organics

By Laurel Vukovic

a shopper's guide to

t's a clear sign that organic has gone mainstream when retail behemoths such as Wal-Mart and Target stock organic food alongside their conventional offetings. Even McDonald'sthe target of the scathing documentary Super Size Menow offers organic coffee in some of its ^ New lingland locations. There's no question that organics have come a long way since the early 1970s, when grassroots food co-ops stocked barrels of self-serve organic beans and grains for a hippie clientele. Since then, the cornucopia of organic offerings has mushroomed to include a wide variety of gourmet and prepared foods, beer and wine, baby food, pet food, supplements, skin and body care products, clotbing, and home and garden products. It's clear tbat going organic is a growing trend, but is it really a better iboicc?

TIP: Organic tomatoes are more nutritious than their conventional counterparts, say University of California, Davis, researchers in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Technology. Levels of flavonoids, compounds that help prevent disease, are twice as high in organic tomatoes as in conventionally grown varieties.

Reasons to Go Organic
Dn a personal level, choosing organic foods and products protects you from pesticides, herbicides, bormones, and otber chemicals that are commonly used in conventional food production. Many of those chemicals bavc been linked to cancer, immune suppression, .\nt[ other degenerative diseases. In a siudy publisbed in tbe October 2002 issue of/:ii'iroiHJri(i/ Uciitth Perspeciii'cs, University of Washington researchers comp.ircd pesticide residues in children aged 2 to 3 years old. The children who consumed mostly organic foods over a ihrec day period had dramatical ly lower levels of compounds produced by tbe metabolism of organopbosphate insecticides {commonly used on fruiis and vegti,iblfs) in tbcir urine than children eating a conveiitional diet. In fact, the children eating a conventional diet averaged almost nine times tbe amount of pesticides as children eating organic foods. 1 be researchers concluded that choosing organic produce is a simple dietary solution for parents to take to help reduce pesticide exposure in tbeir cbildren. On .1 larger scale, yoti're belping lo prevent tbe destrticllon of the environment caused by toxic cbemicals used in agriculture .md manufacturing. Here's one example; Synthetic fertilizer runoff from agricultural crops is a primary contributor to dead /ones in the oceanareas overtaken by fertilizer-fed algae that deplete oxj^en in tbe water and suffocate fisb and otber marine Hie. Research is proving ibat organic foods are richer in nutrients too. In a study at Washington State Universit\', scieiilists lounti ih.u tirganic lemonade contains U) times more eriocltrin [an antioxidant) than conventional lemonade. Organic apple juice, i;ra|irfruil juice, and lime juice also proved to be ricber in antioxidants tban tbeir conventional counterparts. And List but not least, tirganic foods taste better than their conventional counterparts because organic fruits and vegetables are jiinwii for (I.ivor. not shflf lift-, ami [trganic processed foods arc made from pure, whole foods.
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' Thank you tor using natural, non-toxic products. Each time you use these products, you are helping to maintain a healthier and sustainable home, lifestyle and environment. One by one, we can change the world and make it a BETTER place.

Organic Skin and Body Care Products

Piggybacking on the popularity of the organic food moveineni, hundreds of skin and body care products have added "organic" to their labels. Unfortunately, the word is often just marketing hype, and products can contain a long list of chemical and synthetic ingredients. Many of these chemicals are known carcinogens, hormone disntpiors, and neurotoxins. You might be surprised to learn that what you put onto your body is just as important as what you eat. Research shows that the skin and scalp readily absorb chemicals and toxins. In fact, toxins absorbed through the skin and scalp can be even more harmful than those that are ingested, because they bypass the liver's detoxification process and pass directly into the bloodstream and fat cells. A few companies have taken the step of registering their products with the LISDA's organic-certification program. These products bear the USDA organic seal and must meet the same stringent guidelines applied to certified-organic foods. In general, when choosing body care products, look for recognizable ingredients derived from natural sources. Read the labels of products, and become familiar with ingredients to avoid, such as parahens, which some researchers believe are linked to cancer. An excellent resource for checking out the safety of products is the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Data Base. .48

TIP: Organics can be cheaper than other (less healthful) consumer goods. One example: For the cost of a medium coffeehouse lattearound $4 in most citiesyou can buy three organic bananas, a handful of organic walnuts, and a small organic coffee.

Dening Organic
As of October 2002, the ikSDA has strict guidelines for organic foods. To qualify as organic, food must be grown without the use of most conventional pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, or sewage sludge, and the land must have been free of these applications for at least three years prior to certification. Genetically modified organisms and irradiation are prohibited. Organically raised livestock must have access to tbe outdoors, be fed 100 percent-organic feed, and not be treated with antibiotics or hormones. In addition, farmers are required to protect the environment by enriching the soil naturally, conserving water, and practicing crop rotation. The LlSDA's certification program is voluntary, and some farmers using organic methods do no( pursue certification for a variety of reasons, including cost and paperwork. States can also continue to maintain their own certification programs, but their requirements cannot be less strict than the national guidelines. i lowever, no food {including imported foods) can claim to be organic unless it meets the strict USDA standards. Organic farms and producers are visited by certifying agents who verify that the fanner is meeting the USDA organic standards. Fraudulent use of tJie word organic carries a befty penalty: Anyone wbo sells or labels a product as organic when they know it doesn't meet USDA standards faces afineof up to $10,000 per violation.

How to Identify Organic Foods

Manufacturers are required by law to list all ingredients on food packaging. For a product to be labeled organic, it has to contain at least 95 percent organic ingredients. Products participating in the USDA certification program will bave the USDA organic seal, but many other products will simply have tbe word "organic" on the front of the package. Thf USDA also allows products with at least 70 percent, but less than 95 percent organic ingredients to advertise the organic ingredients on the front of the packaging, but they can't call themselves organic. For example, the front of a trail mix package might be labeled "made with organic nuts and raisins." Products with less than 70 percent organic ingredients can list tbe organic ingredients on the side label, but can't make organic claims on the front of the package.

TIP: To avoid synthetic chemicals in your food, choose certifiedorganic produce. Be sure to talk to farmers at your local farmers' market; they may also use sustainable growing practices, even if they're not certified organic.

Creating an Organic Home

The products that you use to clean and cair for your home prc>vidc yet another avenue for creating a liealtbful lifestyle, lut as witb the body care products industry, the consumer must be wary. Manultturers are well aware of the appeal of organics and c>in freely l-ibel tlicir products as organic or natural with no government regulation. The majority of household cleaning products contain a soup of potentially hasmful chemicals that arc linked to serious problems such as biri defects, cancer, and asthma. I he linvironmenta! Proteaion Agency has found tbat the indoor air quality in tbe typical American home i.s far more loxic than outdoor aireven in polluted (es. Chemical-lat en household products bear much ol the blame". Manufacturers looking to jump on the organic bandwagon cm tluow some essential oil into a chemical product .md label il organic. Ihe best approach is to buy products from reputable natural products manufacturers who disclose all ingredients on ibeir labels. Read those labels, and look for recognizable ingredients such as baking soda, vinegar, and non petroleum-based cleansers. The Women's Voices for the Farth Web site (womenatidenviroment .org) contains a wealth of information about how to create a healthy home environment.