What is organic?
According to what we have read online, "the USDA, the regulations: prohibit the use of irradiation,
sewage sludge, or genetically modified organisms in organic production. The regulations also
reflect NOSB recommendations regarding which substances used in production and processing are
allowed or prohibited. The regulations also prohibit antibiotics and hormone use in organic meat
and poultry; and require 100% organic feed for organic livestock."
In our household, we try to only eat organic food and non-GMO foods. We use
ONLY SEA SALT. This is extremely important. We try to stick to a diet, that we
feel, is healthier. After much research on the subjects of toxins, Gmo, flouride, and
non-organic, irradiated food, we have found out what works best for us.
We have found that the organic fruits and vegetables have a much better taste. In
our experience, the closer we stick to what God orginally created, the better we seem
to feel. Most of our allergies have disappeared.
We no longer use chemical room sprays in the house. We use natural room sprays.
We buy earth friendly natural cleaning products that claim to be non-toxic.
We find that "Seventh Generation" paper towels and tissue are the best. We use the
brown paper towels/ natural color. They are very absorbent. One roll lasts a long
time. So one might pay $.30 to $.50 more per roll but we have found that it lasts so
much longer than the typical ones that we used to use.
Seventh Generation also makes non-toxic laundry products. We have been using
Seventh Generation detergents for a couple of years now and we find them to be
wonderful for our laundry and our nose. You can sign up for their free newsletter
called "Non-Toxic Times." They also offer $1.00 off coupons on their website.
We drink and cook with SPRING WATER and distilled water because the public
water, in our city, is fluoridated. Studies have shown that fluoride, when heated,
becomes more concentrated. According to ATSDR, "Cooking food in fluoridated
water results in increased dietary fluoride levels (p 151)." Approximately 60% of US
public drinking water supplies are fluoridated. Unlike chlorine, fluoride does not
enter the steam when water is boiled. Thus during cooking the fluoride increases in
concentration.
We have "New Wave Enviro" chlorine filters in the showers. We buy them online
here. eGeneralMedical.com seems to have the best prices for New Wave Enviro
online.
We drink "Choice Organic Teas."
The only honey we use is "Really Raw Honey." One will find this very jar of honey
very different in comparison to other honey brands out there. We find the taste to be
sweeter. This is, most likely, the kind of honey John the Baptist ate.
This change of lifestyle did not happen overnight. I think if we were to have switched
completely overnight to all the products we use today, we would have never changed
to a healthier lifestyle at all. It has been a long process for us. Replacing one product
with another takes time. Finding the kind of product that works best takes time. We
first eliminated non-organic produce and then non-organic processed foods and so
forth. The benefits have been very rewarding to us. This is in no way a medical
claim. But in our opinion, for us, we definitely feel better. We are not on any
prescription medication.
The microwave is not used much in our home. We use the stove or oven and the
toaster oven also. We rarely use our nonstick cookware and only use stainless steel
cookware on a daily basis.
A few years ago, BEFORE we switched to organic foods, I was experiencing terrible
pains and unusual symptoms. Just one of my numerous problems was that I had
developed an allergic reaction to eggs and pasta. My right side [below my rib cage]
would be in excruciating pain when consuming pizza, pasta, eggs and then it would
subside hours later. Once I purchased a so called "healthy" frozen dinner and had a
very bad case of hives after eating it. That was the first time I ever had hives in my
life. I called my friend to pray for me because I had no idea what was going on and
after we prayed, she asked me to read the label to her over the phone. After about
the 25th ingredient, she said, "it doesn't seem very healthy to me. All those
chemicals for one fish dinner." I never bought another product from that company
again. I have never had hives again either. Turns out the ingredients in that box of
"food" contained Gmo ingredients and man made ingredients. Some have warned
against GMO.
[Many health experts say that organic fruit is better because it has enzymes and less
pesticides and no irradiation. They claim that some of the nutritional value is lost
when food is irradiated.] Another group documents their findings here.
