Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["TradingPostPaul" <tradingpost@riseup.net>]

Have you seen this?
Ken (Ken Hargesheimer)

foodnews.org
http://www.foodnews.org/reportcard.php

     Is Your Grocery Store Running Out of Organic Foods?

Demand for organic foods -- though still only 2.5 percent of the U.S. food
market -- is growing at such a high rate that suppliers are having trouble
keeping up.

While total food sales grow at a rate of 2 percent to 4 percent a year,
organic food sales have grown 15 percent to 21 percent each year. Along
with
organic specialty stores like Whole Foods, conventional supermarkets like
Safeway, Kroger and even Wal-Mart have been expanding their organic
offerings.

U.S. organic farms are also on the rise from their present number of
10,000,
but still manufacturers are seeking organic ingredients like almonds,
apricots, blueberries, brown rice syrup and more from Europe, Bolivia,
Venezuela and South Africa to keep up with the growing demand.

The move toward more imports of organic ingredients has drawn mixed
feelings
from the industry. While some say the move will eventually help stimulate
growth in the United States, others believe helping U.S. farmers establish
organic businesses is key.

In an effort to help, organic manufacturers Stonyfield Farm and Organic
Valley are paying farmers to help them switch to organic or boost organic
production. The duo expects to spend about $2 million on the project in
2006. The Organic Trade Association is another resource for farmers looking
to go organic.

    Why do You Need Organic Food?

*By Dr. Joseph Mercola
     with Rachael Droege*

The decision to purchase organic food over conventionally grown food is a
personal one, and as you walk through the supermarket, many of which are
now
adding organic sections, you will likely ask the question: Is organic food
really better?

Well, organic food is certainly growing in popularity, and the global sales
reflect this having increased over 10 percent to reach $23 billion in 2002.

The U.S. market is also expanding as consumers increase their demand for
healthy and natural products. U.S. organic food sales have increased from
$3.5 billion in 1996 to more than $9 billion in 2001.

Organic farming differs from conventional farming in the methods used to
grow crops. Where traditional farmers apply chemical fertilizers to the
soil
to grow their crops, organic farmers feed and build soil with natural
fertilizer. Traditional farmers use insecticides to get rid of insects and
disease, while organic farmers use natural methods such as insect predators
and barriers for this purpose. Traditional farmers control weed growth by
applying synthetic herbicides, but organic farmers use crop rotation,
tillage, hand weeding, cover crops and mulches to control weeds.

The result is that conventionally grown food is often tainted with chemical
residues, which can be harmful to humans. There is debate over whether
dietary exposure to pesticides at levels typically found on food is
dangerous, but experts say that consumers should use caution. The
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers 60 percent of herbicides,
90
percent of fungicides and 30 percent of insecticides to be carcinogenic.

Pesticides can have many negative influences on health, including
neurotoxicity, disruption of the endocrine system, carcinogenicity and
immune system suppression.

Aside from pesticide contamination, conventional produce tends to have
fewer
nutrients than organic produce. On average, conventional produce has only
83
percent of the nutrients of organic produce. Studies have found
significantly higher levels of nutrients such as vitamin C, iron, magnesium
and phosphorus, and significantly less nitrates (a toxin) in organic crops.

There is little question that organic foods are superior to non-organic
ones. However, I see many patients who are not eating any vegetables
because
they either cannot afford them or they are too difficult to obtain.

Please understand that it is better to eat non-organic vegetables than no
vegetables at all.

In the same vein, it is also important to realize that fresh non-organic
vegetables will be better than wilted and rotten organic vegetables that
are
occasionally the only ones available in smaller organic produce stands.
There are many highly perishable nutrients that degrade with time and
exposure to air and ultraviolet radiation. If the organic vegetables are
seriously damaged then it would be far wiser to eat fresh, undamaged
non-organic vegetables.

Hopefully, as the demand for organic increases the prices will drop, and
the
supply will increase making it far easier to obtain relatively inexpensive
high-quality organic produce.

If you must buy conventional produce, there are ways to reduce your
pesticide exposure. Thoroughly washing all fruits and vegetables will help,
although all pesticide residues cannot be removed by washing. You can also
remove the outer layer of leaves or peel vegetables if possible. Another
alternative is to grow your own vegetables, although this takes space, time
and climate considerations.

