Category Archives: organic


Organic Vs. Conventional Dairy

Organic Dairy Products Vs. Conventional Dairy

Recently I had a conversation with my friend Kay about dairy products which mostly centered on our family's decision to purchase organic milk products.

We choose to purchase organic milk, butter, cottage cheese, cream cheese, sour cream, and yogurt. Organic sliced cheese isn't easily available in our area so we have to bend there but we try to buy brands that at least promote that they do not use recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH).

Supporting Organic Farming
The conversation centered around the reasons for consuming organic dairy.  
 
The first is that it supports organic farming which means no genetically modified organisms are fed to the cows, they are not given antibiotics or hormones and no pesticides are used in their environment.  
 
Kay countered with the thought that it was cruel to not give antibiotics to a cow who has an infection.  That is certainly true and I would not expect a sick cow to be denied antibiotics. 
 
In organic farming the practice is that if a cow requires antibiotics that animal is removed from the organic herd and treated.  The cow is then sold to a conventional dairy operation.
Artificial Hormones and the Risks Involved
Having said that, research shows that organic cows, because they are not milked as heavily, suffer much less often from mastitis than conventional cows.  Canadian scientists (Canada has banned this substance) reported a 25% increased risk in mastitis in cows treated with rBGH.
 
I don't believe that drinking artificial hormones is good for anyone but I especially do not want to expose my daughters, to extra hormones if I can control it.  In an effort to make dairy operations more "efficient" Monsanto developed rBHG.  This tremendously increased production by as much as 50% and there are reports of  farms where cows need to be milked three times per day; this was touted as a great success.  
Genetic Effects of Hormones in Dairy
But success comes with a price. According to this article referencing the Journal of Reproductive Medicine, twinning rates have tripled in this country since the introduction of rBGH/rBST. It makes you wonder what the continued genetic effect of these hormones will be on children that were conceived while their mothers consumed these hormones.
 
Leaving the hormone and chemical issues aside, organic farming methods are more humane for the cows.  Organic farms house their cows in less crowded conditions and the cows get more fresh air, and tend to be pastured, meaning they eat grass.  
Health Benefits of Organic Dairy
A recent European-wide, QLIF study, published in the Journal of Food of Science and Agriculture, showed that cows who eat grass produce milk that is higher in Conjugated Linoleic Acids (CLA's) which are beneficial for heart health and decreasing diabetes risk.  They also reported higher omega-3 levels in milk from organically raised cows.
Is Organic Dairy Worth the Extra Cost?

Is organic dairy more expensive?  Yes. It is worth it? Absolutely. If you cannot make your budget stretch to cover organic dairy, I strongly urge you to not consume products tainted by rBGH.  This website will give you a list of producers in your state who are artificial hormone free.

Greensbury Market – A Review

Greensbury Mkt

I write and talk frequently about eating cleanly, well-sourced foods.  From pesticide-free, non-gmo produce to pastured eggs, grass-fed dairy, and more.  For a number of people it's not always that easy to source clean meats.  Grocery stores don't always carry what you want, it may be organic but it's not grass-fed, or it's grass-finished not fully grass-fed, or it's not pastured.  There may not be easy access to a local farmer who is raising sustainable animal products.  For whatever reason there are times when your only way to source what you want is to purchase it online.

I've recently discovered a new source for clean meats, all sourced from providers who follow sustainable practices, Greensbury Market.  I was fortunate enough to be able to try some of their organic, sustainably raised beef.   I had holiday houseguests and decided to have a tasting party for them, serving the steak and hamburgers from Greensbury Market.    While we had delicious vegetables, a lovely fermented cabbage and cucumber dish, and a salad, the focus of the meal, of course, was on the meat. I asked my guests for honest feedback and here's what they shared:

“I'm not a big meat eater, but I would definitely eat this again.”

“This is really tender meat.”

“Delicious!  Great burger.”

“This tastes better than the steak we usually eat.”

