Why You Should Never Eat Nonorganic Green Beans

For real. You definitely don't want these on your plate, Consumer Reports finds out.

Sometimes organic just isn't available. So is it safe to go the nonorganic route if there's no other feasible option? While organic is always best if you're trying to protect your family from chemicals linked to breast cancer, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, ADHD, thyroid problems, and other ills, Consumer Reports recently released a super-handy report that helps you figure out which veggies are riskier choices than others whenever you're in a position where organic isn't an option.

For instance, researchers found nonorganic green beans to be among the riskiest produce picks you could eat.

In the report, veteran researcher Charles Benbrook, PhD, a collaborator on the Consumer Reports report and leader of the Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources at Washington State University, had this to say: "Acephate, and its breakdown product methamidophos, on green beans was the No. 1 risk driver in 2013. That use accounted for around one-half of total risk across all pesticides and food."

Because of this, green beans fall into the report's "very high risk" category. And the thing about green beans is that they are consistently contaminated with toxic pesticides. Looking at the measure of both the amount of pesticide residues found on the beans and the chemicals' toxicity, green beans have landed on the very-high-risk category nearly every year since testing began in 1992.

The Consumer Reports' From Crop to Table Pesticide Use in Produce explains that the organophosphate chemical acephate is among the most concerning chemicals showing up on green beans, despite the fact that the Environmental Protection Agency canceled its use in 2009. (Organophosphate bug-killing chemicals are associated with brain damage in people. That makes sense, since they are designed to scramble a pest's nervous system.)

The Environmental Working Group recently also came out with its list of pesticide-laden produce, calling it the 2015 Dirty Dozen list. To add to this body of research, Consumer Reports' report on green beans and other high-risk produce (in terms of pesticides)—including peaches, tangerines, plums (from Chile, but not America), apples (from America, but not New Zealand), green beans, bell peppers, hot peppers, and sweet potatoes—makes it easier for you to make smarter choices while shopping for produce. (Be empowered by this knowledge; don't shy away from eating produce, since eating more veggies has consistently been shown to help you live longer.)

If you find it's difficult to get your hands on organic produce, use these 5 great tips on what to do if organic isn't available.

[via Rodale News]

Make 2015 an Organic Year

2014 was the year of science supporting the benefits of organic food and farming: for human health, pollinator health, and the health of the environment.

To help you ring in the new year and truly turn over a new healthy leaf, The Organic Center has transformed the top ten studies of 2014 into New Year's resolutions that show how to improve the state of your diet and the state of our planet by choosing organic.

1. Be Health-Minded,  Eat Organic

A review of the latest research on the effects of organic agriculture and crops on public health found a clear health advantage in consuming organically produced food instead of conventionally produced. Published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, the findings concluded the lower pesticide residue levels in organic produce were a significant factor in helping account for these benefits.

2. Get Pesticides Out of Your Life

Pesticides, linked to numerous health problems, are still found on conventional produce in the grocery store. A study showed that eating an organic diet for just seven days can significantly reduce your exposure to pesticides. The research found pesticide metabolite levels in a group of individuals who ate a diet of at least 80 percent organic for a week were cut by up to 96 percent.

3. Load Up on Antioxidant-Rich Foods

A key study of 2014 showed organic fruits and vegetables have higher levels of antioxidants.  Researchers found that if you choose organic rather than conventional fruits and vegetables, you can get an average of 20-40 percent increase in antioxidants!  Antioxidants protect our cells against the effects of free radicals, which can damage cells in the body and trigger disease.

4. Bee Concerned

Commercial beekeepers are losing an average of 30 percent of their colonies each winter. This is  a problem for bee-pollinated crops such as almonds, apples, cucumbers, avocados, oranges, and berries. One of the major contributors to bee deaths is exposure to pesticides, particularly neonicotinoids. In 2014, a study published by Harvard researchers supported and strengthened research in 2012 that found a link between neonicotinoid use and colony collapse disorder.

5. Save Organic Citrus

A disease called citrus greening has devastated thousands of acres of citrus trees in the United States, and may even cause domestic citrus to disappear altogether. Research on controlling this disease focuses on toxic pesticide sprays and the development of GMO citrus varieties. The Organic Center has teamed up with professors at universities, industry members, and organic growers to launch a large-scale study looking at organic solutions to citrus greening. Visit the Organic Center Citrus Greening page.

6. Do Your Part. Help Slow Down Climate Change

Research shows good news for climate change mitigation: organically managed soils could reverse the trend of increasing CO2 in the atmosphere! Conducted by the Rodale Institute, the research looks in-depth at how farming systems affect greenhouse gas emission, and illustrates the ability of soil to mitigate climate change when managed organically.

7. The More the Merrier! Support Biodiversity

A study in the Journal of Applied Ecology found that organic farms support more species than conventional farms. On average, organic farms support 34 percent more plant, insect, and animal species than conventional farms. When the researchers looked at pollinators such as bees individually, they found that organic farms had 50 percent higher species diversity.

8. Focus on Soil Health

A study on healthy soil biodiversity published in Agronomy for Sustainable Development found that conservation and organic farming techniques boost the number of soil organisms when compared to conventional farming. The researchers measured soil life over a period of 14 years and found that versus conventional systems, organic and conservation agriculture systems had more earthworms in the soil, 30 -70% more microorganisms, and improved bacterial pathways.

9. Listen to the Birds

Research shows that organic farming is healthier for birds. Songbirds are especially sensitive, because conventional farms can reduce food supplies for young songbirds unable to leave their nests. An article in the journal Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment compared availability of "nestling" food on organic and conventional farms. Because organic farming does not use synthetic pesticides and has longer, more diverse crop rotations, organic farms were found to provide more available nestling food than conventional farms.

