Organic Foods

[Green]

I'm hardly surprised to find out you're not a chemist, economist, or farmer...

 

I'm also not surprised that you resorted to pointing to a "documentary" as your "explanation" than actually taking the time to digest the information and answer my question. All you're doing is throwing information back at me that you got from a movie. No thought needed right? The guy in the movie said it was true, so it must be!

 

You felt the need to justify yourself earlier... Why not defend your position now?

 

actualy I read the book that the documentary is based on called "fast food nation" the book is well written and sites all of its sources. also the website I sent you to also has links to sources so you could educate yourself.

 

I've explained it all to you but you still don't seem to understand so now it is the time for you to think for yourself instead of pointlessly arguing with my valid points.

[Star Gazer]

I didn't realize people were so passionate about this subject...

[Leigh 87]

D - LISH - young girls are growing breasts as a direct result of our food. THINK about it; thousands of years ago, think about what and how humans ate. Fast forward to the past century or even less, and things have changed from the way we previously lived for thousands or years.

 

Our bodies are not ideally suited to the hormones, and other substances that are so readily added to our food. People who deny that premature breasts, early puberty, and the increasing number cancers ( which have increased rapidly in correlation with the use of chemicals), are JUST trying to make themselves feel better about how the world has changed for the worst ( in terms of our food, and the chemicals used in our general environment).

 

Personally, I grew breasts at about 10 and developed quiet early. NOt every girl I know did, as this is also to do with genetics, but I do know that IT IS NOT simply a " natural" thing, for the age of puberty to get younger and younger; there IS a external cause, and it is not just based on genetics. What we eat is largely to blame.

 

GREEN - It is true, that there really is nothing we can to to stop the world from ending. But we can at least make things better along the way, and doing small things, like trying to buy organic and refusing to eat meat if it is corn fed and raised in those revolting conditions, are some ways people should choose to live.

 

I would rather stop eating meat and animals then resorting to the American, conventional farming methods, where by cows are fed CORN, LOL! it is SUCH a joke. Europe and Australia and perhaps other countries, from what I hear, raise their cattle more in tune to how they are SUPPOSED to be raised; they are grass fed, and not pumped full of as many antiobiotics as a result of being fed their natural diet ( of grass).

 

In Aus, our meet is grass fed from what I hear, but I still buy organic when I can. OUr meet tastes and looks fairly good.

 

And as far aas Maccas goes... seriously, I do not even consider Mc donalds FOOD lol! it is a bunch of chemicals bound together and shaped as a burger.

 

The thing is, some people have good genes, and can abuse their body with these " non" foods and live to an old age; but even if these people ate a more natural diet and ditched " fake" foods, they would live a BETTER life, ( even though they had good genes to begin with, their lives can still be a better version of their fast food guzzling lives if they ate naturally).

 

I, on the other hand, have dodgy genes, and get terrible acne, and bcome over weight, and look and feel like cr@p if I consistently eat a diet of chemicals.

 

It has taken me several years, but I dictched chemicals in food, and I look and feel like a different person. Literally. And all I have to do is not eat chemicals in food.

 

Some people fair just fine on a diet full of man manufactured chemicals, but hot every one is so lucky. Or, in a way they ARE lucky, because people like me HAVE to do something due to not wanting to look revolting with a face full of pimples and hormonal problems, and weight issues.

 

I am positive that there are other people like me, who have genes that, if they eat Mcdonalds and other non foods regularly, and then cut out such foods, they can go from spotty and hormonally challenged, to having clearer skin and being MUCH healthier.

[tman666]

I didn't realize people were so passionate about this subject...

 

Personally, I could care less what people eat. Whether or not someone chooses to eat all organic or not makes absolutely no difference to me.

 

What makes me cringe is when I people the assertion that "the world is ending" and then list a bunch of either overblown or blatantly false reasons why, without offering any sort of real "A leads to B leads to C" logical arguments. Listing one, politically slanted source as a substitute for logical, well thought out arguments is not a strong enough platform to stand on when making those kinds of forecasts.

