Organic Food History and Current Trends
June 6, 2011
Farming practices used before the 1900’s are classed as organic. It was only after this that added chemicals such as urea and DDT were brought into farming – previous to this, farmers didn’t have the knowledge and simply put, were happy enough with things as they were; as most of us today would be. After all, home grown food is often the nicest, most tasty food we put on our plates.
For some reason, during the 1960’s and 1970’s the concept of organic food became a separate entity to the ‘normal’ food we were then buying. Consumers had been effectively duped into believing that what they were buying, was food as nature intended, it not appreciating that the chemicals which were added during growth of the ‘normal stuff’ were what actually made the food abnormal in the first place.
Rachel Carson, a prominent writer, biologist and ecologist established public awareness of these issues via ‘Silent Spring’, a book she wrote which basically brought about major controversy on the use of agricultural chemicals and synthetic pesticides in particular. As a direct result of this book, and the growing concern over the use of farm chemicals which consumers were suddenly more aware of, chemical regulation procedures were put into place, and when the demand for organically grown food rose, so did the need for further regulatory procedures to cut down on the ecologically destructive and toxic chemicals.
Today, organic food is finally reaching an all time high of acceptance from consumers, so its demand is increasing – more ‘organically acceptable’ agricultural procedures are gaining momentum, and it seems even though it is more expensive than chemically treated foodstuffs, it is healthier, and it is that health factor which is winning the battle against chemically treated consumables.
A creation of a whole new set of ideas about organic standards which first came into debate in 1990, took over ten years to refine to relative perfection, and they will still evolve as new practices come into force. It is by these standards now that, organic food and other products such as wool in the USA is grown/gathered.
All of this though begs the questions – why can’t farmers just grow food without chemicals at all, why does it need regulation, and why were chemicals introduced into grown food and other consumables in the first place; I think you already know the answer though, and that’s money.
In this modern technological age where farmers are in direct competition between each other to gain the bigger contracts of the supermarkets and other food retailers, they have to be cheap. They simply can’t grow the vegetables (for example) as fast as the grocery store can sell them, so they have to resort to other methods to keep up, or did do at least until the consumers voice began to ring out strong and true.
Organic food is no longer a small niche in the food desires of Americans; it is becoming what everyone wants. Everyone now wants and feels the need to eat in a more healthy fashion with the onset of so many new medical conditions which prove costly as it is; a little more expense to eat something grown without strong use of chemicals (which could ‘theoretically’ make it worse) might mean a saving health-wise instead.
The organic food trend of today is growing ever-stronger, and not just for vegetables even though at one point organic purchases totalled over 40% of all organic buys. Meat and fish which is organically produced is still at the lowest of all food purchases, but is moving up the chain too. Dairy, bread and grain, beverages and snacks are all becoming more and more popular.
Today there are more Organic supermarkets popping up everywhere, sometimes in certain areas more than others – almost as though people in one state are more ‘organic’ than others but on the whole it is more of a blanket change than just a few people trying to eat in a healthier way, the amount of people eating organically is far more substantial than most realize. Suddenly people have more choice, and this is obviously because the demand is there. The world is finally going organic, and with any luck the bigger grocery store chains will have to meet this demand, rather than flood the market with low-cost chemically treated alternatives.
Carl Copeland is motivated to bringing information and resources to others regarding Food Storage, Food Safety, and Food Preparation and its benefits for everyday life. Save money by having your food last longer. More Info at http://www.Food-Storage-Info.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Carl_Copeland
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What is the History and Importance of Organic Food Farming?
October 19, 2010
Organic food farming has always been around. In fact, it has always been organic farming prior to 1900s, and it only lessened in popularity when chemicals and artificial fertilizers began popping up in the farming industry. Let us face it, with chemicals, insecticides, artificial fertilizers, and artificial growth hormones, the crops and the animals are not only bigger but meatier as well.
Any type of farming practice prior to 1900s was considered as organic farming wherein the farmers make use of natural soil and natural fertilizers to grow their crops. There were no artificial growth hormones then or gene-enhancing medicines that can alter an animal’s genetic makeup, and the farmers rely on the land to nourish both their crops and animals.
However, by the mid 1900s, artificial fertilizers and growth hormone drugs were introduced to the market. Through advertising and campaign, organic farming started to become an “alien” practice, and using chemicals and artificial methods slowly became the norm. Consumers were made to believe that the new method of farming was healthier, and, for some reason, the consumers believed them.
It was only when the inherent dangers of these chemicals were brought to light by Rachel Carson that the consumers started taking notice in organic foods once more. Carson is not only a very well-known writer, but she is also a biologist as well as an ecologist. She researched and wrote about the dangers of artificial fertilizers and chemicals and wrote a book about it. The book became very controversial and shook the foundations of the farming industry, but it did what it was intended to do – to make people become aware of the dangers of using artificial methods in farming and to make them understand, too, the benefits and advantages of Organic Food Farming.
