From kjk@U.arizona.EDU Sat May 23 21:39:44 1998 Date: Sat, 23 May 1998 16:43:10 -0700 (MST) From: Kimberly J Kuchar To: sanet-mg@shasta.ces.ncsu.edu Subject: Top ten reasons to buy organic Hey all, I picked this up at the University of Arizona Health and Recreation Center. Most of them are pretty basic, but they bring up some interesting points (see Reason 10). Top Ten Reasons to Buy Organic Foods - 1. Keep chemicals off your plate Rather than use pesticides, organic farmers use insects or alternative substances that are efficiently broken down and are harmless, both to the environment and the consumer. The other bonus is that these methods do not pollute the drinking water supplies, threaten wildlife, farmers, or consumers. 2. Significantly Higher Trace Elements There are significantly higher amounts of trace elements found in organically grown foods. These trace elements are important to optimal health. 3. They are Certified Certified organic produce guarantees that the products have been grown and handled according to strict procedures. 4. Organic Farmers Strive to Preserve Diversity The loss of a large variety of species is of serious environmental concern. Organic farmers have been collecting and preserving seeds, and growing unusual varieties of vegetables and fruits for decades. 5. Tastes Great The soils used to grow organic foods are well-balanced and yield strong, healthy plants which taste better. Organic oranges and organic vine riped tomatoes, for example, are sweet and juicy 6. Save Energy Organic farming is still based on manual labor, such as hand weeding, green manure, and crop covers instead of synthetic fertilizers to support soil. Modern farming uses more petroleum than any other single industry. A lot of this energy is used in producing these synthetic fertilizers that organic farmers do not use. 7. Protect Farm Workers A National Cancer Institute study found that farmers exposed to herbicides had six times more risk than non-farmers of developing cancer. Field workers suffer the highest rates of occupational illness in the state of California. Farm worker health is also a serious problem in developing countries as well. An estimated one million people are poisoned annually by pesticides. 8. Help Small Farmers It has been estimated that the U.S has lost more than 650,000 family farms in the past decade. Organic farming could be one of the few survival tactics left for family farmers. 9. Harmony in Nature A healthy ecosystem requires a balance and organic agriculture respects this balance. Wildlife is an essential part of a holistic farm. The balance includes forage crops in rotation, retaining fence rows, wetlands, and other natural areas. 10. More Sex, Better Sex! According to the book, /Living Healthy in a Toxic World/ organic farmer and others who eat foods grown without pesticides have "an unexpectedly high sperm density," in spite of having sex more frequently. Men in this study who consumed organic food, in fact, had twice the sperm count of those who didn't! Reference: New Pioneer Co-op On line http://soli.inav.net/~newpi/organic.html ******************************************************************************* Whoever could make two ears of corn, or two blades of grass, to grow upon a spot of ground where only one grew before, would deserve better of mankind, and do more essential service to his country, than a whole race of politicians put together" - King of Brobdingnog, Gulliver's Travels ******************************************************************************* To Unsubscribe: Email majordomo@ces.ncsu.edu with "unsubscribe sanet-mg". To Subscribe to Digest: Email majordomo@ces.ncsu.edu with the command "subscribe sanet-mg-digest".