10. Keep Away From Toxins

Avoiding pesticides is even more important than previously thought. A study led by Organic Center Science Advisory Board member Professor Gilles-Eric Séralini showed that major pesticides are more toxic to humans than suggested by their active ingredients. Pesticides contain a mix of "inert" ingredients. These "inerts" are not taken into account in safety test trials, and the active ingredients are tested in isolation. This research looked at the toxicity of herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides when all ingredients were included, and found that eight out of nine pesticide formulations were up to one thousand times more toxic than their active ingredients.

Bonus: Spread the Word

Help make 2015 an organic year for your friends, family, neighbors, and colleagues. Sign up for The Organic Center newsletter, and follow them on Facebook for the latest research on the science behind the benefits of organic year round. Stay informed…and pass your knowledge on!

[via The Organic Center]

5 Studies That Link Science Behind the Benefits of Organic

Benefits to Public Health

A new study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health concluded that eating an organic diet can contribute to human well-being. The research was led by Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences-based Dr. Jan Johansson, who reviewed current research on the effect of organic agriculture and crops on public health.

Finding a clear health advantage of consuming organic, her team states that "both animal studies and in vitro studies clearly indicate the benefits of consumption of organically produced food instead of that conventionally produced."

The increased phenolic compounds and lower pesticide residues found in organic produce could partially account for these benefits, but the study also points out that the significant advantages of organic cannot be explained by these variables alone. Researchers suggest that synergistic effects between various constituents within organic food are likely to be part of the reason it's more beneficial to public health than conventional products.

Reduced Pesticide Exposure

A new study published in the journal Environmental Research found that eating an organic diet for a week can reduce a person's pesticide exposure. The research was led by Dr. Liza Oates, who examined pesticide metabolites in the urine of 13 individuals who consumed a diet of at least 80 percent organic over seven days, and conventional food for seven days.

Dr. Oates’ team found that the total pesticide metabolite levels were reduced by as much as 96 percent by eating organic, with an average reduction of 50 percent. This study shows that eating an organic diet can reduce exposure to chemicals that have been associated with health risks. As stated by Dr. Oates, “Recent studies have raised concerns for the health effects of these chemicals even at relatively low levels.”

It’s nice to see a study showing that choosing organic can make a significant difference in your exposure levels.

Nutritional Benefits

A new study published in the British Journal of Nutrition shows conclusive evidence that organic crops, and the food made from them, are healthier than their conventional counterparts. In this study, researchers conducted a meta-analysis on 342 peer-reviewed publications looking at the health benefits of organic agriculture and found that organic crops have higher antioxidant levels, lower cadmium levels and less pesticide residues than non-organic crops. They found that organic crops had significantly higher levels of antioxidants that have been linked to decreases in chronic disease risks such as cardiovascular disease, neurodegenerative diseases and certain cancers.

The study also found fewer pesticide residues and lower toxic metal levels in organic versus conventional food, and organic crops had on average 48 percent lower cadmium levels than conventional crops. Cadmium is a highly toxic metal that can cause kidney failure, bone softening and liver damage. It can accumulate in the body, so even at low levels chronic exposure is dangerous. The findings of this study strongly support the health benefits of organic food.

Neonicotinoid Pesticides Linked to Honeybee Die-Off

A new study published in the Bulletin of Insectology by Harvard researchers found further evidence of the link between neonicotinoid use and Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), in which bees abandon their hives over the winter and eventually die.

This study was led by Professor Chensheng (Alex) Lu, an advisory board member for The Organic Center and associate professor of Environmental Exposure Biology at the Harvard School of Public Health. It supports his previous research, which found that 94 percent of hives exposed to low levels of the neonicotinoid imidacloprid died within 23 weeks of exposure. The new study added a second neonicotinoid called clothianidin to their observations. The researchers found that the same negative effects were associated with bee exposure to clothianidin as with imidacloprid. “We demonstrated again in this study that neonicotinoids are highly likely to be responsible for triggering CCD in honeybee hives that were healthy prior to the arrival of winter,” said Dr. Lu.

Organically Managed Soils Could Reverse Effects of Climate Change

The Rodale Institute has done some amazing science supporting the benefits of organic agriculture, and its new report, entitled “Regenerative Organic Agriculture and Climate Change,” maintains this high quality of investigation. The report takes an in-depth look at how farming systems affect greenhouse gas emission and illustrates the benefits that organic agriculture can have on climate change. Specifically, the publication focuses on the ability of soil to mitigate climate change when managed organically.

Findings include a decrease of annual greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent if management of all current cropland transitioned to regenerative organic agriculture. Transitioning global pasture would add to carbon sequestration by 71 percent. “We could sequester more than 100 percent of current annual CO2 emissions with a switch to widely available and inexpensive organic management practices,” the report states.

[via newhope 360]

5 (More) Reasons the Benefits of Organic Food are So Incredible

In many cases, organic food does cost more than the conventional options. But the benefits of organic food for you, your family, the farmers and our environment, make it not only a worthwhile expense, but also a true investment into our future.

Need more reasons to make sure you’re getting all the benefits of organic food? Check out some of these latest stories in the news:

1. Pollinators love Organics: We know that pesticides and herbicides are detrimental to our pollinator friends, especially honey bees. And now, new data published in the journal Animal Conservation finds that pollinators actually prefer organically grown flowers. The insect-flower interactions were significantly and consistently higher in organic vineyards than they were on conventional vineyards.