 

FWIW, (I know, this is the Internetz, anyone can say anything and be anything) my professional background is heavily tied into this subject. I've studied it (not organic food, mind you, but water treatment and water resources management) in depth at a university setting, I've worked in the field, and I've seen first hand what kind of problems lack of water resource management leads to.

 

So when someone calls me out and shoots their mouth off about something they read in a book and really have no idea about, ya damn right I'm gonna holla back.

[CLC2008]

Yes, I have to agree with the others, nuts are awesome.

 

I like organic yogurt and a few other organic products, I find them to be better with my digestive system.

 

And for the hamburger lovers, there is a place called Elevation Burger, that has organic beef, and by far one of the best hamburgers I've ever tasted.

[GorillaTheater]

Although I'm not terribly gung-ho on "organic", I try to eat healthy and raise a fair bit of my own food. We're pretty much self-sufficient in terms of salsa and chicken, anyways. And there is some comfort in knowing where your food's been.

[Trimmer]

Truthfuly the only way we can avoid a major rift in society is if technology keeps one step ahead of us which it probably won't because technology itself is causing problems.

... and there's the paradox. We want to (a) keep having children, and yet, oddly enough, (b) we want to feed them once we have them.

 

It's all very nice for fat Americans and Europeans to fantasize about getting their food from small, local farms where the farmer walks among unstressed chickens in his Birkenstocks, but the whole reason that our arable land has been able to support the increased world population that it has (and that is arguable...) is because of the very technological production methods that have been developed. And yes, sorry to say it and I know it's a nuclear, hot-button topic, but GM crops are a part of that.

 

Nice of us fat, over-fed westerners to go down into sub-Saharan Africa and convince the populations and governments down there that GM crops are all bad and all evil, and a plot to control their countries. We're really doing them a favor there. Let's ship them Birkenstocks instead.

 

The way we make food currently is NOT sustainable and it may seem CHEAP to you but the real costs are very well hidden at this point the same way the real cost of oil is very well hidden.

What drives this and what's not SUSTAINABLE is indefinite population growth. Fundamental point: in order to feed more human beings from our finite earth, we need to either (a) exploit an increasing proportion of our natural resources (which are stil finite, regardless...) or (b) continually increase the efficiency of our production methods.

 

I'm not necessarily a "sky is falling" person, but in the long run, we've painted ourselves into a bit of a corner here, and on one hand, we sleep at night by believing that technology will save us, we spend our days lobbying against it and wringing our hands, pining for "the way it used to be."

 

Continual population increase will continue to drive all these problems.

 

Hmmm.. maybe I am a "sky is falling" person...

Edited September 28, 2010 by Trimmer

[In_Repair]

Quick, everyone go down to the local grocer to buy some fresh organic foods... and also buy some fresh non-organic foods of the same type. Have someone else prepare them and see how many of you can actually tell the difference in a side by side comparison.

 

Not many of you, and your correct picks would most likely just be lucky guesses.

 

Better for the environment? Yeah... lets cover every inch of the earth with tiny little inefficient organic farms that still couldn't produce enough to feed the worlds population. Going broke in the process would just add to the fun. I bet a $10 tomato would taste soooo much better. As a matter of fact, why stop with stepping back in time by 35 years? Lets go back to growing and handling food the way they did it hundreds of years ago, when things were so much healthier, and people lived to the ripe old age of 40...

 

Using practical modern means of food production is the only option at this point.

Edited September 28, 2010 by In_Repair
.....

[tman666]

Quick, everyone go down to the local grocer to buy some fresh organic foods... and also buy some fresh non-organic foods of the same type. Have someone else prepare them and see how many of you can actually tell the difference in a side by side comparison.

 

Not many of you, and your correct picks would most likely just be lucky guesses.