We have found that we eat less because we feel "full" much more quickly. Some
websites have suggested that it is because there are more nutrients found in organic
produce and organic food products. I will not personally make such a claim but all I
can say is that we definitely eat less now. We also feel much better, healthwise.
I usually can tell when a vegetable is not organic. If you blindfolded me and made
me taste the organic tomato vs. the non-organic/conventional tomato, I could tell
you which one was which, most of the time. An example: while I was grocery
shopping, I quickly grabbed some tomatoes and put them in my grocery cart,
thinking that I had grabbed the organic ones. I went home and later washed one and
began to eat it and said to myself, "something is not right here...this tastes funny."
Sure enough, I looked at the labels on the tomatoes and they were conventional
(they were in the organic section.) I can now tell the difference and so can others,
who have switched to organic produce.
We have also noticed that the organic food such as the garlic and onions seem to
have a much stronger flavor, when cooking. The first organic product I ever
purchased for us was a bag of organic carrots. We had never been a big fan of
carrots but when I cooked them, it was an incredibly delicious taste. We eat them all
the time now.
Organic Bionaturae pasta is one of the organic pastas that we purchase. It, by the
way, does not cause any allergy symptoms for me.
The organic yeast-free breads are delicious too. When we do eat dairy, which is rare
nowadays, we buy Organic Valley.
Muir Glen organic tomato products are delicious. Their ketchup is fabulous...tastes
like homemade. Their fire roasted tomatoes are absolutely the best, in our opinion.
We eat most of their products and would highly recommend them to our dearest
friends.
Eden foods makes a wide variety of beans.
Amy's bean and rice (non-dairy) burritos are also a favorite in our household but we
buy the non-dairy ones because Amy's dairy products are not made with organic
milk, to the best of our knowledge. (Therefore, a lot of non-organic milk in the
market these days, contains synthetic growth hormones. I, being a human being, do
not want to be big and fat like the cow. "You are what you eat..." may apply here.)
Amy's no-cheese organic pizza is one of the best pizzas we have ever eaten.
We only cook with organic Olive oil in our home. We use Spectrum for the most
part.
Bragg's makes a lot of the products that we use.
Vans Organic Waffles are exceptional.
One can find many of these products in the local health food store or local co-op.
Also most grocery stores can order anything their customers desire. One can make a
list and ask the manager. Online health food stores also carry all the products
mentioned here. One may go to Info.com and type in "organic foods." There are
many stores to choose from. Some even provide discounts and free shipping if you
exceed a certain total.
Remember that health food stores also carry foods that simply say "natural" but are
not necessarily organic so I have learned to read labels while shopping for items.
"Natural" could mean "no additives" but still may contain GMO or irradiated
ingredients. I strive to only buy foods that say "NON-GMO" and "Organic." We
have found that the price of organic is right around the same cost for non-organic
food in many cases. Not much of a difference. Organic meat and ocean fish seems to
cost the most, in our experience.
FISH:
Did you know that many of the fresh fish one buys in a grocery store has been farm
raised? I had no idea until one day I looked and the sign said "farm raised...color
added." I questioned the man at the counter and he said that most grocery stores
only carry farm raised, nowadays. He said, "the farm raised fish lack the color many
times, so they add it into the fish." I thought, "Shouldn't a healthy fish have its own
color? Who would want to eat an (orginally) gray colored salmon?" Sometimes, the
grocery store may have "wild caught" fish for sale but the only downfall is that it is
very expensive. We also eat Tuna and canned fish but only the canned ones found in
health food stores that are packed in olive oil. Many tuna products are derived
mercury-laden waters.
SPICES:
We only cook with non-irradiated ORGANIC SPICES. We use "Simply Organic"
and Organic "Frontier." Frontier also makes non-organic spices so I am always
careful when purchasing that I buy the correct label. These organic spices usually do
not cost any more than regular commercial spices in a grocery store but we think the
taste is unbelievably different...a much stronger flavor, in our opinion.
