TOP TEN REASONS TO BUY ORGANIC

1.       Organic production reduces health risks to growers and consumers.

2.       Organic food tastes BETTER!

3.       Organic products meet stringent standards

4.       Organic farms respect our water resources

5.       Organic farmers build soil fertility

6.       Organic farmers work in harmony with nature

7.       Organic producers are leaders in innovative environmental research

8.       Organic producers strive to preserve diversity

9.       Organic farming helps keep rural communities healthy

10.   WHEATGRASS!!!!

It's Proven Organic is WAY BETTER!

According to new research organic fruit and vegetables are better for the heart and general health than conventionally grown crops.  A ten year study on organic tomatoes found that they contained almost double the quantity of ‘flavonoids’ – antioxidants known to prevent high blood pressure, reduce heart disease and stave off some types of cancer.  The findings have been publishes in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Higher levels of flavonoids are due to the absence of fertilizers in organic farming.  This is because plants produce them as a coping strategy when experiencing nutrient deficiency.  “Spraying a crop with chemicals to protect it means the plant does not need to activate its own self-defense mechanisms.  The chemicals which would naturally be present and from which human health actually benefits are not there,” explains Peter Melchett from the Soil Association.

Recently, the US Environmental Protection Agency stated that organic foods gave children immediate protection from exposure to two pesticides.  Linked to harmful neurological effects in humans and officially banned, these pesticides are still widely used and residues of the toxins are routinely detected in food items commonly consumed.

“By shifting to organic food,” says Guy Dauncey, author of Earthfuture, “we can be healthier.  Our farmers and farm workers can be healthier.  Frogs, worms, butterflies, skylarks and the soil itself can be healthier.  All that it takes is turning away from chemically grown and embrace organic food.”

European Union (EU) – funded research into the mineral depletion of food found that over 51 years, there has been an average loss in sodium by 49%, magnesium by 24%, calcium by 46%, iron by 27% and copper by a staggering 76%.  This means a person would have had to eat 10 tomatoes in 1991 to get the same level of copper they would have got from one tomato in 1940.

“Minerals play a huge role in human physiology to help maintain homeostasis.  The significant loss of these essential minerals highlights the difficulties in achieving a fully adequate diet with the currently available foods,” warns the report.

In another study, The Soil Association found that animals also fared better on organic produce.  Rabbits had twice the level of fertility and chickens had a 28% higher rate of egg production.  The report also informed that wildlife is healthier and more varied on organic farms (This story was provided by Positive News)

The following is a condensation of Steve Meyerowitz’s book Wheatgrass, Nature’s Finest Medicine:
Sometimes finding the right motivator is a bit of a challenge.  If you're looking for a bit of extra motivation to gain better health see which of the following points mean something to you.  They are all linked to the advantages of breaking free from unhealthy eating habits:

You'll cut your cancer risk:  If you have ever wondered whether breaking a meat-and-cheese habit is worth it, studies of organic vegetarians show that you can expect to cut your cancer risk by a good 40-70%.

You'll slim down:  By stepping away from caloric-dense foods, you'll have a much easier time trimming your waistline.

You'll reverse heart disease:  In the classic research study conducted by Dean Ormish, M.D., 82% of individuals who switched to a low-fat, organic, vegetarian diet, along with exercise and stress management, actually reversed their heart disease.  This is especially important, given that most people in western countries have the beginning of artery blockages before they finish high school.

You'll stay young sexually:  Ordinary impotence, which is common in middle-aged and older men, is not caused by performance anxiety.  It is caused by blocked arteries.  In the same way that blockages in the arteries to the heart lead to heart attacks and blockages in the carotid arteries leading to the brain cause strokes, blockages in the arteries to the genitals lead to impotence.  That's right - a Philly Cheese Steak doesn't make you a better Romeo, but the veggie burger might just do the trick.

You can prevent diabetes, or even reverse it:  Research studies show that if you change your diet enough, type 2 diabetes improves or even disappears, and all the problems it causes - heart disease, blindness, kidney disease, and amputations are much less likely to occur.  When you get the fat out of your diet, insulin works much more efficiently, enabling many people with diabetes to reduce their medications or get off them completely.  If you have type 1 diabetes, you can minimize your insulin to the smallest possible dose.

You can reduce your blood pressure:  In research studies, a combination of diet changes and exercise can bring down blood pressure enough that most people can reduce or even stop their medications.  A note of caution:  High blood pressure can be very dangerous, so let your doctor decide if and when the time is right to stop medication.

You can say good-bye to constipation:  Switching from a fiber-depleted diet loaded with sugar, chocolate, cheese and meat to a menu filled with healthy organic vegetables, fruits, beans and whole grains gives your digestive tract everything it needs to work properly.  You can throw away the laxatives.

You might cut the risk of appendicitis:  The improved movement of intestinal contents caused by a healthy, high-fiber diet may be the reason organic vegetarians are much less likely to develop appendicitis.  The condition usually starts with a bit of compacted stool (from a low-fiber diet) clogging the opening of the appendix.