Read 'n' Seed 5: Fourth Quarter & Final Review of The Organic Food Guide: How to shop smarter and eat healthier

This week I completed the book reading my last two chapters 7 and 8, pages 53-76.

In chapter 7, Price: Real costs and value of organic foods, I found some of the information to be redundant to chapter 6.  One thing I did find novel and interesting, in which the author put into perspective, is how we, as consumers, make choices pertaining to the foods we buy in based off the following order: 

1 Price 

2. Taste

3. Quality 

4. Food and safety

5. Health and Nutrition

In order to improve our health, we need to consider health nutrition as our first priority. This may take some reconditioning on what most people think about when they are shopping, especially in the economy today.

The author made light of how organic foods could be thought of as gourmet foods in a sense, which I personally thought was a creative way of looking at it because people are willing to spend a little extra on gourmet foods so why not use the same enthusiasm to improve your health by buying organic foods.

Another interesting topic that was mentioned in the chapter was all the factors that come into play when it comes to shaping the price of food.  What I learned is that basically all foods are influenced by the export/import distribution, fuel, weather and politics just to name the main factors. I never really thought about how each factor holds an impact on the costs of food. But as we know organic foods are slightly more expensive because of the extra labor and materials used. 

To close the chapter out, the author gives strategies on how to shop for organic foods in a more affordable way.  Not all organic foods cost more than conventional foods. Meyerowitz recommends if one wants to shop organic at affordable prices, one should look for sales, search for scan signs on shelves, buy locally and buy organics in the store brand (Great tips).

Chapter 8: How to get started eating organic

Mainly offer suggestions on how to get started in eating organic. The author recommends that one should start off with one  food they enjoy, and commit to always buying it organic (pg.73). Also a refreshing point that is mentioned is how we can value and protect the assets that help produce organic food by making the choice to buy organic. As Meyerwoitz stated, we are the most powerful link in the food chain (pg. 76).

 Overview of the book:

This book, I thought, was very informative because it provided a lot of detailed  and insight of what organic entails.  The book answered questions that many people may have concerning the differences of organic foods and conventional foods. It really invites the reader to really think about what it is they are really buying. I think the book is very necessary because so many food companies are promoting organic on their labels, but there are some consumers that don’t understand what that means exactly  and choosing to stick with what they know. I think the book is very resourceful in explaining why foods are organic, and why it’s considered a healthier choice as well as why it’s slightly more expensive than “regular” foods.

Three significant things learned:

• That not all organic foods are expensive
• The difference between organic and natural
• The cycle of producing organic foods

What this means to me is that we need more education in this realm health. It’s not just choosing to eat more fruits and vegetables like most people are taught, but to eat healthy encompasses a more seriousness to it. I think this book highlighted some key points that most people don’t realize, don’t think about, or simply are not aware of. Shopping for healthy foods has become a complex ordeal in the world today and it just seems that the integrity that we once trusted in our ecological system and foods can now be questioned (scary).

This is important because society as a whole is not educated this intensely on the matter. Most people are doing more harm to themselves than good. It’s not fair that people, basically, are dying from the lack of knowledge. People put so much of their trust in the governmental system but have not idea it might not be such a reliable source when it comes to their health. The truth of the matter is that we bear the responsiblity of what we choose to consume and the side effects that may accompany those choices whether those effects are good or bad.

Although short in content, I do recommend this book because it offers some valuable information and some beneficial methods on how and why one should eat healthier.  The book is design to compare and contrast the difference of organic foods versus conventional foods which I think is a helpful tool for people because it allows the reader to become knowledgeable in areas that they may not have known. Plus the book is easy to follow and keeps you interested in learning more.

Read 'n' Seed 4: Third quarter of "The Organic Food Guide: How to shop smarter and eat healthier"

 Hello everyone!