I agree, I found it to be very tender and quite delicious.  I also liked that the meat was very lean.  A quality best found in pastured beef since the cows are not fattened up by feeding them food they can't digest well.

Usually I try to avoid “work talk” at the dinner table but this time I was able to share with my guests why it's so important to choose clean meats.  Grass-fed beef in particular has less saturated fat, more omega-3 (yes you can get it from beef, not just from fish), and a higher level of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a fatty acid that is beneficial for avoiding cancer (those with higher CLA appear to have less incidence of breast, colorectal, and stomach cancers), reducing cardiovascular risk, blood pressure, and high cholesterol and triglycerides.

According to Greensbury Market they source all their meats from small farmers who are environmentally proactive, practice sustainable agriculture, and are focused on animal welfare.  Additionally, their meat comes from animals that are not given synthetic hormones or antibiotics.

They offer beef, chicken, pork, and seafood, all sustainably sourced.  Having tasted it I can say that their beef is delicious.  I am a fan of their stated agricultural focus, especially that the animals are humanely raised.   If you're looking for a good source for clean, humanely raised, pastured, grass-fed meats, I'd encourage you to check out Greensbury Market.

 

 

 

*disclosure

What’s In Your Beef

People often wonder about the higher cost of organic, grass-fed, pastured beef.  It is, admittedly quite a bit more expensive than the conventional version at the grocery store.  The difference however is quite significant.  After all, it's not just what you're eating, but what what you eat ate.  I know, that's confusing, go back and read it again.

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organic vs conventional

Organic Versus Conventional

There has been much debate about the health benefits of organic food compared to conventional. The issue has become even more pressing in view of rising grocery costs. Many people wonder if organic is actually worth the higher price; let’s look a little deeper at this.

Nutritional content

The nutrient profile of any food has many variables which can vary from farm to farm and from  year to year. The climate, cultivar, crop rotation, date of planting, date of harvesting, growing location, irrigation, and even the soil type will all affect the nutritional content of the crop whether it is grown by organic or conventional methods. Let’s look at several areas where conventional and organic can vary.

The first area in question is the nutritional content. There have been mixed results on whether there is a difference. A review done in 2010 found that organic varieties can have greater levels of vitamin C, iron, magnesium, and phosphorus compared to non-organic varieties of the same foods. Other studies have shown little to no difference.

Organic produce appears to be higher in antioxidants, particularly polyphenols. However antioxidant value may not be considered as part of the overall nutritional value in many studies. There are a growing number of studies which show that antioxidant value is highly beneficial for the body, especially when it comes to a wide number of diseases and health conditions.

The chemical difference

Many studies concentrate on the nutritional difference between organic and conventional produce, but what may be of more importance is what is NOT involved with organic farming. A large part of the reason people purchase organic food is because they don't want the chemicals that come along with conventional farming methods.

Each year The Environmental Working Group provides a list called the Dirty Dozen. The list is usually produced in March as it takes several months for the EWG to go through the data to determine which are the top twelve foods highly contaminated by pesticides.

Obviously, you don’t want to ingest these chemicals, but it goes deeper than that. It’s not just what you eat, it’s how it affects the soil, the plants, and the environment. When these chemicals are used the environment also suffers. Saturating the soil with pesticides, fungicides, chemical fertilizers and such is not healthy for the earth.

We also need to think about farm workers. According to Toxic Free NC “Agricultural families are at very high risk for exposure to pesticides. Workers can inadvertently take toxic pesticide residues home on contaminated clothes, hair, and skin. Because most workers also live very close to the fields, they are also subject to pesticide drift at home. Once in the home, pesticide residues are very easily picked up by small children, who are especially sensitive to health damage from pesticide exposure.  Subjecting workers to hazardous pesticide exposure on the job puts both the workers and their families at risk for serious health consequences.”

One way to avoid these chemicals is to purchase organic.  This is because the organic standard does not allow for the use of pesticides, herbicides, and insecticides among other chemicals.