 

Better for the environment? Yeah... lets cover every inch of the earth with tiny little inefficient organic farms that still couldn't produce enough to feed the worlds population. Going broke in the process would just add to the fun. I bet a $10 tomato would taste soooo much better. As a matter of fact, why stop with stepping back in time by 35 years? Lets go back to growing and handling food the way they did it hundreds of years ago, when things were so much healthier, and people lived to the ripe old age of 40...

 

Using practical modern means of food production is the only option at this point.

 

Someone else gets it! Thank the gods!

[Green]

Personally, I could care less what people eat. Whether or not someone chooses to eat all organic or not makes absolutely no difference to me.

 

Yeah thats pretty clear. I think if people changed the way they ate as little as 30% (just to throw a number out there) it would make a big difference.

 

 

FWIW, (I know, this is the Internetz, anyone can say anything and be anything) my professional background is heavily tied into this subject. I've studied it (not organic food, mind you, but water treatment and water resources management) in depth at a university setting, I've worked in the field, and I've seen first hand what kind of problems lack of water resource management leads to.

 

Well then you can agree that farming arid lands (california) by moving water from surounding areas isn't going to last or end well. You also realize this is disrupting the natural water cycle most of us learned about as kids.

 

So when someone calls me out and shoots their mouth off about something they read in a book and really have no idea about' date=' ya damn right I'm gonna holla back.[/quote']

 

It's called drawing on the knowledge of others. You should try it some time.

 

I think you are much easier to discredit when you just throw out "my proffessional background is heavily tied into this subject" and then end it right there... If you're so heavily tied into this subject then why not give a very specific source that outlines you're view. Maybe you wrote your own article, paper, or book on the subject. Maybe you're full **** as it appears.

 

... and there's the paradox. We want to (a) keep having children, and yet, oddly enough, (b) we want to feed them once we have them.

 

It's all very nice for fat Americans and Europeans to fantasize about getting their food from small, local farms where the farmer walks among unstressed chickens in his Birkenstocks, but the whole reason that our arable land has been able to support the increased world population that it has (and that is arguable...) is because of the very technological production methods that have been developed. And yes, sorry to say it and I know it's a nuclear, hot-button topic, but GM crops are a part of that.

 

Nice of us fat, over-fed westerners to go down into sub-Saharan Africa and convince the populations and governments down there that GM crops are all bad and all evil, and a plot to control their countries. We're really doing them a favor there. Let's ship them Birkenstocks instead.

 

 

What drives this and what's not SUSTAINABLE is indefinite population growth. Fundamental point: in order to feed more human beings from our finite earth, we need to either (a) exploit an increasing proportion of our natural resources (which are stil finite, regardless...) or (b) continually increase the efficiency of our production methods.

 

I'm not necessarily a "sky is falling" person, but in the long run, we've painted ourselves into a bit of a corner here, and on one hand, we sleep at night by believing that technology will save us, we spend our days lobbying against it and wringing our hands, pining for "the way it used to be."

 

Continual population increase will continue to drive all these problems.

 

Hmmm.. maybe I am a "sky is falling" person...

 

I don't like being in a position to just plan for the best and hope it happens. I say we plan for the worst and hope for the best... and live frugaly instead of having these BIG supermarkets full of food that a lot of just gets thrown out wether by the store or the people who buy it and throw it out. Its sick. Food should cost MORE and technology HIDES the true cost of food with CHEMICALS that ARE having an effect. (increasingly negative) We have only been using these farming methods for a SHORT time like 30 years and it is having an EFFECT so GREAT.

 

China already has to go into other countries to get farming land... THIS IS A REALITY. They go into countries that can't feed themselves and take farming land.

 

If you don't understand that the world is going from over 6 billion people to over 9 billion people in the next decade or two then you don't understand what I'm talking about. Food cannot be counted on the way it is today. You can't just say "oh we're going to use a lot of expensive chemicals (that become less afordable every day) and make this land usuable) its not sustainable. Same way we have a market crash with money a BIG market crash is comming with food and it will hit the entire world if we don't CHANGE.