Another option is to buy organic produce selectively, as certain foods tend
to have higher or lower amounts of pesticides. The following foods tend to
have the highest levels of pesticides (from Environmental Working Group's


*Fruit*

   1. Peaches
   2. Apples
   3. Strawberries
   4. Nectarines
   5. Pears
   6. Cherries
   7. Red Raspberries
   8. Imported Grapes

   *Vegetables*

   1. Spinach
   2. Bell Peppers
   3. Celery
   4. Potatoes
   5. Hot Peppers

These foods tend to be lower in pesticide levels:

*Fruits*

   1. Pineapples
   2. Plantains
   3. Mangoes
   4. Bananas
   5. Watermelon
   6. Plums
   7. Kiwi Fruit
   8. Blueberries
   9. Papaya
   10. Grapefruit
   11. Avocado

   *Vegetables*

   1. Cauliflower
   2. Brussels Sprouts
   3. Asparagus
   4. Radishes
   5. Broccoli
   6. Onions
   7. Okra
   8. Cabbage
   9. Eggplant


     Your Family Could be Eating Organic Food for the Same Price as
Processed Foods -- or Less

A common perception is that whole organic food is so expensive that it is
out-of-budget for the average family or even for the average single
consumer. It is also commonly perceived that the average grocery purchase
of
processed foods at a neighborhood supermarket, using the store discounts,
makes the processed food diet within the budget of most families.

If you go along with those who accept the above hypothesis on faith, you
may
be quite surprised by what you find in this article.

Knowing what I spend on groceries in an average week for my all whole-food,
mostly organic-eating family, I had to test the conventional wisdom for
myself. So one day in January 2005 I went to a typical supermarket right
around the corner from me to see how the other half lives ...

*Health Nut Stalks Supermarket Aisles With Notebook in Hand*

Jotting down in my notebook many processed foods as well as their weights
and prices, with all the store savings, I prepared a long list of foods
from
which I could construct a hypothetical week's worth of processed food for a
family of three.

Below you will find a menu of all processed food items for a week, and a
list of prices for all the groceries that I hypothetically bought. Then I
assembled my hypothetical purchases into a meal plan for a family of three,
which you will see below, along with the price list.

Following that, you will find a week's menu and price list for mostly
organic, all whole-food meals for the same family of three.

*Ground Rules
*

For the sake of simplicity and realistic comparison, I stuck to the
following constraints:

   -

   There are no leftovers from before the beginning of the week, nor
   saved at the end (empty refrigerator beginning and end, and no throwing
out
   food; everything purchased gets eaten by the three hypothetical family
   members).
   -

   Unless specified otherwise, all beverage consumption is water.
   -

   There are no separate snacks, except for Sunday afternoon, unless an
   individual saves part of a meal to snack on later.
   -

   Neither the cheapest generic brands, nor the most expensive brands
   were chosen, but rather a brand in the middle, especially if it was on
sale.
   -

   Portions are listed per family member of a three-person family,
   although the heartiest appetite in the family may consume some part of
the
   portion left by the smallest appetite. It is assumed that everyone eats
the
   same food at the same time everyday, and that the six ounces of soda at
   every lunch is either carried in a thermos to work or school, or that
this
   family is on vacation at home, eating every meal at home together and
   pouring their soda directly from a large bottle kept in the
refrigerator.
   -

   It is assumed that no family member is deliberately restricting
   calories, or is otherwise restricting any type of food.