2. Organic Food Reduces Pesticide Exposure: Sure, this sounds like old news—one of the original arguments for the organic movement in the first place. But new research published in a recent issue of the journal Environmental Research found that the benefits of organic food reduce pesticide exposure in just one week. Study participants who ate at a diet that was at least 80 percent organic for a 7-day period reduced their pesticide metabolite levels by as much as 96 percent!

3. Everyone Benefits from Organic Food: Certain “synergistic effects” exist in organic food that have a benefit far beyond your own plate, found researchers at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in a study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. Conventional foods just don’t measure up to the phenolic compounds and lower pesticide levels in organics, the researchers discovered.

4. Organic Tomatoes Have More Antioxidants: Recent research published in the IOSR Journal of Agriculture and Veterinary Science found that the antioxidant levels in organic tomatoes were higher than samples of conventional tomatoes.
 
5. Can Organic Soil Stop Global Warming? Climate Change, Global Warming…whatever you call it, know this: organic soil may help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 40 percent and sequester as much as 71 percent of carbon, finds a report from the Rodale Institute.

[via Organic Authority]

How Eating Organic Saves Animals

There has been a lot of debate in recent years about the effect that GMOs and pesticide-laden foods have on human health, but what is rarely discussed is the environmental impact of the use of these chemicals and the harm they cause to animals.

It’s clear that food manufacturers are going through great lengths to prevent these chemicals from being labelled on foods. What’s most concerning, from an environmental point of view, is that the vast majority of chemical pesticides sprayed on crops actually gets washed off before foods end up in the supermarkets. When the pesticides run off into top soil and waterways, it is entering a vast network of ecosystems, and these delicate systems are not equipped to deal with hazardous toxic chemicals.

To avoid these types of destruction and to help ensure ecosystems are healthy, it is best to opt for organically-grown foods. The following are just four ways going organic can save the lives of animals and subsequently save our environment.

Organic Crops Offer Bees Perfect Pollinating Grounds

There is a growing honey bee crisis across the globe as huge numbers of bee colonies are dying off each year, a problem which could ultimately cause catastrophe for all our food supplies. Scientists have linked “colony collapse disorder” with the chemicals used in non-organic food production and have warned that, if we continue the widespread use of chemicals on our crops, there will be almost no bees left to pollinate them in a decade. Although the chemicals are used in levels which are not considered deadly to the individual bees, hoards of pollen are collected and taken back to the hives, where the overall toxicity is enough to cause damage to the entire colony. Organic food crops are beneficial for the bees and support their existence by providing safe plants to collect pollen from.

Organic Crops Provide Bird-Friendly Seeds

While the plight of the honey bee is widely known, there are plenty more animals who suffer the effects of consuming and transporting chemical containing plants. Birds love to eat seeds, and they are unknowingly eating GMO and pesticide covered seeds that are causing illness and death. The American Bird Conservancy conducted a thorough investigation on the issue in 2013 and discovered that a single non-organic seed kernel can be very dangerous to birds, killing small ones, and making larger ones ill. Many seeds that are sown do not get covered properly and seed spillage is also commonplace, meaning birds are accessing these toxic seeds all the time.

Organic Crops Nearly Eliminate Chemical Run Off

One of the largest problems caused by chemical use in the agriculture industry is the toxic run off which occurs after rainfall. Chemical pesticides are sprayed indiscriminately over huge areas of cropland, much of which lands directly onto the ground. When rain falls, this is washed off into the topsoil and soaks down into the subsoil, making it very dangerous for any animals who inhabit the soils. Insects and small mammals are particularly at risk from the soil contamination as their habitat is turned into a highly potent toxic layer. In many cases, this is the desired effect of the pesticide, as it is these insects which are the intended targets of the chemical poisoning.

Organic Crops Help Prevent Water Contamination

Once the chemical run off has made it through the top and subsoil layers, it finds its way into the water system. Arguably, this is where the chemicals do the most widespread damage to the environment and the delicate ecosystems which the planet relies on. Streams, rivers, ponds, and lakes in the areas surrounding non-organic monocultures are becoming increasingly toxic, to the detriment of the aquatic species that live there. The problem is becoming so bad that the chemical run off is creating ‘dead zones’ in which barely any animals are able to survive as the water has become too polluted. The chemical fertilizers used on farms also create huge algae blooms in the water, and this kills off other species trying to survive in the same water.

These four issues are enough reason alone to support eating organic. The world’s ecosystems have taken millions of years to form and they work on a very precise and delicate balance. Although large corporations may want to make us believe that their chemicals are perfectly safe for us to use, the signs are clear for us to see, and they’re certainly not safe for the animals coming into contact with them.

[via One Green Planet]

The Natural Effect

Check out the new Only Organic Campaign! The organic seal indicates that food has been grown in ways that has passed nature’s own test for being good for you and good for nature.

In this hilarious video "The False Advertising Industry" reveals the shocking truth about what is allowed in "Natural" food. As a reminder to not be convinced otherwise, only the USDA Organic Seal guarantees your food contains no Genetically Modified Organisms, no toxic pesticides, and no growth hormones or antibiotics

Food labels that claim a food is "natural" may not guarantee that food is good for you or for nature. In fact, many so-called "natural" foods contain the toxic chemical pesticides, antibiotics, hormones and genetically engineered ingredients that are harming people and the planet. Only the organic seal guarantees that food is being made in ways that Mother Nature intended.

FDA considers "natural" food to mean "nothing artificial or synthetic (including colors regardless of source) is included in, or has been added to, the product that would not normally be expected to be there." But, federal regulators do not enforce the policy. And, many heavily processed foods containing "unnatural" ingredients designed to make food look better or last longer carry the "natural" label.