The "Simply Organic" baking extracts have worked very well in all my dessert
recipes. Again, we find the flavors are much stronger than the non-organic ones.
Poultry and Meat:
When we have to eat in a hurry, the processed chicken dinners by Ian's are really
delicious. We personally buy their chicken kiev's. They are our favorites from this
company. According to the company's website, Ian's uses "antibiotic and hormone
free poultry, pork and beef...no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives" in their
foods. They claim to have half the saturated fat and have more protein than other
kids meal brands.
We are not big meat/poultry eaters anymore but when we want to make a turkey
club sandwich, Applegate Farms has a wide variety of what they claim to be "nitrate
free" Natural and Organic Meats. They will ship directly to your home or you can
find their products in many grocery stores across the USA. Many health food stores
also carry their products. We buy their "Sliced Oven Roasted Turkey." They also
have nitrate free labeled hotdogs. Many times, AppleGate will have "specials" on
their website.
Laura's beef seems to be VERY lean. Everytime we purchase the meat, it is lean...no
fat. Her company claims "no antibiotics or hormones."
For chicken, we purchase "free range" with no hormones or antibiotics.
If one really wants to eat organic beef, then one can also eat totally grass fed beef.
Laura's beef is grain fed but there are many organic beef farmers who raise grass fed
cattle. It can get pricy unless you are buying in bulk. Read below:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"According to Dr. Samuel S. Epstein, Professor Emeritus of Environmental Medicine,
University of Illinois School of Public Health, Chicago: "The government's assertion
that irradiated food is safe for human consumption does not even pass the laugh test."
"Irradiated meat is a very different product than natural meat. This is hardly
surprising as the Food and Drug Administration's approved dosage of 450,000 rads is
approximately 150 million times greater than that of a chest x-ray. Apart from high
levels of benzene, new chemicals known as 'unique radiolytic products' were identified
in irradiated meat in US Army tests in 1977, and recognized as carcinogenic. Later
tests identified other chemicals shown to induce genetic toxicity."
Restaurants, caterers and institutions are not required to tell you when their beef is
irradiated.
Beef which is an ingredient combined with several other ingredients does not have to
be labeled as irradiated. Popular "meals to go" in grocer's shelves using beef as an
ingredient would NOT have to be labeled as irradiated.
The government proposes to use irradiated ground beef in the national school lunch
program without parental warnings in most cases.
Even the largest mail order gourmet steak provider in this country (which is left
unnamed in this article) sells irradiated ground beef.
If you are a beef consumer . . . your chances are very good that you have eaten
irradiated beef either knowingly or unknowingly."
Source: http://www.americangrassfedbeef.com/irradiated-beef.asp
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sweet Treats:
Paul Newman' company makes his own organic and natural product line. We love
the Newman's Own Organic peanut butter cups.
Shady Maple Farms features the most delicious Organic waffle cookies and also
their maple syrups are excellent.
According to what we have read online, "the USDA, the regulations: prohibit the use of irradiation,
sewage sludge, or genetically modified organisms in organic production. The regulations also
reflect NOSB recommendations regarding which substances used in production and processing are
allowed or prohibited. The regulations also prohibit antibiotics and hormone use in organic meat
and poultry; and require 100% organic feed for organic livestock."
In our household, we try to only eat organic food and non-GMO foods. We use
ONLY SEA SALT. This is extremely important. We try to stick to a diet, that we
feel, is healthier. After much research on the subjects of toxins, Gmo, flouride, and
non-organic, irradiated food, we have found out what works best for us.
We have found that the organic fruits and vegetables have a much better taste. In
our experience, the closer we stick to what God orginally created, the better we seem
to feel. Most of our allergies have disappeared.
We no longer use chemical room sprays in the house. We use natural room sprays.
We buy earth friendly natural cleaning products that claim to be non-toxic.
We find that "Seventh Generation" paper towels and tissue are the best. We use the
brown paper towels/ natural color. They are very absorbent. One roll lasts a long
time. So one might pay $.30 to $.50 more per roll but we have found that it lasts so
much longer than the typical ones that we used to use.