[tman666]

I think you are much easier to discredit when you just throw out "my proffessional background is heavily tied into this subject" and then end it right there... If you're so heavily tied into this subject then why not give a very specific source that outlines you're view. Maybe you wrote your own article, paper, or book on the subject. Maybe you're full **** as it appears.

 

Don't think for one second that I'm going to waste my time (or yours) by gathering my sources to present to someone who can barely spell. I know I'm not going to change your mind, and that's fine. You're allowed to think whatever you want.

 

However, the "facts" that you have thrown out there are, from what I've been taught (by multiple, internationally recognized professors who conduct research in everything we're talking about here) and what I've personally seen with my own eyes, full of ****. I never said I was an expert. All I said was that my professional background and formal education is tied into the subject. Reading a book and "drawing on the knowledge of others" is a good start, but it is not the end all to an argument.

 

I think I'll pick up a copy of Food, Inc. I want to see for myself what kind of sources they cite to support their assertions. I'm sure I'll learn some things that I didn't know before. (Not being sarcastic, btw).

 

On the California problem: what would you suggest that people there do? Abandon their homes and move to Seattle? Humans have been storing and transporting water for many centuries. It's necessary for our survival at our current population. I don't like seeing natural rivers dammed up or canals everywhere either, but there is no other alternative. Millions would die without the water systems we currently have in place. Recommending that everyone revert to a stone age lifestyle is an easy enough answer, but unrealistic in the extreme.

[Green]

Don't think for one second that I'm going to waste my time (or yours) by gathering my sources to present to someone who can barely spell. I know I'm not going to change your mind, and that's fine. You're allowed to think whatever you want.

 

However, the "facts" that you have thrown out there are, from what I've been taught (by multiple, internationally recognized professors who conduct research in everything we're talking about here) and what I've personally seen with my own eyes, full of ****. I never said I was an expert. All I said was that my professional background and formal education is tied into the subject. Reading a book and "drawing on the knowledge of others" is a good start, but it is not the end all to an argument.

 

I think I'll pick up a copy of Food, Inc. I want to see for myself what kind of sources they cite to support their assertions. I'm sure I'll learn some things that I didn't know before. (Not being sarcastic, btw).

 

On the California problem: what would you suggest that people there do? Abandon their homes and move to Seattle? Humans have been storing and transporting water for many centuries. It's necessary for our survival at our current population. I don't like seeing natural rivers dammed up or canals everywhere either, but there is no other alternative. Millions would die without the water systems we currently have in place. Recommending that everyone revert to a stone age lifestyle is an easy enough answer, but unrealistic in the extreme.

 

The entire movie is on youtube heres part 1 of 11... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyagLY1Nem8

[tman666]

The entire movie is on youtube heres part 1 of 11... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyagLY1Nem8

 

Damn, I wish my computer had a sound card... (On crappy work computer, out in the field, bored to tears)

[Trimmer]

I don't like being in a position to just plan for the best and hope it happens. I say we plan for the worst and hope for the best... and live frugaly instead of having these BIG supermarkets full of food that a lot of just gets thrown out wether by the store or the people who buy it and throw it out. Its sick. Food should cost MORE and technology HIDES the true cost of food with CHEMICALS that ARE having an effect.

One important chemical family that relates to this are the simple hydrocarbons - fossil fuels. I would also say that fuel should cost more, instead of having its full, true cost hidden. But I suppose that's another thread...

 

China already has to go into other countries to get farming land... THIS IS A REALITY. They go into countries that can't feed themselves and take farming land.

 

If you don't understand that the world is going from over 6 billion people to over 9 billion people in the next decade or two then you don't understand what I'm talking about.