Organic farming never really disappeared as there were still some farms that grow crops and tend to animals the natural way. It was just overshadowed by the use of artificial fertilizers and chemicals. The farmers who only grew organic foods for their own consumption now became the “talk of the town” as more and more people became aware of the importance of organic food. In time, the small organic farms grew and are still growing to accommodate the ever-increasing need for organic produce.
Many consumers are now after the same thing, the benefits of organic foods. Not only do they contain little amounts of chemicals or none at all, but the organic foods also give a better and richer taste. Furthermore, organic produce contains more nutrition, vitamins, and important minerals than processed foods and those pumped with artificial fertilizers and chemicals.
Organic Food Remedies: Here a Quick Way to Get Back Your Youthful Glow
June 4, 2010
Using organic food remedies for beauty and health is definitely not a new concept. In fact, people have been relying on such before the coming of the Industrial Age.
Modernization may have brought us a lot of convenience, but there are now growing populations of people who are seeking to go back to their “organic roots” in the quest to find the perfect anti aging products.
Organic foods are quite beneficial on their own. These have undergone the least amount of processing and preservation. The “raw” materials and the products used to sustain them are all derived from nature.
This means that there are no synthetic chemicals, fertilizers or genetically modified enhancements to worry about.
So how exactly do you use organic foods as anti aging remedies? Here’s how:
1. Try to find the viable fruits that have the highest amounts of Vitamin C or Vitamin E components that can help in anti-oxidation. And try to utilize these in more ways than one.
A wonderful example for this would be the innocuous avocado. Aside from containing high levels of Vitamin B, biotin and folic acid, one small avocado fruit contains about 58 grams of mono-saturated fats, 3 mg. of Vitamin E and 32 mg. of Vitamin C. It also contains 25 mg. of calcium.
All these are necessary in cell regeneration which can help speed up the rehabilitation of dry and damaged skin. The mono-saturated fats help promote skin elasticity, making it look more youthful in appearance.
You can incorporate a small amount of avocado with your meals: taking it as it, as a health drink or part of a dish. You can also create an avocado mask made of pureed avocado mixed with a dash of lime or a spoonful of honey.
This also works well with rolled oats. Other examples of such organic fruits that are rich in Vitamin C and E are: kiwifruit, mangoes, papayas, raspberries, strawberries, etc.
2. Try to favor more organic vegetables and fruits; and cook them with organic seasoning – at the least amount of cooking time as possible. There are three elements here:
One: you could incorporate these organic vegetables into your daily meal plans: blueberries, Brazil nuts, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, citrus fruits, cranberries, green tea, kale, prune, raisin, spinach and tomato.
These are the ones that have the best sources of Vitamin C and E which you could take as much as you want. Organic foods like almonds, olive oil, sesame oil and red wine also contain these essential vitamins, but should be taken in moderation.
Two: instead of favoring the already bottled marinades and sauces, you could try making your own using organic fruits, vegetable and seasoning (like sea salt, freshly grated pepper, freshly chopped tomatoes, etc.) You can gain the most benefit from going organic big time, as opposed to simply using one or two organic products.
Lastly: the cooking process can destroy many essential nutrients including the very fragile Vitamin C. So if you are indeed whipping up a dish, try to choose the ones that have the least amount of cooking time.
Grilling is always a great option especially for fish steaks – a dash of organic lime just before serving will add more levels of Vitamin C to your meal. If the dish needs a longer cooking time, you may want to reserve fresh, uncooked vegetables and fruits as a side salad to counter the loss of vitamins in the cooking process.
Lambert Klein
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/organic-food-remedies-here-a-quick-way-to-get-back-your-youthful-glow-703923.html
Eating Organic Food To Improve Your Health
May 21, 2010
Organic food is food that has been grown without the use of toxic chemicals, pesticides or fertilizers. The food is as natural as can be, safer for the environment and usually tastes better too. Most importantly though, eating this food is healthier for you and may provide many health benefits, which is what this article is all about.
Even though further research needs to be done to gain a better understanding of the benefits of organic food, there is still much valuable information to share with you.
Before we discuss the actual health benefits of eating whole food, lets take a look at the advantages it has over non-organic food.
It’s a fact that this food is highly nutritious and contains higher levels of vitamins and minerals. Vitamin C and minerals like magnesium, calcium and iron are just some of the nutrients organic food contains higher amounts of.
Whole foods also contain higher amounts of antioxidants, which help reduce the risk of developing cancers.
You may be surprised to know, but the vegetables we eat today are nowhere near as nutritious as they were 50 or even 15 years ago. Farmers tend to take shortcuts when growing food, and the fastest way is generally not the best way to do something. This trend is expected to continue, so if eating highly nutritious food is important to you, looking into organic foods is something worth considering.