Genetic modification

Another important part of the organic standard is that food cannot be a Genetically Modified Organism (GMO).  Lately this term has been discarded in favor of Bioengineered (BE). According to the USDA, the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard (NBFDS) defines BE as follows: “The Standard defines bioengineered foods as those that contain detectable genetic material that has been modified through certain lab techniques and cannot be created through conventional breeding or found in nature.”

By this definition everything that is BE falls into the GMO category. However not everything that is GMO is BE. And while BE items are required to be identified, labeling is not required for all GMO products.  Since the only way to ensure that something is not GMO is to purchase organic, the distinction between conventional and organic becomes an important one.  Read this article by the Institute for Food and Development Policy to learn more about some of the concerns about GMO food.

Organic farming

Organic farming practices require more humane treatment of animals that are raised for food.  You can read an article I wrote about organic milk. Humane treatment of animals should be part of our consciousness. Aren't we evolved enough to not want these animals to live in discomfort before they provide for us?

Meat and dairy products from organically raised animals often do have significant nutritional differences. With organic practices, animals are not allowed to be given added hormones, antibiotics, and be fed genetically modified or pesticide laden foods. The antibiotic issue is an important one for animal products.  By eating continual low-level antibiotics, it is bad for our overall health and can encourage bacteria to become antibiotic resistant.

Eating organic animal food products has many health benefits. Organic dairy products are measurably higher in protein and beneficial fatty acids.  Eggs have a better fatty acid profile.  Studies show that organic meat is lower in fat and has a better overall fatty acid profile making it a healthier choice for consumption than conventionally raised animals and animal products.

In conclusion

Ultimately, the choice of what to eat and how to spend your grocery dollars is up to you.  But before you make those choices make sure you evaluate all aspects of the organic versus conventional food debate.

My choices are based on more than just the nutrients in the food.  It's about the choice for no sewage in the fields, no chemicals, more humane treatment of animals, what I believe is better tasting food, and especially my desire to limit my exposure to GMO food.

Food, Inc

This movie looks as if it will provide an interesting view of modern food production. Unfortunately it's not showing in my area. Looks like it's playing in Houston, hopefully there are a lot of opportunities for folks all over the country to see it.

Go to the official site to see if it's playing near you.

You can also go to the Whole Foods Blog to read their take on the movie and their food process.

I believe this is an important issue. Our processed food and the way we eat is making most of us sick. It's not healthy for us, our kids or our future. We need to care more about what we eat and make a choice to eat for health.

Kids Care Too

A recent article that I found on the slowfoodusa.org website caught my attention. According to the article a number of fourth grade students tried to protest the food that they were being served in the school cafeteria and hold a boycott. Administrators found out about this and asked the parents to help squash the boycott so it never happened. This makes me sad for a number of reasons, chief among them is that if fourth graders know that they are not being fed healthy food shouldn't they have the right to protest? These kids are 10 years old. If they can figure it out why can't the administration? Another is my belief that this initiative was squashed because the school makes money off the lunch program. They would rather take the profits and disregard the health of their student body than to serve nutritious food at a potentially lower profit.  Another upsetting factor is the thought that public officials do not see the correlation between poor nutrition and potential future health problems.  

There are examples of college students pushing to take back their cafeterias through programs such as Farm to College.  At Yale University in New Haven, CT Alice Waters helped to develop the Sustainable Food Project when her daughter began to attend the university. The food that is served through that program typically “goes first” showing the college students really do care about what is on their plate.   Many people, myself included, are not surprised that college students care.  This is, however, the first time I've heard of elementary school children being this aware and this willing to take on the system.
As I wrote in a previous post it is important to provide decent, healthy meals to our students but corporations and lobbyists keep getting in the way.  That's not stopping these fourth graders.  Not allowed to have their boycott they have turned their efforts to a letter writing campaign and petition.  I wish I lived in Madison, WI; I would sign the petition.