This week I read chapters 5 and 6 (by the way the chapters were really short) pages 45-52. Even though the chapters were short, I really enjoyed reading the chapters because it brought out some very valid points. Chapter 5, Nutrition: Are organic foods more nutritious?  This chapter talks about nutrients that organic foods offer. According to Meyerowitz, organic foods rate higher in vitamin and other nutritional compounds and essential minerals such as Phytonutrients.  This is because organic fruits and vegetables are grown in rich nutritious soil that naturally contains higher amounts of minerals.  I thought this was an interesting point, phytonutrients such as polyphenols and antioxidants protect both people and plants. They protect people against allergies and arthritis heart disease and cancer. Pesticides, insecticides and herbicides inhibit a plants ability to produce these compounds- without them the plants are too weak to fight off pests (p.46).  It is believed that organically grown fruit produce more antioxidants which is a defense and repair mechanism against insects when grown without using pesticides. Also this chapter’s details information on studies that were conducted at several universities that tested the nutritional value of organic foods. What the studies found in general was that organic fruits and vegetables were more enriched with vitamins and minerals as opposed to non-organic foods.

Chapter 6, Taste: Do organic foods really taste better? In this chapter, the author mainly talks about the taste difference in organic food and non-organic foods. Meyerowitz conducted a tasting survey, what results indicated that the organic foods that were tested were juicier, riper and sweeter. However, some people preferred the non-organic foods instead. I know we all are different, especially when it comes to our taste buds, but what I found that was interesting was that excessive salt and flavor stimulants such as MSG aid in dulling the taste bud. And even though the taste survey indicated people mostly preferred organic foods over conventional foods doesn’t mean that conventional foods are incapable of producing the same taste. There are numerous variables that come in play in agriculture such as the season, location and temperature that affect the foods that is being produced.

I personally think it’s sad that we, as Americans, are subjected to such an unethical norm (in my opinion). After watching the documentary “Fresh” and reading the chapters, I think this affects the society negatively because people are consuming poisons by eating herbicides, and insecticides etc… which are also carcinogens .  As stated in class as well as in chapter 5 in this book, most Americans are conditioned save money by buying these cheap foods but in turn, Americans are still paying whether it’s with their money or their health!

Reed 'n' Seed 3: Second quater "The Organic Food Guide: How to Shop Smarter and Healthier

Okay, so this week I read chapters 3 and 4, pages 29-45.  In chapter 3, How It All Began: Origins of Organic Agriculture, mainly discuss how farming was once such a respected trade to be apart but because of economics, many famers went bankrupt. This bought about a change in farming and has prompted the notion of modern day farming where pesticides, herbicides and insecticides are commonly used as a way to produce more foods. Two infamous chemicals that were talked about throughout the chapter three were DDT and AgentOrange. These two chemicals were first introduced on crops in the 1940’s.  DDT which is an insecticide was used to poison insects found on crops. This chemical was later banned in the U.S. in 1973. Agent- orange is still used as a herbicide today and is used as a weed killer.

In this chapter, I learned that agriculturists, Sir Albert Howard and Lady Eve Balfour were the earliest known opponents against chemical farming and came up with the idea of composting. This organic enrichment of soil became known as “organic farming.” Biologist, Rachel Carlson exposed the harmful effects of DDT and pesticides on food, animal’s people and the environment in her book named the Silent Spring .

In 1970, two organic-related events took place: The world held its first Earth Day and President Nixon established the environmental protection Agency.  One of the agency’s first acts was to ban DDT. In the 1990’s, the movement of organic grew into an industry and has inspired several companies to adopt the organic sensation by incorporating organic foods unto their menus or products.

In chapter 4 Organic Foods: Healthier or Not? This chapter primarily focused on what organic foods offer versus what conventional foods offer.  This chapter elaborates on some of the advantages to organic foods which is to reduces or eliminate the typical health and safety risks associated with modern farming that uses chemicals. For example, in organic raised cows or chicken, there are no antibiotics used in such livestock because they are able to roam free and are fed with grass and organic grains.  On the contrary, conventional farm raised livestock use growth hormones and use antibiotics because the livestock are packed in tight living quarters and are more susceptible to diseases. Because it has been proven there are health hazards associated in our diet today as far as conventional foods, that’s why organic foods are deemed to be healthier (p. 37).  Another aspect this chapters focus on are the controversial issues that surrounds conventional foods are the pesticides and public health, pesticides and children health, GMO.