Some familiar foods using the "all-natural" promise include:

• Some Greek Yogurt labeled as "natural" is made using milk from cows fed genetically engineered ingredients. Sound natural to you?
• Despite being labeled "100% Natural", Corn Oil is often made with genetically engineered corn.  
• "All Natural" chips may sound healthy, but they actually contain genetically engineered ingredients.
• Granola products can contain highly processed ingredients, such as high fructose corn syrup, despite their "all natural" claims.
• Orange Soda can be "naturally flavored"...despite having high fructose corn syrup listed as an ingredient.
• Some companies advertise their frozen food products as made with "100% Natural white-meat chicken", even though its chickens are raised with the use of antibiotics. 
• Some frozen meals say "100% Natural", but really contain genetically modified ingredients. 
• “All Natural” Ice Cream...is it really natural? Hardly. It can come form cows treated with hormones and fed a diet containing pesticides. 
• Turkey Breasts labeled as "All Natural" can use turkeys that have never been outdoors. Sound natural to you? 
• Cheese labeled as "natural" could have been made using milk from cows injected with hormones, kept in poor conditions or fed genetically engineered food. 

[via Only Organic]

The True Costs of 'Cheap' Food

Ellen Gustafson for The Huffington Post:

If I had a dollar for every time someone said that they don't buy fruits and vegetables or "healthy food" because it's too expensive, I could feed a small town all organic food for years! But, of course, it's true -- when you look at the prices of so-called "conventional" junk food compared with local, organic fruits and veggies, on a calorie per dollar basis, the junk often wins. Many people assume that it's the produce or organic foods that "cost more" than highly processed, shelf-stable ubiquitous and cheap junk food, but what if the price tags that we see don't tell the whole story?

Take the very American, $1 hamburger, for example. To produce a fast food burger you need to start with growing corn -- which requires acres of corn fields, seeds, gallons of water, gas for heavy machinery, pounds of fertilizer and sprays of pesticides, and government subsidies. Then you need to fatten cows as quickly as possible, potentially give them antibiotics, deal with their waste, transport them to slaughter, power the slaughter facility, refrigerate the ground meat and then cook it! Not to mention all the costs associated with the processed wheat bun and condiments. Are economies of scale really so efficient that all of those costs amortize over tons of ground beef and fixings to make a really cheap burger, or are there parts of that whole list of "costs" that don't actually show up in the price of our fast food burgers?

There is momentum developing around answers to this question -- that the true costs of cheap food are currently hidden and making high-impact (often junk) food seem cheaper than it should be. Examples of costs not currently factored into our food supply include the environmental outcomes of chemically-intensive and petroleum-intensive agriculture, costs for soil erosion, real water and irrigation costs, pesticide and waste runoff that creates dead zones in our waterways (like the "New Jersey-sized dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico" that stems from nitrogen runoff from our Corn Belt) and then affects the livelihoods of fishermen and shrimp farmers in the Gulf region.

Hidden health costs like our global obesity epidemic and the food-related public health issues of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer are certainly not included in the cost of your fast food meal. Not to mention unpaid externalities like low wages for food workers that often mean government subsidies like food assistance, which is what over 50 percent of fast food worker families are getting -- a study showed that fast food workers are getting $7 billion taxpayer dollars, which provides a huge, additional subsidy to fast food companies (on top of the corn and soy subsidies that allow them to buy cheap ingredients with government help.) Just this week, the Environmental Working Group released an analysis that showed correlation between areas where farmers have been enjoying rising farm subsidies and growing poverty, and a Walmart in Ohio is holding a food drive in its store... for its own employees!

The truth is that the "value" and "low prices" of cheap food that we see at the cash register, are not the whole story. We are paying today in our health and our taxes and our children will be paying tomorrow with a degraded environment, dirty water, decimated communities and jobs, and denigrated health.

So, what's the solution? A growing movement of farmers and scientists, doctors and entrepreneurs are gathering around the idea that we need true cost accounting in our food supply to help consumers make choices that include the real costs of the way food is grown and how it affects our health. Farmers and food producers should be rewarded for stewardship of our environment, producing nutrient-dense foods, providing decent jobs and improving their local economies. And food systems that pollute our water, destroy biodiversity, exploit workers, and produce high-calorie, low-nutrient foods that become junk food (or fuel) should be accountable for the true outcomes of their production systems.

On December 6th in London, the UK's Sustainable Food Trust is hosting a public conference on exactly this issue -- True-Cost Accounting in Food and Farming. I'll be there on behalf of Food Tank, which will be continuing to cover stories about the true costs of our consumption around the world. It's time to really put our money where our mouth SHOULD be -- eating foods that are healthy for us, our families, our communities, and the planet.

[via Food For Thought]

7 Ways to Stop Eating Pesticides

Pesticides On Foods Aren't Going Away Anytime Soon, But Here's What You Can Do About It 

Last month, the Hawaiian island of Kauai passed a bill strictly limiting how and where large farms and biotech companies can spray pesticides. Bill 2491 will force agricultural companies to disclose when and where they spray pesticides, restrict spraying to a certain distance away from public areas, and disclose what genetically engineered crops they grow.

Perhaps Bill 2491 will be the beginning of a movement across the United States to further limit pesticide use, which, according to a report published in Environmental Sciences Europe last year, increased by 404 million pounds from 1996 to 2011.

Until then, the sad truth is pesticides are everywhere: the air, the water, and your food, and they’ve been linked to birth defects, poisoning deaths and a wide range of illnesses.

So here are some reminders on how to mitigate the pesticides covering your fruit and vegetables, and which produce are the most (and least!) pesticide-residue prone.

