new research debunks trad views on nutrition

[Perris]

Most of the organic food I have available is from another country. Only a couple % of the USA farms are organic. By me crops are grain that is exported or made into fuel.

Blue Dasher Farm in south Dakota is like that: an island of regeneration surrounded by conventional agriculture. Of course they can't stop the chemicals sprayed by their neighbours drifting or seeping onto their land, but they are an oasis of life that not only survives that, but reseeds the whole area with life.

 

[Krugerrand]

The primary value of organic foods is not so much what IS in it, but what is NOT in it. It's the residual pesticides and herbicides that many are trying to avoid with organic foods.

In addition to avoiding pesticides and herbicides, this recent article reminded me that processed organic products also exclude certain unnatural preservatives.

https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2024/12/20/fda-war-on-americas-health.aspx (site requires registration / article attached)

It discusses how unhealthy additives have worked their way into our food production, the problem of Generally Recognized as "Safe", and some things to avoid.

 

[gtaus]

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-...thy-eating/in-depth/organic-food/art-20043880

https://www.theguardian.com/environ...is-pesticide-safety-organic-fruits-vegetables

Thanks for the links. I have now read a few reports, articles, and/or studies on organic versus conventional food health benefits. To quote www.mayoclinic.org that you linked...

It just seems to me that "some data," "possible health benefits," and "limited information" is just another way of saying that there is probably little to no real benefits in many of the studies of paying extra for organic produce versus conventional food.

Also, they list about four different categories of "organic" labeling. At what point does the "organic" label have no value at all -other than a marketing scheme to charge more money?


Like so many people here on the BYC forums, I have a backyard flock of chickens and get homegrown eggs from chickens that have a good, cage free life. I make my own chemical free chicken run compost which feeds my raised garden beds. The raised beds grow natural, pesticide- and herbicide-free food for my family. Of that, I know my homegrown produce is actually 100% natural and chemical free. That has value to me.

We also buy fresh fruits and vegetables from the local Amish open food market. They have some great looking food. But I don't think they are certified organic. So, I looked it up and this is what I found...

****************
Most Amish farmers do use conventional farming methods, which include the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides. While some Amish farms have adopted organic practices, it's not the norm for the majority. The Amish typically focus on traditional farming techniques, such as crop rotation and using manure for fertilization, but they still rely on conventional inputs to maintain productivity.
Amish Farming: The Amish Farmer’s Lifestyle & Practices
****************

I guess that means that my homegrown food is probably more "organic" than the fresh produce we buy at the open market?

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

I'm not opposed to food having fewer residual pesticides and herbicides in them. I think that should be the goal of all our food. However, I have no way of knowing that the organic food in the store has less pesticides and herbicides in them compared to non-organic food. At that point, it's just a matter of belief in the organic marketing which we know is not all that reliable.

I have worked in a few hospitals. None of them bought organic food. Maybe it comes down to cost and availability of organic food, but it was never an issue even discussed for our patients. Regular commercial food was considered fine.

Having said that, I grow as much food as I can in my backyard raised bed gardens. I don't use any pesticides or herbicides. I don't use any chemical fertilizers. I make my own chicken run compost fertilizer and that works great for me. FWIW, I am that organic farmer with high standards for myself.

I remember working at a hospital and asking a nutritionist if she would drink the ensure meal replacement she was recommending for the elderly patients. Ensure has corn syrup and other crap that I couldnt understand giving to our elderly as a form of nutrition. Everyday, so many people. She stated no, she would not consume it or any of the food our patients get. Even the ginger ale thought to help with upset stomach includes high fructose corn syrup. How could a skilled nutritionist sleep at night after day in and day out pushing these poisons? I couldnt in good faith continue to work in a place that is supposed to heal people but pumps them full of empty, unhealthy nutrition options. What people do willingly to their bodies at home is one thing; but at a hospital where healing is the goal, just seemed like a big contradiction. Now a days I do home health care and enjoy working with families that value good clean food as a foundation for healthy living and healing. Especially with the elderly that most of time have zero say or knowledge about what they are eating.

 

[Sally PB]

I didn't know whether to react with a like or a sad/angry reaction to your post. Trying to be more positive, so I went with like.

 

[Molpet]

I guess that means that my homegrown food is probably more "organic" than the fresh produce we buy at the open market?

Yes

A local farmer has a stand near my house. I asked if they were organic. They said not certified but used organic growing practices. I was buying what I couldn't grow from them. Then they had watermelon a month before they should. I asked where they were from. ... A southern state, Georgia I think. Then on a FB local garden group someone asked about getting rid of squash bugs. This farmer said use siven... I was very disappointed. I just get sweet corn from them a couple times a summer now.

 

[gtaus]

I remember working at a hospital and asking a nutritionist if she would drink the ensure meal replacement she was recommending for the elderly patients.

Well, I am not a nutritionist, but I am a Registered Nurse (non-active). There are many reasons patients get drinks like Ensure. There are many different types of supplemental drinks used to treat individual needs of the patient.

It's a more complicated issue than I think the nutritionist is addressing. Yes, food is the first medicine, and we would all do better eating quality natural food. However, many patients I have cared for cannot eat, or process, natural food.

FWIW, in Nursing School, we had to drink some of those adult supplements that we give to our patients. I even drank some Pedialyte that we give to kids. Most of my patients did not get those drink supplements, but if a doctor ordered them, there was always a good reason. I was OK with that.

Having said all that, I always felt that we learned very little about nutrition in Nursing School. Just the bare minimum to get through the NCLEX testing. Should we know more about nutrition, I think so. But, in reality, the patients we care for temporarily in the hospital need specific care for immediate needs. Good nutrition is a longer strategy for a healthy life. That was not usually my concern for a patient on a day-to-day care basis.

 

[Molpet]

I always felt that we learned very little about nutrition in Nursing School.

Same with Drs, but there's so much to learn and it's constantly updating. You all would be studying every day for the rest of your career.

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

I didn't know whether to react with a like or a sad/angry reaction to your post. Trying to be more positive, so I went with like.

WE have the ability to lead by example as well as educate anyone that will listen. Feeling sad/angry should just motivate us to grow our own food when & if we can. And, Share with the people!!! Our lives are so automated now a days. Even food, but it shouldnt be. I get angry because I feel i was dooped into believing our food pyramid from the 80's when I was growing up. In the 90's I was taught that egg yolks were bad, raising our cholesterol so we should avoid them....... even our food pyramid now a days has been flipped upside down. Sorry to ramble on and on about it, but, jeesh. Marketing got our heads spinning. My favorite is the sugary cereals that scream eat this cereal cause its low in trans fat! Ignore the 22grams of sugar per serving and all the other crap.

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

Same with Drs, but there's so much to learn and it's constantly updating. You all would be studying every day for the rest of your career.

My experience working in a hospital: Very rarely do staff eat the hospital food. Not because its tastes so bad, but instead, crap ingredients that we all are learning are bad for us. All to save a buck. If someone you love is in the hospital and they can eat......Bring them fresh, clean food.