The cold bottled coffee at breakfast may seem a bit extravagant, but
consider that this replaces visits to coffee shops or any other form of
coffee or tea or recreational beverage. Also, the all-processed food family
does not get milk with their cereal, but rather cold, bottled, sugared
coffee.
  *The Processed Food Menu
**(per person, for one week) * Sunday Breakfast: 3 pancakes with syrup
7.5-oz. cold bottled coffee Lunch: 13-oz. canned ravioli
6-oz soda Snack: ice cream sandwich Dinner: 3.5-oz. frozen breaded fish
4-oz salad with dressing
6-oz soda
ice cream bar Monday Breakfast: 4-oz. bagel with 5 oz. jelly Lunch: 9-oz
frozen lunch
6-oz soda Dinner: 8-oz ground beef patties w/ ketchup, relish
6-oz french fries
ice cream bar Tuesday Breakfast: 3-oz sugared cereal
7.5-oz cold bottled coffee instead of milk Lunch: 3.5-oz frozen breaded
fish
6-oz soda Dinner: 7-oz frozen corn dogs
2-oz frozen potato pancakes
ketchup, relish
ice cream bar Wednesday Breakfast: 2 toaster pastries
7.5-oz cold bottled coffee Lunch: 9-oz frozen lunch
6-oz soda Dinner: frozen TV dinner, individual
1 serving flavored rice
ice cream bar Thursday Breakfast: 2 toaster pastries
7.5-oz cold bottled coffee Lunch: 9-oz frozen lunch
6-oz soda Dinner: 8-oz ground beef patties w/ ketchup, relish
6-oz frozen french fries
ice cream sandwich Friday Breakfast: 3-oz. sugared cereal
7.5-oz cold bottled coffee Lunch: 9-oz frozen lunch
6-oz soda Dinner: 7-oz corn dogs
2-oz potato pancakes
ketchup
relish
ice cream sandwich Saturday Breakfast: 3 pancakes with syrup Lunch: 9-oz
frozen pizza
6-oz soda Dinner: 6 oz frozen pork chops with gravy
1 serving macaroni and cheese
6-oz soda
ice cream sandwich
  *Price List for the
Processed Food Menu* 17 oz pork chops with gravy $6.99 3 lbs ground beef
patties $8.99 13 oz potato pancakes $4.19 2 lbs frozen french fries $2.79
2.67 lbs corn dogs $5.99 27 oz frozen pizza $4.99 12 ice cream bars $2.99
12
ice cream sandwiches $2.99 6 toaster pastries $2.00 6 frozen pastries $2.00
16
oz small jar of jelly $1.99 12 oz Bagels $0.99 1 lb TV dinner $3.89 1 lb TV
dinner $3.89 14.5 oz TV dinner $2.50 21 oz. fillets frozen breaded fish
$5.79 68 oz Soda $0.99 6 pk 16.9 oz Soda $2.99 40 oz canned ravioli $2.99 1
bottle Ketchup $0.99 1 bottle Relish $0.99 1 sm bottle salad dressing $1.99
17
oz sugared cereal $3.89 12 bottles of cold coffee with cream $13.47 1 sm
bottle Syrup $1.50 20 pancakes pancake mix (add only water) $2.39 3 svgs
flavored rice $1.49 12 oz packaged salad $2.99 12 oz frozen lunches
$24.00 *Total:
* *$123.64*

*
How do Whole Foods Compare?*

Now consider a menu prepared entirely from whole, organic and free-range
foods. One might consider such a diet to be extravagantly expensive. Yet
the
cost for a week's worth of organic whole food groceries for a family of
three is about the same as for the "cheap" processed food.

The same rules apply as with the processed food. No leftovers from the
beginning of the week or saved at the end (empty refrigerator beginning and
end, with no waste). No restaurant eating or take-out. No beverages other
than water. No snacks except for what one person may save for later from
his/her apportioned meal. No deliberate calorie restriction, and everyone
eats until full.

All meals are listed for one person only of a three-person family, assuming
that those with larger appetites may have more, and those of smaller
appetites may have an equal amount less, in order to balance out to the
average portions listed below.

A significant difference is that the processed food eating family gets a
dessert of an ice cream bar, while the whole food eating family gets no
dessert. The whole food eating family, however, generally gets much bigger
meal portions.
   *The Whole Organic Food Menu
**(per person, for one week) *
 A typical week's menu at our house would look like the following: Only the
sliced bacon, sliced cheeses, cream cheese and goat milk are pre-packaged.
Every dish is prepared at home from scratch. Sunday Breakfast: 2 eggs
cooked
in butter
2 slices bacon Lunch: salad: spinach, romaine, bell pepper, 2 oz. muenster
cheese, cilantro, sea salt, olive oil Snack: 8-oz apple Dinner: 16 oz
chicken stew: part of whole chicken with potatoes, onions, celery, carrots,
olive oil, balsamic vinegar, water, sea salt and curry powder Monday
Breakfast:
12 oz apple slices with 2 oz. almond butter Lunch: 16 oz left over chicken
stew
5-oz orange
1 oz pumpkin seeds Dinner: 8 oz curry: eggplant, potato, onion, bell
pepper,
butter, curry powder, salt
4 oz cooked brown rice Tuesday Breakfast: smoothie: 10 oz goat milk and one
banana and 3 oz raspberries Lunch: 16 oz leftover chicken stew
2 oz cashews
2 oz carrots Dinner: 3 oz salmon with ground dill Salad: spinach, romaine,
1
oz muenster cheese, cilantro, salt, olive oil Wednesday Breakfast: 12 oz
apple slices with 1 oz cream cheese Lunch: 8 oz left over eggplant curry
2 oz cheddar cheese
1 oz pumpkin seeds Dinner: 4 oz acorn squash
5 oz broccoli raab sauteed in olive oil Thursday Breakfast: smoothie: 10 oz
goat milk, 3 oz raspberries and one banana Lunch: 2 oz leftover salmon, 4
oz
acorn squash and 5 oz broccoli raab
3 oz cashews  Dinner: 16 oz crockpot roast: beef, potatoes, celery, onions,
carrots, sea salt
4 oz cooked brown rice  Friday Breakfast: 12 oz apple slices with 2 oz
almond butter Lunch: 8 oz leftover eggplant curry
2 oz cheddar cheese
2 oz carrots Dinner: 16 oz leftover roast beef stew Saturday Breakfast: 2
eggs with 1 oz cream cheese and spinach, cooked in butter
2 slices bacon Lunch: 16 oz leftover roast beef stew
5 oz orange Dinner: salad: sardines, romaine, 1 oz muenster cheese,
cilantro, salt, olive oil
  *Price List for the
Whole Organic Food Menu* 1.88 lbs organic oranges $1.86 8.27 lbs organic
Fuji apples $12.32 3.23 lbs organic bananas $2.87 2.47 lbs organic potatoes
$1.95 2.65 lbs * organic onions $3.42 1 lb organic baby carrots $1.39
1.91lbs * organic acorn squash
$2.46 1 organic bell pepper $1.05 1.4 lbs * organic eggplant $2.79 1 bunch
*
organic cilantro $0.99 2 bunches * organic broccoli raab $4.08 1 bunch
organic spinach $1.99 1 head organic romaine $1.39 1 lb organic brown rice,
dry $1.29 1 lb raw cashews $4.29 6 oz * pumpkin seeds $1.54 12 oz almond
butter, fresh ground $5.25 1 whole organic free-range chicken $9.79 1 lb
copper river salmon $12.99 2.25 lbs organic free-range chuck roast beef
$11.23 One package hormone-free bacon $3.49 1/2 gal goat milk $4.78 1/2 lb
organic butter $1.79 1 dozen organic free-range eggs $3.49 8 oz
hormone-free
cream cheese $2.29 12 oz sliced muenster cheese $3.99 12 oz sliced cheddar
cheese $3.99 20 oz. frozen raspberries $3.18 1 can sardines $1.79 1/2 pint
organic olive oil $4.99 2 oz sea salt $0.20 1 oz curry powder $0.34 1 oz
dill powder $0.17 small bottle balsamic vinegar $2.99 *Total: * *$122.42*