I understand exactly what you are talking about; didn't you get that this was the point of my post: our continually increasing population is driving all of these issues.

 

My point is that you seem to think the problem is being caused by our current methods of food production, and that the solution is to go back to small, organic farms. My counterpoint is that this isn't likely to resolve exactly the kinds of problems you yourself are pointing out (e.g. in China, if that's a credible piece of information.)

 

Our current production methods, large and efficiency-based (and with their acknowledged problems, short- and long-term) are already having trouble keeping up with the world's food needs - you said yourself that China is taking farming land away from countries that can't feed themselves.... Are you going to go sell them on small, local, organic farms?

 

Food cannot be counted on the way it is today. You can't just say "oh we're going to use a lot of expensive chemicals (that become less afordable every day) and make this land usuable) its not sustainable. Same way we have a market crash with money a BIG market crash is comming with food and it will hit the entire world if we don't CHANGE.

I agree - I already said we're painting ourselves into a corner, and I believe that propulation growth is the proximate driver. But are you asserting that shifting farming away from high-efficiency production toward small, local production is going to make that better as we go from 6 to 9 billion people in the world? Not just in your affluent state, county, and town (where you ship in whatever you can't make locally) but worldwide?

Edited September 28, 2010 by Trimmer

[Leigh 87]

I am still in the proceses of researching this area, but the concept of how we eat NOW, VS how we are designed to eat, boggles me.

 

It isjust absolutaly a terrible thing to me, the notion that we evolved eating animnals we killed, nuts and crap from the earch that we picked outselves, and later on about 10,000 or so yearsd ago after the invention of agrigulture, grains. BUt even then the bread was just bread. No anti caking agent, soy lecitin, emilsifies, preservatives, and bread improvers.

 

I mean, I do not eat a good ratio of foods; I have not eaten fish or meat with vegetables for dinner, for months. However, I still feel healthy and good about my diet, because at least what I eat is FOOD; no chemials that humans have to products through science.

 

I just had a sandwhich for dinner, which is nto the meat and low carb vegetables that I had been previously having for years. But the bread contained : rye flour, olive oil, seeds, and salt. I spread it with sunflower seed paste, and threw in baby spinach. REAL FOOD.

 

The concept of non organic farming methods and practicies is only ONE concept that saddens me. it is needed to sustain our population, but it is just tragic that humans have to eat food in a way that food IS NOT BEST SUITED for our bodies, just as a means of surviving as a species.

[shadowofman]

Just sort of popped in her at the end. It's wonderful that you have a concept of paleolithic nutrition though Leigh. But reconsider your understanding of organic. It's is absolutely true that agriculture is necessary to sustain the huge populations we have today, so it would be impossible to go back to hunter gatherer practice. But we can modify our agriculture to create a better product than we currently create. Biotechnology is advancing at a very rapid pace. Before you define organic, I have another question for you.

 

What constitutes inorganic? We can eliminate these poor agricultural practices from our production if we can prove that they are harmful to us.

 

I would suggest that caustic pesticides can be eliminated with environmentally controlled, indoor farming and it would no be considered inorganic.

 

Soil and land issues can be solved with vertical and urban farms. Nothing inorganic about that.

 

Crops can be genetically modified. In fact, every cultivated plant for human consumption, even fruits and vegetables currently labelled organic, are already GMOs. In fact, every offspring is a GM version of its parent. Genetic modification is the process by which life exists in such variety. It's the definition of organic. It is up to us to choose the healthiest varieties.

 

Meat production is tricky. It's the most destructive force on the planet. But meat is a healthy staple dietary item. Factory farms are destroying lives. We can eliminate these horrible practices and maintain the same productivity. In the future, and with the help of stem cells, we will have murderless meat factories, pollution will be completely controlled and the product will be of the highest quality fat/protein contents. We will require legislation to see this in the near future. Or necessity/catastrophe will prompt the changes.