Seventh Generation also makes non-toxic laundry products. We have been using
Seventh Generation detergents for a couple of years now and we find them to be
wonderful for our laundry and our nose. You can sign up for their free newsletter
called "Non-Toxic Times." They also offer $1.00 off coupons on their website.
We drink and cook with SPRING WATER and distilled water because the public
water, in our city, is fluoridated. Studies have shown that fluoride, when heated,
becomes more concentrated. According to ATSDR, "Cooking food in fluoridated
water results in increased dietary fluoride levels (p 151)." Approximately 60% of US
public drinking water supplies are fluoridated. Unlike chlorine, fluoride does not
enter the steam when water is boiled. Thus during cooking the fluoride increases in
concentration.
We have "New Wave Enviro" chlorine filters in the showers. We buy them online
here. eGeneralMedical.com seems to have the best prices for New Wave Enviro
online.
We drink "Choice Organic Teas."
The only honey we use is "Really Raw Honey." One will find this very jar of honey
very different in comparison to other honey brands out there. We find the taste to be
sweeter. This is, most likely, the kind of honey John the Baptist ate.
This change of lifestyle did not happen overnight. I think if we were to have switched
completely overnight to all the products we use today, we would have never changed
to a healthier lifestyle at all. It has been a long process for us. Replacing one product
with another takes time. Finding the kind of product that works best takes time. We
first eliminated non-organic produce and then non-organic processed foods and so
forth. The benefits have been very rewarding to us. This is in no way a medical
claim. But in our opinion, for us, we definitely feel better. We are not on any
prescription medication.
The microwave is not used much in our home. We use the stove or oven and the
toaster oven also. We rarely use our nonstick cookware and only use stainless steel
cookware on a daily basis.
A few years ago, BEFORE we switched to organic foods, I was experiencing terrible
pains and unusual symptoms. Just one of my numerous problems was that I had
developed an allergic reaction to eggs and pasta. My right side [below my rib cage]
would be in excruciating pain when consuming pizza, pasta, eggs and then it would
subside hours later. Once I purchased a so called "healthy" frozen dinner and had a
very bad case of hives after eating it. That was the first time I ever had hives in my
life. I called my friend to pray for me because I had no idea what was going on and
after we prayed, she asked me to read the label to her over the phone. After about
the 25th ingredient, she said, "it doesn't seem very healthy to me. All those
chemicals for one fish dinner." I never bought another product from that company
again. I have never had hives again either. Turns out the ingredients in that box of
"food" contained Gmo ingredients and man made ingredients. Some have warned
against GMO.
[Many health experts say that organic fruit is better because it has enzymes and less
pesticides and no irradiation. They claim that some of the nutritional value is lost
when food is irradiated.] Another group documents their findings here.
We have found that we eat less because we feel "full" much more quickly. Some
websites have suggested that it is because there are more nutrients found in organic
produce and organic food products. I will not personally make such a claim but all I
can say is that we definitely eat less now. We also feel much better, healthwise.
I usually can tell when a vegetable is not organic. If you blindfolded me and made
me taste the organic tomato vs. the non-organic/conventional tomato, I could tell
you which one was which, most of the time. An example: while I was grocery
shopping, I quickly grabbed some tomatoes and put them in my grocery cart,
thinking that I had grabbed the organic ones. I went home and later washed one and
began to eat it and said to myself, "something is not right here...this tastes funny."
Sure enough, I looked at the labels on the tomatoes and they were conventional
(they were in the organic section.) I can now tell the difference and so can others,
who have switched to organic produce.
We have also noticed that the organic food such as the garlic and onions seem to
have a much stronger flavor, when cooking. The first organic product I ever
purchased for us was a bag of organic carrots. We had never been a big fan of
carrots but when I cooked them, it was an incredibly delicious taste. We eat them all
the time now.