1. Wash Your Food, All of It, and Wash It Right

Thoroughly wash all your produce. No, rubbing the apple on your shirt before biting in is not enough. According to the National Pesticide Information Center, even organic foods and foods that you peel should first be washed. The NPIC recommends that you wash your produce under running water rather than dunking or soaking it. Scrub produce with tough skin, like melons or potatoes. In addition, dry your fruits and vegetables with a towel.

2. Stick With The Insides

Whenever possible, peel your fruits and vegetables. Residue can get stuck in the crevices of peels and be difficult to remove. Toss the outside layer of leafy vegetables. Even with meat, it is best to cut off the excess fat and skin, which could have absorbed pesticide residue.

3. Mix It Up

The NPIC suggests eating a variety of fruits and vegetables so as to prevent overexposure to a single pesticide. You should be doing this anyway to make sure you’re getting all your needed nutrients, remember?

4. Grow Your Own

The best way to control what’s on your vegetables is to grow your own. This may sound daunting, especially with colder temperatures on the way. But there are several vegetables that can be grown indoors, such as tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers and eggplants. Got a windowsill? Cool, now you’ve got a vegetable garden.

5. Eat Organic -- It’s Easier Than You Think

People often bristle at being told to eat organic. Organic produce can be expensive, difficult to find, and who has the time to chase down which farmer’s market is open on which day. If this sounds like you, consider a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) club. CSAs ensure you know from whom exactly you are buying your produce. Often CSAs end up being more economical because they give you a limited amount each time, which prevents overbuying and letting food go to waste. Many organic CSAs exist, and many of them deliver your goods to your door. To find one in your area, try Local Harvest’s CSA finder. And remember -- even organic produce can have pesticide residue on it from nearby farms or contaminated transportation methods, so still wash everything thoroughly!

6. Be Wary When Buying These

Each year, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) releases its “Dirty Dozen” list of the 12 foods found to be most contaminated with pesticide residues. The organization ranks 48 fruits and vegetables based on thousands of samples tested by the USDA and FDA. These tests are done after produce is washed and peeled, giving the consumer an idea of which produce maintain higher levels of toxicity even after proper precautions. Topping the Dirty Dozen list are apples (99% of apples test positive for some pesticide residue), celery, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, grapes (a single grape tested positive for 15 pesticide residues), hot peppers, imported nectarines (every single nectarine sampled in the test came up positive for pesticide residue), peaches, potatoes, spinach, strawberries and sweet bell peppers.

7. And Buy More Of These

The EWG concurrently releases a “Clean Fifteen” list of the fruits and vegetables with the least pesticide residue. Their favorite low-pesticide fruits and vegetables include asparagus, avocados, cabbage, cantaloupe, sweet corn, eggplant, grapefruit, kiwi, mangos and mushrooms. Remember -- that doesn’t mean these items had no pesticide residue, just less.

Organic vs. Local Produce: How To Choose, When You Have To

It’s a bourgeois dilemma, to be sure, but it’s one many produce-loving healthy eaters face: If your neighborhood farmer’s market only sells local blueberries grown with pesticides and the organic ones at your grocer have been flown in from Chile, which do you buy? In an ideal world you’d always have access to berries that fulfill both criteria, but that’s not generally the case.

“I dealt with this yesterday with a client,” culinary nutritionist Stefanie Sacks, MS, CNS, CDN, told me as soon as I presented her with the question. “It’s all about learning how to negotiate.”

We spoke with Sacks, along with local-leaning Juice Generation founder Eric Helms, and the health coach Urban Detox Club co-founder Jen Morris for a well-rounded perspective on the many factors to consider, plus easy tips to help you pick:

FACTORS TO CONSIDER

1. Pesticides and nutrients. 

To avoid gross chemicals altogether, organic is definitely the way to go. But small farmers selling roadside cucumbers may also be using less pesticides than a giant industrial operation; they may even be partially organic, but not up to USDA-certification standards. And if you’re buying the veggies through a third party, they may be checking for you. “We take great pains to meet our farmers and ensure that, certified or not, they’re using sustainable methods and following organic best-practices,” says Juice Generation founder Eric Helms, a huge proponent of local sourcing. It’s just hard to know. Local produce is also going to be richer in nutrients, since it’s been picked more recently.

2. Environment and community.

“If you’re trying to be a conscious consumer, local is usually better,” Urban Detox Club’s Jen Morris says. Not only is it way better for the planet, it also means your dollars are going directly to the person growing your food and supporting the local economy.

3. Taste and appearance. 

As anyone who’s ever opened a plastic box to find already limp, wet arugula knows, when it comes to flavor and prettiness on a plate, local wins. “It goes without saying that local produce—produce harvested just the day before it’s delivered to our USDA Certified Organic production facility—retains a vibrancy with which imported products could never compete,” says Helms.

TIPS TO HELP YOU CHOOSE

1. Talk to the farmers. 

“The people at the market are often the ones growing the food,” says Morris. “Ask them what their practices are like.” If they’re using GMO seeds and spraying pesticides like it’s going out of style, you can always politely move on.

2. Use the Dirty Dozen. 

Both Sacks and Morris suggest using EWG’s list of the top 10 most pesticide-laden foods as a guide. For the foods that top the list, make sure you go organic, even if it means you can’t do local. For those that tend to hold on to less residue, like those on the Clean 15 list, stick to local, even if it’s not organic. This is the kind of grocery shopping negotiation that Sacks recommends.

3. Consider the volume. 

“The amount you’re eating matters,” Sacks says. So if you’re eating an apple every day, for example, you’d better buy the organic bag. If you’re just eating a few slices with almond butter once a week, buy the New York State ones that have been sprayed. “If it’s not something you’re eating a lot of, I wouldn’t get yourself too crazy about it.”—Lisa Elaine Held

[via Well + Good]

The Wonder Spray of Organic Gardening

Though you may not see it advertised much or stacked on pallets at the big box stores, there is a pesticide out there that is non-toxic to humans, rarely harms beneficial insects, and is very effective against a wide range of garden pests. Neem oil.