[Leigh 87]

I cannot give you a scientifically sound answer about what constitutes as organic food. I know that there is not as much perstercides used to protect the food from pests, because they do it with more labor intenensive methods, but that is about all I know.

 

I am still very interested in furthering my understanding of the concept of organic food, and what the current practices are among the food industires and other related fields, in terms of both how they produce food, and the other factors which drive the need for some of the atrocious ways anmals are treated in non organic food; although I am not even sure that organic meat and chicken are safe from that abuse. I do not know much on the matter, and want to learn more.

 

I only see things in very basic terms, and that is the image of humans evolving with certain foods, and with certain chemicals exposed to them in the environment, and then all of a sudden at the very, very end of our evolutionary tract, we are suddenly bonbarded with a myriad of chemicals, in every single prodiucts we use face care, food, the crao in our air, etc).

 

I have personally notices a difference since I have eliminated those chemicals that are concocted and then added to our foods. But our food to begin with is very different to how it was thousands of years ago. SO our bodies will always have to deal with adaption to some extent, even if we ARE NOT capable of adapting fully and idealling to the current chemical situation.

 

I am not sure where organic food comes into all of this, although organic food does normally have less cruel farming factories for animals, and less chemicals in contact with the foods. Less is better, but things are still not ideal.

 

I still try to buy organic when I can. Because even knowing that I am eating one or two less chemicals is worth the higher price, in my predicament; if I was struggling financially, I would of course not really mind buying NON organic, because I have acepted that i cannot avoid chemicals altogether in food, all food is different to how we have evoled eating it, so I am not phased with non organic.

 

Organic raw sugart free chocolate is THE BEST by the way:) Sorry, but it makes me happy. INGREDIENTS IN IT: cacoa powder and butter, agave nectare, dried sour cherries, vanilla bean.

 

Seriously. This is one invention I am thrilled about. Even if the world is falling apart in every way imaginable, at least I can eat pure chocolate, that is actually chocolate, without the awful, harmful chemicals a non foods added to it lol.

 

I bought some sour cherry chocolate today because I ate the whole block yesterday and needed more. Ah well. A sugar free, pure chocolate addiction is better than drugs I guess.

[shadowofman]

Haha. I am going to school for nutrition and agricultural biotechnology. I hope to be working toward the big solutions to these problems. By no means an expert yet, but I know a lot.

 

The important thing to remember is that the word organic doesn't actually have a specific definition. I could call my feces organic and get away with it. The health benefits of food items must be taken on a case by case basis.

 

Where chemical pesticides used?

What chemicals?

Are these chemicals known to be harmful?

 

What are the industrial practices involved in raising this livestock?

What are the industrial practices involved in harvesting the meat?

 

It would be amazing if all of this information were available for every item in the market, and I believe that one day they will be. Beyond that, the term organic is a subjective label. If there were to be a mandated set of qualifications for the title, these qualities would be arbitrary.

 

I subscribe to a pre-agricultural template for a good diet hypothesis. This would include fruits, vegetables, and meat and must be edible in raw form even if they are not to be eaten raw. The current science is breaking everything down to the molecule to observe specific effects on the body, so there are mountains of unknowns.

[Green]

Haha. I am going to school for nutrition and agricultural biotechnology. I hope to be working toward the big solutions to these problems. By no means an expert yet, but I know a lot.

 

The important thing to remember is that the word organic doesn't actually have a specific definition. I could call my feces organic and get away with it. The health benefits of food items must be taken on a case by case basis.

 

Where chemical pesticides used?

What chemicals?

Are these chemicals known to be harmful?

 

What are the industrial practices involved in raising this livestock?

What are the industrial practices involved in harvesting the meat?

 

It would be amazing if all of this information were available for every item in the market, and I believe that one day they will be. Beyond that, the term organic is a subjective label. If there were to be a mandated set of qualifications for the title, these qualities would be arbitrary.