Organic Bionaturae pasta is one of the organic pastas that we purchase. It, by the
way, does not cause any allergy symptoms for me.
The organic yeast-free breads are delicious too. When we do eat dairy, which is rare
nowadays, we buy Organic Valley.
Muir Glen organic tomato products are delicious. Their ketchup is fabulous...tastes
like homemade. Their fire roasted tomatoes are absolutely the best, in our opinion.
We eat most of their products and would highly recommend them to our dearest
friends.
Eden foods makes a wide variety of beans.
Amy's bean and rice (non-dairy) burritos are also a favorite in our household but we
buy the non-dairy ones because Amy's dairy products are not made with organic
milk, to the best of our knowledge. (Therefore, a lot of non-organic milk in the
market these days, contains synthetic growth hormones. I, being a human being, do
not want to be big and fat like the cow. "You are what you eat..." may apply here.)
Amy's no-cheese organic pizza is one of the best pizzas we have ever eaten.
We only cook with organic Olive oil in our home. We use Spectrum for the most
part.
Bragg's makes a lot of the products that we use.
Vans Organic Waffles are exceptional.
One can find many of these products in the local health food store or local co-op.
Also most grocery stores can order anything their customers desire. One can make a
list and ask the manager. Online health food stores also carry all the products
mentioned here. One may go to Info.com and type in "organic foods." There are
many stores to choose from. Some even provide discounts and free shipping if you
exceed a certain total.
Remember that health food stores also carry foods that simply say "natural" but are
not necessarily organic so I have learned to read labels while shopping for items.
"Natural" could mean "no additives" but still may contain GMO or irradiated
ingredients. I strive to only buy foods that say "NON-GMO" and "Organic." We
have found that the price of organic is right around the same cost for non-organic
food in many cases. Not much of a difference. Organic meat and ocean fish seems to
cost the most, in our experience.
FISH:
Did you know that many of the fresh fish one buys in a grocery store has been farm
raised? I had no idea until one day I looked and the sign said "farm raised...color
added." I questioned the man at the counter and he said that most grocery stores
only carry farm raised, nowadays. He said, "the farm raised fish lack the color many
times, so they add it into the fish." I thought, "Shouldn't a healthy fish have its own
color? Who would want to eat an (orginally) gray colored salmon?" Sometimes, the
grocery store may have "wild caught" fish for sale but the only downfall is that it is
very expensive. We also eat Tuna and canned fish but only the canned ones found in
health food stores that are packed in olive oil. Many tuna products are derived
mercury-laden waters.
SPICES:
We only cook with non-irradiated ORGANIC SPICES. We use "Simply Organic"
and Organic "Frontier." Frontier also makes non-organic spices so I am always
careful when purchasing that I buy the correct label. These organic spices usually do
not cost any more than regular commercial spices in a grocery store but we think the
taste is unbelievably different...a much stronger flavor, in our opinion.
The "Simply Organic" baking extracts have worked very well in all my dessert
recipes. Again, we find the flavors are much stronger than the non-organic ones.
Poultry and Meat:
When we have to eat in a hurry, the processed chicken dinners by Ian's are really
delicious. We personally buy their chicken kiev's. They are our favorites from this
company. According to the company's website, Ian's uses "antibiotic and hormone
free poultry, pork and beef...no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives" in their
foods. They claim to have half the saturated fat and have more protein than other
kids meal brands.
We are not big meat/poultry eaters anymore but when we want to make a turkey
club sandwich, Applegate Farms has a wide variety of what they claim to be "nitrate
free" Natural and Organic Meats. They will ship directly to your home or you can
find their products in many grocery stores across the USA. Many health food stores
also carry their products. We buy their "Sliced Oven Roasted Turkey." They also
have nitrate free labeled hotdogs. Many times, AppleGate will have "specials" on
their website.
Laura's beef seems to be VERY lean. Everytime we purchase the meat, it is lean...no
fat. Her company claims "no antibiotics or hormones."