We made no attempt to quantify the salad ingredients. Fresh plants and
salads are such anarchy of ingredients, they defy standardization. Cooking
large meals with whole foods is a little trickier to quantify than packages
of pre-weighed processed foods.

The difference is made up in the leftovers. For example, the large crockpot
chicken stew at the beginning of the week, the eggplant curry in the middle
of the week, and the roast beef at the end are massive enough not only for
everyone's dinner, but also for two days' lunches as well, with generous
one-pound portions. The one-pound portions of stew are about half added
water by weight.

Both the salmon dinners and squash-and-broccoli raab dinners are small
enough that the leftovers put together make just one lunch for the family.
The advantage to cooking enormous crockpot or Dutch oven meals, with
subsequent leftovers, is that although it is more time-consuming to prepare
whole food from scratch, it is easier just to do it in fewer larger amounts
during the week. If this still seems daunting, please see my article, Cook
Whole Food from Scratch, and Keep Your Day
Job<http://www.mercola.com/2004/may/29/whole_food_cooking.htm>
.

*The Bottom Line*

You will notice the savings of $1.22 with a mostly organic, whole-food
diet.
In fact, our organic food price list shows higher than realistic prices in
two ways: The prices shown are at retail health food stores in the Phoenix
area. But also in this area, there are at least three organic food-buying
groups, with prices for organic produce at about $1.00 per pound.

Furthermore, if you have a backyard, especially here in the Southwest, you
can save further in ways that processed food eaters can't: Almost all year
we grow salad greens, herbs, braising greens of some kind and/or various
squashes. (The salad herbs oregano, thyme, mint and parsley never quit here
in any season!)

Subtracting the prices of what we are currently pulling out of our backyard
garden from what is on the sample menu:

  Organic cilantro:           $0.99  And organic broccoli raab:   * $4.08 *
We
save an additional:    $5.07

Which means we spend only $122.42 - $5.07 = $117.35 in an average week for
a
three-person family, which is $6.29 less than the family eating all
processed food.

Of course, gardeners in colder climates tend to have really prolific
harvests in summer and fall, which is when they will realize much better
savings. Processed food eaters are entirely dependent on commercial supply,
no matter what the season.

However, the biggest savings of the whole-food eating family has yet to be
calculated, as we consider the difference in medical care needs between
whole food eaters on the one hand, and those who will continue eating for
decades such chemicals as MSG (a.k.a. hydrolyzed wheat protein and several
other names), carcinogens or nerve poisons (a.k.a. pesticides), sugar,
aspartame and other sweeteners, as well as margarine and other trans-fatty
acids, to name some of the most infamous processed food ingredients.

As a wise saying goes, the best reason to eat organic is that pesticides
don't know when to stop killing.

Now answer honestly: Can you afford NOT to eat whole organic food?