan diets support health and eliminate animal cruelty. That sounds better than “natural!”

Taken From: http://www.examiner.com/x-5670-Seattle-Vegan-Examiner~y2009m6d3-Myths-and-truths-about-vegan-diet

Foreign Policy: Meat: The Slavery Of Our Time

by Jim Motavalli

Courtesy of FP

NPR.org, June 5, 2009 · I have a prediction: Sooner than you might think, this will be a vegetarian world. Future generations will find the idea of eating meat both morally absurd and logistically impossible. Of course, one need only look at the booming meat industry, the climbing rates of meat consumption in the developing world, and the menu of just about any restaurant to call me crazy. But already, most people know that eating red meat is bad for their health and harmful for the planet. It’s getting them to actually change their diet that’s the hard part — and that’s exactly why it won’t happen by choice.

Going by the numbers, eating meat is pretty hard to justify for the even moderately health-conscious. A National Cancer Institute report released last March found that people who ate the most red meat were, as the New York Times put it, “most likely to die from cancer, heart disease and other causes.” The biggest abstainers “were least likely to die.” Those who eat five ounces of meat daily, (the equivalent of one and a half Quarter Pounders or Big Macs) increase their risk from cancer or heart disease by 30 percent compared to those who eat two-thirds of an ounce daily — a stark difference.

The environmental impact is also crystal clear — and similarly appalling. “Livestock’s Long Shadow,” a 2006 report by the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organzation (FAO), found that livestock is a major player in climate change, accounting for 18 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions (measured in carbon dioxide equivalents), or more than the entire global transportation system.

The obvious solution to both health and environmental disasters is to stop eating meat altogether. But this is easier said than done. Even the studies addressing the impact of meat on the planet downplay vegetarianism, as if the authors are nervous to press it on people. Going veggie is not even proposed as one of the FAO’s “mitigation options” (which instead include conservation tillage, organic farming, and better nutrition for livestock to reduce methane gas production). Nor is it emphasized in “Happier Meals: Rethinking the Global Meat Industry,” a report by Danielle Nierenberg at the Worldwatch Institute. The study’s author is herself a vegan, but she told me, “Food choices are a very personal decision for most people. We are only now convincing them that this is a tool at their disposal if they care about the environment.”

She has a point: Giving up meat is tough, and arguing people into it is probably a losing proposition. Even with all the statistics out there about the dangers of meat, there are fewer vegetarians in the world than you’d think. A Harris poll conducted in 2006 for the Vegetarian Resource Group found that only 2.3 percent of American adults 18 or older claim never to eat meat, fish, or fowl. A larger group, 6.7 percent, say they “never eat meat,” but often that means they only avoid the red kind. Worldwide, local vegetarian societies report high participation in just a few places – for example, 40 percent in India, 10 percent in Italy, 9 percent in Germany, 8.5. percent in Israel, and 6 percent in Britain.

So how will we become a vegetarian planet? The numbers suggest that we won’t stop eating meat simply because it’s “the right thing to do.” People love it too much. Instead, we’ll be forced to stop. By 2025, we simply won’t have the resources to keep up the habit. According to the FAO report, 33 percent of the world’s arable land is devoted to growing crops for animal feed, and grazing is a major factor in deforestation around the world. It’s also incredibly water-intensive. The average U.S. diet requires twice the daily amount of water as does an equally nutritious vegetarian diet, reports the Worldwatch Institute. Meanwhile, there will be more than 8 billion people on this earth, and two-thirds of the world’s population will live in water-stressed regions.

Sounds like a mess — and one that doesn’t bode well for our cattle cravings. Meat will disappear — except as a luxury available to few — and the ethical issues will evolve, too. In the way that slavery, once a broad social norm, later became an unthinkable crime, we can expect to see a similar shift once meat-eating disappears from our planet. Perhaps, some day, the very idea of eating animal flesh will seem as remote as the idea of owning humans does now. So if you’re a carnivore, enjoy now — before the inevitable vegetarian revolution begins.

Taken From: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=104995789

National Dairy and Dairy Alternative Month: The gap between vegetarian and vegan

June is National Dairy Month, but to a vegan, dairy as a food is not always something to celebrate.