If you were wondering why organic food hasn’t exactly taken the world by storm, it’s mainly due to the extra cost associated with organic growing. Demand is greater than supply and as a result, you can expect to pay about 20% extra for this kind of food..
Numerous studies have been conducted to find out the benefits whole foods can provide us humans. Many results are still fairly inconclusive however there have been many reported cases of benefits when animals are fed organic food.
The reason for the vagueness in health benefits is due to many reasons such as: incorrect method of testing and the lengthy time it takes to determine results of this nature. However several studies have shown benefits such as:
Decline in colds and other conditions
Improves dental health
Improves flow of your overall system
Greater chance of sprains and fractures
Reduces chance of injury
Better over-all health
As mentioned, the subject of organic food vs non organic food is very iffy and many researches believe that this food provides little to no health benefits.
Thinking about it logically, surely food that has been grown as it was intended to and that contains no added toxic chemicals has to be considerably healthier for us.
Whether the extra cost associated with organic food is worth the money is entirely up to the person. There is insufficient evidence to say something like “eating whole foods will reduce the likelihood of getting heart disease”.
Even though it’s likely that eating organic food will produce significant healthier benefits long term, as of now it comes more down to ones opinion than solid fact.
Darrell Knox
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/eating-organic-food-to-improve-your-health-50829.html
Chia Seeds – not Just for Chia Pets!
May 21, 2010
Hi Friends!
Well we have some extra time on this beautiful Monday so here are some extra blogs for your reading enjoyment. When people ask us at trade shows “Where Is The Chia Pet That Goes With The Chia Seeds?”. Once we here that we know we have a bit of work to do passing on the wealth of knowledge on the many healthy ways that our naturally grown chia seeds can contribute to ones nutritional intake and well-being.
Our Chia Seeds which can be purchased in bulk at www.SharpWeblabs.com or www.FloridaHerbHouse.com are packed in our reusable foil bags for ease of use and maximum shelf life. What is a Chia Plant you ask? Chia and Sage are both from the Mint (Lamiaceae to be specific) family”.
“Chia” is the Mayan word for endurance and strength. According to chia seed lore, Apache warriors would tie a bag of chia seeds to their belts to sustain them on the warpath. Aztec warriors, it is said, were sustained by chia seeds during their conquests. Chia seeds were so important to the Aztecs that they were accepted as legal tender. And they were a staple for Indians of the southwest, who depended on them, particularly on long treks to the west coast to trade with California tribes. Chia seeds when eaten supply your body which energy rich nutrients.
Chia seeds are high in, easily digestible protein, essential fatty acids, omega fatty acids, vitamins, soluble fiber, antioxidants, and minerals. Chia seeds have much in common with flax seeds, which have a deserved reputation as a super food. If you run down a comparative chart, you see a back and forth, with chia higher in some nutrients, flax higher in others. The clear advantage I see for chia seeds is that their natural antioxidants make them stable, whereas flax quickly becomes rancid.Like flax, chia seeds are highly hydrophilic, with the ability to hold about twelve times as much water as their own weight.
Chia contains the usual Vitamin C, ferulates and Vitamin E but the real secret is the Cinnamic acids that guard the omega-3 oils from oxidation. This is why chia is a stable product for years! With no gluten, virtually no sodium, nor reported allergic reactions, grown without pesticides or toxicants. Chia has a high energy to weight ratio (more than wheat, corn, rice or oats) that makes it a favorite choice of long distance runners and other athletics .
The Chia Diet? The gel-forming property of chia seed tends to slow digestion and sustain balanced blood sugar levels, which can be helpful in preventing or controlling diabetes. Whole, water-soaked chia seeds can be easily digested and absorbed. This results in rapid transport of chia nutrients to the tissues for use by the cells. Chia also facilitates the growth and regeneration of tissue during pregnancy and lactation, and aids the regeneration of muscles for conditioning athletes and bodybuilders. For the dieter, this means feeling full with no more peaks and valleys in blood sugar levels. Chia is an excellent supplier of fiber also!
The easiest way to reap the health benefits of our natural Chia Seeds is to simply mix one tablespoon of our seeds into one cup of water. Mix well until lumps are gone and drink (Enjoy!). This can be done 2-3 times per day. Also Chia Seeds can be sprinkled on just about any dish that say sesame or poppy seeds would be used on. Create you very own Chia Recipes and start enjoying the healthy nutrients that this ancient seed offers! Chant with us “Chia 4 Meah!”.
Our fresh all natural Chia Seeds come direct from growers in Mexico and are ready to ship now.
Sincerely,
Stephen C. Sharp
www.SharpWebLabs.com
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Stephen C. Sharp
http://www.articlesbase.com/nutrition-articles/chia-seeds-not-just-for-chia-pets-736559.html