Neem oil is extracted from seeds of the neem tree which grows in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. It has been used for over two thousand years as a medicinal plant. As a biopesticide it has found great favor among organic gardeners. Neem oil is not the most cost-effective product for large crop areas, but a little bit goes a long way in the typical home garden. It should be used as part of an Integrated Pest Management strategy.

How does it kill pest insects and not beneficial insects? Neem oil must be ingested for it to work, so only critters eating plants that have been sprayed will be affected. It’s not an instant “knock-down” effect like synthetic broad-spectrum pesticides, but it only takes a few hours and is just as effective (if not more) at preventing harmful pest infestations. When a pest larva ingests neem oil with the plant material, a compound called “azadirachtin” starts to act on the larva’s hormonal system and prevents it from molting to the next stage, resulting in death.

Of critical importance is the fact that neem oil does not lead to the development of resistance in future generations of pests, because it acts on the hormonal system, not the digestive or nervous system. This is a great advantage over many synthetic pesticides which do cause resistance and necessitate the need for more and more toxic chemicals.

Neem oil also acts as a feeding deterrent and an oviposition deterrent for some pest species. When they “taste” it, the compounds in neem oil reverse the signals that tell the pest to feed, so the pest moves on and eventually starves. Adult females of many pest species will avoid laying eggs on plants sprayed with neem oil, significantly reducing the likelihood of infestation.

Neem oil has a pungent but not unpleasant odor, somewhat like citrus or garlic. It is normally sold as a concentrate to be mixed in a spray bottle. It can be slightly irritating to the skin, so take precautions, and don’t let the spray blow back in your face. Spray in early morning or late evening because intense sun can burn leaves when they’re still wet with the oil.

Use neem oil when pests such as caterpillars are doing a lot of damage despite your best efforts at IPM techniques (including hand-picking pests like the tomato hornworm). It is also good for neutralizing or preventing diseases and viruses, if the plant is not too far gone.

Here is a list of plant-eating pests that can be controlled with neem oil:

1. Orthoptera: grasshoppers, katydids, crickets etc.
2. Coleoptera: wide range of beetles/weevils
3. Hemiptera: leafhoppers, aphids, psyllids & some scale insects
4. Lepidoptera: cutworms, borers & caterpillars
5. Thysanoptera: thrips
6. Diptera: Sciarid fly, fruit fly, buffalo/blow & march fly
7. Heteroptera: sucking bugs – Green veggie bug, spotted fruit bug etc.
8. Others: nematodes, snails, and also some fungi and pathogenic viruses

This is a pretty amazing plant extract that has been used for millenniums. Its broad effectiveness against a variety of pests and its non-toxic nature to people and beneficial insects make it a must-have for the organic gardener and those of us concerned about the impact that synthetic pesticides have on the environment.

[via Real Farmacy]

Scientists discover what’s killing the bees and it’s worse than you thought

As you may have heard, the mysterious mass die-off of honey bees that pollinate $30 billion worth of crops in the US has so decimated America’s apis mellifera population that one bad winter could leave fields fallow. Now, a new study has pinpointed some of the probable causes of bee deaths and the rather scary results show that averting beemageddon will be much more difficult than previously thought.

Scientists had struggled to find the trigger for so-called Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) that has wiped out an estimated 10 million beehives, worth $2 billion, over the past six years. Suspects have included pesticides, disease-bearing parasites and poor nutrition. But in a first-of-its-kind study published earlier this month in the journal PLOS ONE, scientists at the University of Maryland and the US Department of Agriculture have identified a witch’s brew of pesticides and fungicides contaminating pollen that bees collect to feed their hives. The findings break new ground on why large numbers of bees are dying though they do not identify the specific cause of CCD, where an entire beehive dies at once.

When researchers collected pollen from hives on the east coast pollinating cranberry, watermelon and other crops and fed it to healthy bees, those bees showed a significant decline in their ability to resist infection by a parasite called Nosema ceranae. The parasite has been implicated in Colony Collapse Disorder though scientists took pains to point out that their findings do not directly link the pesticides to CCD. The pollen was contaminated on average with nine different pesticides and fungicides though scientists discovered 21 agricultural chemicals in one sample. Scientists identified eight ag chemicals associated with increased risk of infection by the parasite.

Most disturbing, bees that ate pollen contaminated with fungicides were three times as likely to be infected by the parasite. Widely used, fungicides had been thought to be harmless for bees as they’re designed to kill fungus, not insects, on crops like apples.

“There’s growing evidence that fungicides may be affecting the bees on their own and I think what it highlights is a need to reassess how we label these agricultural chemicals,” Dennis vanEngelsdorp, the study’s lead author, told Quartz.

Labels on pesticides warn farmers not to spray when pollinating bees are in the vicinity but such precautions have not applied to fungicides.

Bee populations are so low in the US that it now takes 60% of the country’s surviving colonies just to pollinate one California crop, almonds. And that’s not just a west coast problem—California supplies 80% of the world’s almonds, a market worth $4 billion.

In recent years, a class of chemicals called neonicotinoids has been linked to bee deaths and in April regulators banned the use of the pesticide for two years in Europe where bee populations have also plummeted. But vanEngelsdorp, an assistant research scientist at the University of Maryland, says the new study shows that the interaction of multiple pesticides is affecting bee health.

“The pesticide issue in itself is much more complex than we have led to be believe,” he says. “It’s a lot more complicated than just one product, which means of course the solution does not lie in just banning one class of product.”