For chicken, we purchase "free range" with no hormones or antibiotics.
If one really wants to eat organic beef, then one can also eat totally grass fed beef.
Laura's beef is grain fed but there are many organic beef farmers who raise grass fed
cattle. It can get pricy unless you are buying in bulk. Read below:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"According to Dr. Samuel S. Epstein, Professor Emeritus of Environmental Medicine,
University of Illinois School of Public Health, Chicago: "The government's assertion
that irradiated food is safe for human consumption does not even pass the laugh test."
"Irradiated meat is a very different product than natural meat. This is hardly
surprising as the Food and Drug Administration's approved dosage of 450,000 rads is
approximately 150 million times greater than that of a chest x-ray. Apart from high
levels of benzene, new chemicals known as 'unique radiolytic products' were identified
in irradiated meat in US Army tests in 1977, and recognized as carcinogenic. Later
tests identified other chemicals shown to induce genetic toxicity."
Restaurants, caterers and institutions are not required to tell you when their beef is
irradiated.
Beef which is an ingredient combined with several other ingredients does not have to
be labeled as irradiated. Popular "meals to go" in grocer's shelves using beef as an
ingredient would NOT have to be labeled as irradiated.
The government proposes to use irradiated ground beef in the national school lunch
program without parental warnings in most cases.
Even the largest mail order gourmet steak provider in this country (which is left
unnamed in this article) sells irradiated ground beef.
If you are a beef consumer . . . your chances are very good that you have eaten
irradiated beef either knowingly or unknowingly."
Source: http://www.americangrassfedbeef.com/irradiated-beef.asp
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sweet Treats:
Paul Newman' company makes his own organic and natural product line. We love
the Newman's Own Organic peanut butter cups.
Shady Maple Farms features the most delicious Organic waffle cookies and also
their maple syrups are excellent.
****Disclaimer: READ CAREFULLY...We are not doctors. Nor do we claim you will have
health benefits from using these products. The following article, below, contains information on the foods
that we eat and our testimony of how our own health has improved since switching to organic and more
"healthier" products. We are simply stating what we, personally, eat and the products that we use. This
article and the following links are provided for your own research. We do not necessarily endorse the
opinions expressed on the links, provided on this page. The websites listed below are not affiliated with this
ministry. Each underlined link, provided, is a different link. None are repeated. If you see the word
"GMO," each link is to a different site dealing with GMO, etc. Ask your doctor before trying any health,
natural and organic products. Ask your doctor before taking supplements, herbs or before making lifestyle
changes. Ask permission from your doctor before changing your diet.
We believe the closer one sticks to the natural foods that God made, the better off
he will be. Despite the junk foods man consumes, the Lord still protects him. We are
all still alive and that is evidence enough that God has us in His hands. I know this
to be true as I learn more about the toxins in our food and water.
Warning: By clicking on the underlined links, you will be leaving our site. Don't forget to bookmark us.
health benefits from using these products. The following article, below, contains information on the foods
that we eat and our testimony of how our own health has improved since switching to organic and more
"healthier" products. We are simply stating what we, personally, eat and the products that we use. This
article and the following links are provided for your own research. We do not necessarily endorse the
opinions expressed on the links, provided on this page. The websites listed below are not affiliated with this
ministry. Each underlined link, provided, is a different link. None are repeated. If you see the word
"GMO," each link is to a different site dealing with GMO, etc. Ask your doctor before trying any health,
natural and organic products. Ask your doctor before taking supplements, herbs or before making lifestyle
changes. Ask permission from your doctor before changing your diet.
We believe the closer one sticks to the natural foods that God made, the better off
he will be. Despite the junk foods man consumes, the Lord still protects him. We are
all still alive and that is evidence enough that God has us in His hands. I know this
to be true as I learn more about the toxins in our food and water.
Warning: By clicking on the underlined links, you will be leaving our site. Don't forget to bookmark us.
| This Health Food page is provided and maintained by the Women's Corner at Cobblestone Road |