Some people say that milk is a completely natural food for humans, and that it is a natural by-product that comes from cows. Some people even think that cows need to be milked for their own health. Something about “milk poisoning”, among other silly reasons I’ve heard. However, cow’s milk is not natural for humans to drink, nor for any other animal aside from its own offspring, and it is usually not a natural process when the cows produce it for us.

The fact is that the dairy industry is a business, as is any other farm. In order to supply the milk, farmers impregnate cows so they lactate. Just like humans, cows need to be pregnant to produce milk. With billions of ‘farmed’ cows in the world, there is no way those cows can be impregnated naturally by a bull at the same time and ready to produce milk. From this you can surmise for yourself that farmers must artificially inseminate cows so they can secrete that creamy fluid you use for your coffee and cereal. The thing that got me was when someone called it “pus” and I could never envision myself drinking it again. Even organic and family farmed milk has this downside.

These facts are necessary to know for those vegetarians who say they “could not live without cheese”, or people like me, who used to have a long-term relationship with ice cream. There are so many options available, it is hard to remember what my life was like when I was eating dairy. Soy milk, rice milk and almond milk satisfy my cookies and milk cravings and go great in cereal. There are many soy cheeses, rice cheeses and almond cheese options that melt and taste just like cow’s milk cheese. There is even margarine, cream cheese and ice cream that is non-dairy!

My favorite non-dairy milks:

Kikkoman Pearl (even available in green tea flavor!)

Westsoy (creamy like real milk)

My favorite non-dairy cheeses:

nutritional yeast (tastes like cheese, strangely enough)

Tofutti for cream cheese

Rice slices

My favorite non-dairy yogurt:

Whole Soy & Co.

My favorite non-dairy ice cream:

Soy delicious- fruit-sweetened and a lot less calories than regular ice cream.

As for the calcium, amino acids and vitamins A and D found in milk, you can get all of them from plant sources. Fact.

My personal dairy story: I was vegetarian for about two years before becoming vegan, only giving up meat because of the literal connection to animal flesh and because I wanted to lose weight. When I went on a diet, it was because I felt unhealthy on my omnivorous diet. I never expected to be launched into the super-health-food land of veganism. I still ate yogurt, cheese and ice cream. Oh man, do I love ice cream!

Then I became lactose intolerant, and the condition got steadily worse over the next year. Little did I know that at the time my yearning for ice cream would fade, to be replaced with alternatives made from plants that tasted even better than the original! I think I was cosmically inclined to become vegan. It is not just the fact that I get nauseous when eating dairy. If I were completely tolerant of lactose I now realize that dairy is just as unnecessary and as harmful as meat.

What vegans are asking: that you consider the possibility of including less animal products in the average American diet and remain open to change. Even if you accuse these facts of being wrong, it is always necessary to question your surroundings and follow your heart when it comes to what you put in your belly.

For more info: The IFDA (International Dairy Foods Association) for one side… on the importance of milk.

The um, extreme, other side, Notmilk.com

Non-dairy substitutes

Taken From: http://www.examiner.com/x-6041-Denver-Vegan-Examiner~y2009m6d4-National-Dairy-and-Dairy-Alternative-Month-The-gap-between-vegetarian-and-vegan

The Genetic Conspiracy – Are Genetically Engineered Foods Dangerous?

When surveyed, the majority of consumers are not comfortable eating genetically engineered foods, but most people can’t really explain specifically why they have concerns. Watch this in depth look at the history of the GE debate. This web movie covers every aspect of the issue, from health impacts, to pesticide use, to biotech industry cover-ups.

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Organic Dairy Family Farmers Need Support

The OCA has called for a boycott of bogus organic dairy brands such as Horizon and Aurora (suppliers to Wal-Mart, Safeway and other giant chains), who have inundated the market with misleadingly labeled “organic” milk produced on factory farms. Recently, the situation has worsened as organic feed prices have increased and recession-pummeled consumers have cut back on the amount of organic milk they are purchasing. The result is a surplus of organic milk, depressed milk prices, and an increasing number of organic dairy farmers across the U.S. being driven into bankruptcy. Consumers can support ethical organic dairy farmers and preserve organic integrity by boycotting Horizon and Aurora products and instead supporting local organic farmers and dairy cooperatives like Organic Valley and others.

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[Editor's Note: Take action on this issue here: Tell HP Hood Not to Cut Family Farmers' Contracts!]

Taken From: http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_18096.cfm