The study found another complication in efforts to save the bees: US honey bees, which are descendants of European bees, do not bring home pollen from native North American crops but collect bee chow from nearby weeds and wildflowers. That pollen, however, was also contaminated with pesticides even though those plants were not the target of spraying.

“It’s not clear whether the pesticides are drifting over to those plants but we need take a new look at agricultural spraying practices,” says vanEngelsdorp.

[via Quartz]

The 2013 Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen Produce Guides

For the ninth year, the Environmental Working Group has released its popular Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce, which includes the Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen lists of the most and least pesticide contaminated fruits and vegetables.

As always, the samples tested by the EWG are thoroughly washed and peeled so that the areas being tested reflect what's actually consumed. Forty-eight products are reviewed and ranked based on an analysis of more than 28,000 samples tested by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and federal Food and Drug Administration.

The best way to avoid pesticide-contaminated produce is to select organic fruit and vegetable options. "When given a choice, more consumers are choosing organic fruits and vegetables or using EWG's Shopper's Guide to find an easy affordable way to avoid toxic chemicals," said Sonya Lunder, an EWG senior analyst. "They want to eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables without eating too many pesticides. And they want to support local farms and agriculture that is better for the environment."

But, the EWG also advises that eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, whether or not they're organic, is more beneficial to consumers' health than the risks associated with consuming the pesticide contaminated fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables—organic or conventional—should always be washed thoroughly before consuming.

For the second year, the Dirty Dozen list also includes several added items in its "Plus" category, highlighting two crops: domestically grown summer squash and the extremely popular leafy green category of kale and collards. While these crops did not meet the traditional Dirty Dozen criteria, they did test positive for contamination with pesticides that can be particularly damaging to the nervous system. And with the growing kale-obsession taking over our nation, it's important to consider organic options whenever possible.

The Clean Fifteen list focuses on the conventionally grown crops with the least amount of pesticide residue (yes, there are some safe ones out there!), giving consumers safer options when selecting non-organic fruits and vegetables. It's also a great resource for sub-ins of items on the Dirty Dozen. Can't find organic apples? Have a conventional cantaloupe or kiwi instead. No organic potatoes? How about non-organic sweet potatoes?

Consumers who routinely shop at farmers markets can also talk with their farmers directly about the use of pesticides on their crops. With organic certification a costly procedure, many non-organic growers are actually using organic methods.

The Dirty Dozen Plus
1. Apples
2. Celery
3. Cherry Tomatoes
4. Cucumbers
5. Grapes
6. Hot Peppers
7. Nectarines (imported)
8. Peaches
9. Potatoes
10. Spinach
11. Strawberries
12. Sweet Bell Peppers

Plus:
13. Kale and Collard Greens
14. Summer Squash

The Clean Fifteen
1. Asparagus
2. Avocados
3. Cabbage
4. Cantaloupe
5. Sweet Corn
6. Eggplant
7. Grapefruit
8. Kiwi
9. Mangos
10. Mushrooms
11. Onions
12. Papayas
13. Pineapples
14. Sweet Peas (frozen)
15. Sweet Potatoes

To read the full report, go here.

[via Organic Authority]

Smaller But Better! Organic Tomatoes Pack More Nutritional Punch

Research results yield further proof that organic produce is endowed with enhanced nutritional properties.

Organic tomatoes are 40 percent smaller in size and mass than their conventional cousins, but they pack in more nutritional compounds such as Vitamin C, lycopene and other phenolics, a new study has found.

Researchers published their findings Wednesday in the journal PLOS ONE advising conventional fruit and vegetable farmers that if they want better quality tomatoes with higher concentrations of nutritious chemical compounds, they should follow the organic way and stop "systematically" trying to maximize yields by using pesticides and other chemicals to treat diseases, fight pesticides, and battle other environmental stresses.

The report said environmental factors represent a "powerful lever to increase the concentrations in phytochemicals."

The study referenced previous research that shows supplementing a diet with processed tomato products, containing the phytochemical lycopene, has shown to lower biomarkers of oxidative stress and carcinogenesis in healthy and type II diabetic patients, and prostate cancer patients, respectively.

The federal ban on powerful pesticides common in conventional farming systems means organic tomato plants have to work harder to withstand the insects and mites, as well as other eco-factors like drought, nutrient deficiency and damage from the cold and wind.

These "stressing" conditions shorten the developmental period for organic tomatoes, producing lower size and mass, but accelerate ripening, producing more nutritional compounds.

The researchers studies organic and conventional crops grown in Brazil. The organic farm used a compost of animal manure, legume cocktail and sugar cane bagasse incorporated into soil just before sowing.

In the conventional system, the pesticide FASTAC100 was applied when needed and inorganic fertilizer was used as recommended to control stress and maximize yield.

The study pointed out existing research demonstrating that fruits and vegetables from organic farming generally are endowed with enhanced nutritional properties.

A recent comparative study from UC Davis showed that organic tomato juice has a higher phenolic content and hydrophilic antioxidant activity when compared to conventional tomato juice.

Another previous study showed organic strawberries had higher antioxidant concentrations and the ability to inhibit the proliferation of human colon and breast cancer cells more effectively than conventional ones.

[via Sustainable Food News]

Another Reason to Eat Organic

Just when you thought science was saying organic food has no nutritional value, another study from the University of Granada has found a direct correlation between exposure to pesticides and the risk of type 2 diabetes in adults.

Published in the Journal of Environmental Research, researchers found that people who had higher concentrations of DDE (which is the main metabolite in pesticide DDT) also were more likely to develop diabetes - four times as likely, in fact.

Furthermore, higher exposure to a compound in the pesticide Lindano (beta-Hexachlorocyclohexane) was also linked to higher risk of type 2 diabetes.