 

I subscribe to a pre-agricultural template for a good diet hypothesis. This would include fruits, vegetables, and meat and must be edible in raw form even if they are not to be eaten raw. The current science is breaking everything down to the molecule to observe specific effects on the body, so there are mountains of unknowns.

 

That would make me some what happy. To have more trasparancy about what and where and how we got our food.

[Angel1111]

Haha. I am going to school for nutrition and agricultural biotechnology. I hope to be working toward the big solutions to these problems. By no means an expert yet, but I know a lot.

 

The important thing to remember is that the word organic doesn't actually have a specific definition. I could call my feces organic and get away with it. The health benefits of food items must be taken on a case by case basis.

 

Organic may be subject to cloudy government standards, but I have my own version of organic and I stick with that. I may miss the mark every now and then, but I think overall I get it right. As I stated in an earlier post, I actually put 'humanity toward animals' above organic. I have a choice about what I put in my body, the animals have no choice about being tortured. The movie "Food, Inc." is an eye-opener on this topic, and one of the people in the film - the owner of Polyface Farms - calls it 'food with a conscience' or 'honest food' (something along those lines). I'm not opposed to eating meat but I'm excessively opposed to treating animals with the kind of disrespect and disregard for life that many of the major meat industies do. It's completely inexcusable and needs to stop immediately.

 

With the degree you're getting, I applaud you and I hope you become one of the few who will change this nation in regards to food. It's a total mess that needs to be cleaned up. It's not going to happen overnight but we can all do something -- every time we walk into a grocery store, we vote with the things we buy. Ask yourself: What is your vote saying? What is it supporting?

[Leigh 87]

QUOTE - I subscribe to a pre-agricultural template for a good diet hypothesis. This would include fruits, vegetables, and meat and must be edible in raw form even if they are not to be eaten raw.

 

 

I tried this once, I avoided grains, dairy, legumes, and all items that would not have been available pre agriculture. The forms I tried this in were the paleolithic diet, which was HIGH in animal protein like meat, had a little sweet potato, and all raw vegetables ( why cook them from their natural state?).

 

The other form of the pre agricultural thing, was a raw vegan approach, in which I only ate foods that were in their natural state, as found in nature. Unfortunately I dreamed of steak and fish and became delusional. No thanks.

 

 

I was not neessarily bothered about the function of organics in terms of my food preferences, although I did like foods to be altered as little asp ossible from their natural states, and organi foods are sprayed with less crap and therefore more close to how humans have evolved eating such foods.

 

An example of this, is the raw chocolate I eat; it is organic, however, cacoa has not been consumed too far back into our evolution, and the cacoa bean has to have the shell broken, and the ingredients extracted, and the cacoa powder and butter and then processed further.

 

My organic choc I eat is raw, so after extracting the cacoa products out of their shell, it is esentially pressed together into a block of chocolate, combined with dried cherries or whatever flavour I fancy.

 

 

So I would rather eat non organic sweet potato which has skin on it, than to eat raw ORGANIC chocolate, because the NON ORGANIC sweet potato is still CLOSER to how food is to it snatural state.

 

The thing you have chosen to study is something I would have considered studying, if Ihad read about it being an option. However, I am going the food science and nutrition route. And it was an easy degree to gain an entrance score into lol. Only 70 poinds on the Australian HSC scale.

 

OMG though - so many people study your chosen area, yet end up working for bad food corporations, that do NOT consider the long term health consequences and the false sense of cheap food.

 

Cheap food = the bodies who injest it to not function optimally which = the people who are more suseptable to being ill which = more diseases due to the new chemials that our bodies are not accustomd to which = greater medical expensive.. and so on.

 

 

 

Once I have done enough research about organic foods, I hope to learn about MORE of the types of chemicals that are added to food, as well as HOW these additional chemials react in our bodies.