In pesticides in the public health, the FDA estimates about 20 pounds per person of pesticides are used every year in the U. S. At least 59% of those pesticides are carcinogens (p. 38). In 1993 there was a report that concluded that the government pesticides standards did not protect the health of children. In a study from the University of Washington stated that children consuming conventional foods had a 6-9% higher pesticide residue in their bodies than of those children who consumed organic foods. The most discerning issue that focused on GMO’s is that there is no law mandating that foods in America be labeled as a GMO.

These two chapters that I read really coincided with the movie that we saw in class yesterday “Future of Food.”  I think such negative indication surrounding conventional foods really implies that we as a society need to make some changes for the sake of humanity. It seems to me that the government really does not have the American peoples health in their best interest, it so disheartening.   For goodness sake, we are literally eating poison, yikes!  I know for me, it has prompted me to make some personal changes within my diet as well as my family. The more I learn about the overwhelming issues as it relates to our foods, the more disturbing it is becoming for me personally  about what I have been putting into my body for  years. Having this knowledge is such a revelation!

Read 'n' Seed- First quarter: Chapters one and two

So far I’ve the introduction as well as pages 1-28 which consist of chapter one and two. The main topics that I read about was the elements that entails what organic really is and the difference between organic and natural. Also, another topic that was talked about was how to read food labels and some of the things as a consumer you want to look out for in order to get better nutrition concerning the food you purchase.  The first two chapter of the  mainly talks about the origins of what is meant by organic and what to look for on labels as some ingredients are indicate chemically processed and how to look for on the label that lets you know the food is organic or natural. I mean we all pretty much know that organic pertains to “original” but in the context of original in  food it has an overwhelming concept behind it. After reading the chapter, something I learned that was very surprising is that organic foods and natural food does not mean the same thing. Organic simply means anti-chemical, meaning that it is grown, packaged and without use of agricultural chemicals based on the certifications of the USDA.  Natural food refers to items that are not altered chemically or synthesized by any form but in some countries, like the U. S., there is no concrete definition of what natural really entails. Just because a food is organic does not mean it’s natural and vice versa. In this chapter, I learned the process in which organic farmers must adhere to in order to be considered “organic”.  Organic farming does not involve any type of pesticides used in the growing process of their crops. Organic farmers must undergo detailed record keeping and testing of their crops. They are always subjected to “surprised” inspections and their land must be free from chemical residue. It was interesting to learn that even the way that organic food has to be transported, which is without mixing with non-organic food items, was something that I never thought about. In addition, it was interesting to learn the integrity behind the entire concept of being organic. According to Meyerowitz, organic must incorporate all the elements of the food chain that makes up the ecosystem such as plants, soil, air, animals, water and people (pg2).  As far as  chapter two"Reading the food labels pointed out some interesting terms that I felt was relevant to this post and detailed the meaning behind certain aspects of food labels such as bio dynamics, and fair trade and how that interrelates to food.

Based off what I read and having somewhat of an understanding of what encompasses "organic," I think this may affect society in essence that people may develop a new found respect for organic foods because so much goes into the whole organic cycle. I think some people have a misconeption in a sense of what organic really is. I think people hear the word organic and they immediately think expensive and not really know what is truly being offered in organic foods. Yes it may be a bit more pricey than conventional foods, but you get what you pay for.  I think society should care because of  the dymanics of process and the nutritional value that results from it.

Read 'n' Seed week one

The title of the book I chose is "The Organic food guide: How to shop smarter and eat healthier" by Steve Meyerowitz

This book is about the elements of organic foods and also alternatives to organic foods as a means to shop economically but yet get nutritional value in foods.

I chose this book to learn more about the nature of organic foods and also to learn how to eat healthier on an inexpensive budget.

For more about author click on link Steve Meyerowitz
Check out the book  Review 

To learn more about this book click here 

This  book consist of 87 pages and 8 chapters in all. To stay consistent, I will read two chapters per quarter.