Results took into consideration the age, gender, and body mass index of 386 adults surveyed. The findings, however, could help explain body fat's link with type 2 diabetes. Researcher Juan Pedro Arrebola notes that "human adipose tissue (commonly known as 'fat')... can store potentially harmful substances, such as persistent organic pollutants (COPs)."

The direct effect of pesticides on type 2 diabetes is still unknown, although researchers suggest that these compounds can affect the metabolism of sugars. Still, it might be another reason to splurge on organic food. A study from Stanford University found that 38 percent of non-organic food had pesticide residue, compared to 7 percent of organic produce.

[source: The Daily Meal]

9 Steps to Start an Organic Garden

Jodie Frey, Assoc Dean and Dir of Recreation Services works at Lafayette Organic Garden near Metzgar Fields on Sullivan Trail in Forks Township.

With an increased focus on pesticides and contamination, many people want to incorporate more organic foods into their daily meals. Sometimes, these organics are priced significantly higher than the conventionally grown counterparts. If you have the space, start your own organic garden to help save money!

1) Prep the Soil

Healthy plants need healthy soil. Your organic veggies and herbs will need tons of nutrients from the soil and chemical treatments can deplete the soil. Other chemical fertilizers can harm helpful bacteria, microbes, and worms.
If you’re super serious about getting your organic garden done right, get a sample of soil and have it tested by your local agricultural office. You can let them know you plan to go organic and they will be able to help you tailor your gardening program based on what’s needed in the soil. Any nutrients you need to add should be added before winter.
Finally, make sure your soil has lots of humus. Humus is a mixture of plant materials that have decomposed. Add in some composted manure and you’ve got a recipe for success! When using manure in your gardening and composting, be sure it’s exclusively from plant eaters like cows, sheep, goats, and chickens. Never use manure from meat-eating animals.

2) Composting

Composting is one of the best things you can do for your garden, whether its organic or not. Compost feeds your plants, helps to eliminate weeds, and keeps food waste out of landfills. In order to make a good compost pile, you’ll need a minimum of 3 square feet, lots of  “brown material” (leaves, grass clippings, garden trimmings, etc), and lots of  “green material” (kitchen scraps and manure). Fill your compost bin with these types of materials and make sure it’s topped off with about 6 inches of soil. Each time you add a new layer of green or brown material, toss your compost pile to make sure things are mixing and decomposing evenly. You should toss it with a pitchfork, hoe, or shovel. In 2-3 months, you’ll have lush compost ready for your garden!

3) Choosing Your Plants

No matter how great your soil is, if you don’t have the right plants for your area, they won’t grow. It’s important to check the USDA’s Hardiness Zone map to find out if the plants you want will grow well. Once you choose your plants, you can begin to outline your garden and where each type will be planted to ensure its sun, shade, and moisture needs are being met.
Be sure to seek out certified organic plants and/or certified organic seeds. You may be able to find them at big box stores, but you’re better off at your local garden shop or an area farmer’s market. Most of your herbs and vine veggies grow best from the seed, so be sure to start your seedlings in late winter or early spring.

4) Planting

After you’ve chosen your plants, be sure and plant them in a way that is well suited for each plant. Raised beds are preferred for anything you’ll harvest such as cutting flowers, herbs, or vegetables. Plant vine veggies in long rows so they have lots of room to spread out. Plant your herbs in rows, but in closer clumps to discourage weed growth.

6) Watering

Of course, you’ll have to water your plants. Whether you water by hand or set up an irrigation system, the best time to water your plants is in the morning. It’s not very hot and there usually isn’t much wind, so the plants will be able to absorb the maximum amount of water. Be sure to water the roots and not the leaves. If leaves have water droplets on them when the sunlight shines on the plant, it can create a magnifying glass situation where the sun will burn the leaves.
Water your plants with lots of water, but only 1-2 times per week. To save water and help the plants keep their temperatures regulated, collect rainwater and use it to water your garden. If you don’t want to use collected rainwater, try using your filtered water so as not to reintroduce any contaminants back into the soil (and into your plants).

7) Weeding

Want to get some exercise? Get out in that garden and weed by hand! Hand-weeding is the best way to remove weeds because you’re not using any kind of sprays or chemicals. To cut down on the number of weeds, use your compost and if needed, use organic mulch on the top of your beds. Organic mulch will decompose into the soil. In a pinch, you can also use burlap fabric between the plants.

8) Protect from Pests

Bugs are a part of everyday life. Some will be beneficial for your plants, others won’t be. If you need to protect your plants from little critters, encourage predators like frogs, lizards, birds, bats, and ladybugs to hang out in your garden. Also, the more you diversify the plants in your garden, the less chance for a mass of bugs to hurt them. If you do need to spray your plants, look into Neem oil. Neem oil comes from the Neem trees in India and is a powerful bug repellant. Other plants (and their oils) like Citronella and lemongrass will help to repel bugs.

9) Harvesting

Finally, your hard work paid off and you get to reap the benefits of your labor. During the peak season of your various plants, you’ll need to check your garden everyday. Check the plant information for the best times to harvest your herbs and vegetables. If you have too much for you and your family, give some away or freeze and/or can your veggies. You can also fill ice trays with olive or sunflower oil and put fresh herbs in the oil. Freeze the oil cubes and this will help keep herbs fresh for a long time.
As you start thinking about warm weather, don’t forget to start planning your garden for spring. You’ll have tons of fresh, organic veggies all year at fractions of the cost. Happy planting!

[via Greener Ideal]

Infograph: What Does "Organic" Really Mean?

[via Loku] 

 

8 Tips for a Green Home and Yard