 

Furthermore, I would like to gain a better understanding of what the best course of action is, to maximize the way that we eat, which covers everything, such as the cost of transportation of the foods and the resources involved in that, as well as the health benificts VS the exztra cost of sustainable and more chemical free farming methods.

 

ONE thing is for sure though; I just CANNOT see WHY humanizing the treatment of animals is not a HUGE priority! SURELY there is a way to be able to treat animals humanely ( AKA NOT having chickens packed together in disgusting amounts so they cannot even move, where many die in their own crap).

 

Does any one have any good sources from which i can gain information regarding these issues on? I'd like to read up on all the issues i have outlined, and would appreciate any usefull links to infrotmation on the web that people would recommend, OR UTUBE videos are always fun too!

[Leigh 87]

Shadowofman - Would you like to share a little of some of the ways in which you envision yourself helping further the developement of betterfarming practicies?

 

Ultimately, DO you think that " organic" food is the desired end result of your mission, or what are some of the other things you hope to achieve?

[pureinheart]

Yeah, the one thing he said we must buy organic is strawberries. I eat a TON of strawberries... but not the organic variety. They're almost twice as much $$, and aren't in abundance the way the "regular" berries are.

 

I guess my question is, is pesticide really all that bad?

 

And are frozen fruits/veggies pesticide free?

 

I was watching a program that stated frozen stuff is fresher as it is immediately frozen upon processing...not sure if theis is true or not, but it does make sense.

[pureinheart]

Organic may be subject to cloudy government standards, but I have my own version of organic and I stick with that. I may miss the mark every now and then, but I think overall I get it right. As I stated in an earlier post, I actually put 'humanity toward animals' above organic. I have a choice about what I put in my body, the animals have no choice about being tortured. The movie "Food, Inc." is an eye-opener on this topic, and one of the people in the film - the owner of Polyface Farms - calls it 'food with a conscience' or 'honest food' (something along those lines). I'm not opposed to eating meat but I'm excessively opposed to treating animals with the kind of disrespect and disregard for life that many of the major meat industies do. It's completely inexcusable and needs to stop immediately.

 

With the degree you're getting, I applaud you and I hope you become one of the few who will change this nation in regards to food. It's a total mess that needs to be cleaned up. It's not going to happen overnight but we can all do something -- every time we walk into a grocery store, we vote with the things we buy. Ask yourself: What is your vote saying? What is it supporting?

 

Wow, this post is awesome. Angel, I can't handle cruelty to animals at all or children...this post speaks of animals, so I wanted to throw that in. There is a movie currently out about a lady who changed the industry and exposed the cruelty...she met much opposition (I am sooo shocked).

 

I have to comment on your avatar...OMG....for the last year when I look at the clock it's 11:11...this might not be so unusual although it happens a lot, then my daughter noticed this and mentioned it to me and I freaked. The address where she worked was 1111, then I noticed your screen name 1111...FTR am retired and don't look at the clock that much or don't have much of a need...

[Green]

Shadowofman - Would you like to share a little of some of the ways in which you envision yourself helping further the developement of betterfarming practicies?

 

Ultimately, DO you think that " organic" food is the desired end result of your mission, or what are some of the other things you hope to achieve?

 

Heres a youtube vid about vertical farms. Its short but kinda entertaining

 

The wikipedia article gives a good overview of the concept which doesn't work well considering trasportation costs arn't that high and staple products like corn and rice don't lend themselves well to verticle farming http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vertical_farming.

 

I was watching a program that stated frozen stuff is fresher as it is immediately frozen upon processing...not sure if theis is true or not, but it does make sense.

 

They say its picked and frozen at its peak... but nothing beats buying in season fresh fruits and vegatables both in taste and nutrients.

 

But frozen vegatables which were frozen in peak probably beat out of season of peak fruits and vegatables picked far away and before being ripe.

 

I just really hate all frozen food. but I will on ocassion have frozen vegatables. Canned vegatables on the other hand lose A LOT of nutrients.