The Ups and Downs of Organic Vegetables – Useful Facts You Ought to Know
May 29, 2011
There is a big difference when we say we eat organic vegetables and conventionally grown vegetables. The term organic, when used to describe fruits and vegetables, connotes something that is not altered from its natural state by pesticides and preservatives. While it may be difficult to distinguish organic vegetables from conventional ones, there are strict government guidelines set by the US Department of Agriculture. Fruits and vegetables can only be labeled organic if they met these standards. Having a thorough understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of organic vegetables will certainly help you choose which one to buy.
Advantages of Organic Vegetables
Organic veggies are grown naturally. This means that there are no artificial or commercial pesticides, herbicides, fungicides or fertilizers that are applied to the vegetables from the time they are planted up to the time that they are harvested. In organic farming all the farming materials used are natural. For example, the fertilizers that make the soil fertile come from animal manure and compost and the pesticides that are used to repel pests are also other naturally-sourced materials. This ensures that organic vegetables grow and are harvested in their purest form. This makes organic vegetables taste better than conventionally grown ones.
The pesticides that are sprayed on conventionally grown vegetables will always leave residues that cannot be easily removed by washing. As such, there is always that possibility that we can ingest these residues when we eat the vegetables. The accumulation of pesticide residues in our bodies carries with it the risk of various serious diseases like cancer, tumors and allergies, among others. These pesticides can be passed on from the mother to child during pregnancy and through breast milk. Moreover, studies show substantial evidence that links pesticide exposure to fetal abnormalities, low birth weight, behavioral problems and impaired motor skills. Children who are exposed to pesticides at the early stage life are prone to various growth and developmental retardation.
Disadvantages of Organic Vegetables
Organic veggies are relatively more expensive than the conventionally- grown veggies. This difference can be attributed to the costly farming methods of organic veggies and the fact that very few farmers go organic. There is more manual work required in organic farming since they do not use chemicals in improving their crops. And this adds up to the cost. For example, instead of spraying the vegetables with herbicides they normally resort to manual weeding and crop rotation which is doubly expensive. Also, achieving organic certification from the government entails added expense.
In terms of freshness, organic veggies are always fresher than traditionally grown vegetables. This is because organic veggies do not get artificial waxes or preservatives to stay fresh. By the time they reach the customer they are naturally fresh. However, since they do not get sprayed with preservatives and other artificial chemicals they also have shorter shelf lives.
It is not easy to buy organic vegetables. Because of its very cumbersome farming method the supply of organic vegetables in the market is very limited. The increasing demand for organically grown veggies has also made it difficult to get as the demand constantly outnumbers the supply.
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Top 10 Fruits and Vegetables to Buy Organic
May 22, 2011
Buying organic foods is good for the planet and positive for your health, but because organic produce is often more expensive than non-organic, it is important to think carefully about which fruits and vegetables to spend the extra money on. After all, some fruits and vegetables-especially ones with thick skin, such as avocados, bananas, pineapple, mangoes, and oranges-are just as healthy in their non-organic forms. To help in your grocery-shopping decisions, here are the top ten fruits and vegetables that should be bought organic.
1.Peaches: Due to their thin skins and spongy texture, peaches tend to soak up pesticides and insecticides. Among all fruits routinely treated with chemicals, non-organic peaches carry the highest concentrations of iprodione (a fungicide) and organophosphate (an insecticide). Both are harmful to human health in large quantities.
2.Bell peppers: Bell peppers are not quite as absorbent as peaches, but they have a thin skin that does not provide much of a barrier to pesticides and other chemicals. Testing has shown that non-organic bell-peppers are near the top of the list in terms of pesticides absorbed.
3.Strawberries: Because strawberries have a relatively short growing season, most sold in U.S. stores are imported from other countries, where agricultural regulations may not be as strong. Plus, strawberries are artificially reddened by captan, a fungicide that is likely a carcinogen.
4.Celery: Because celery has no skin and is highly absorbent of liquids and chemicals in the soil and atmosphere, it tends to draw in pesticides and spread them up and down the stalk, where they cannot be washed off.
5.Apples: Apples are prone to a wide variety of growths and infestations, and because the apple industry is so huge, agricultural companies have spent billions coming up with specialized pesticides and other chemicals to keep apples sellable. As a result, practically ever non-organic apple you find in the store is coated with a layer of waxy residue, which permeates through the skin and mixes with the sugary insides.
6.Potatoes: Potatoes are among the most pesticide-treated crops due to the robust varieties of fungi and pests that tend to grow beneath the surface of the ground, where potatoes live. Organic potatoes are much harder to grow and thus typically more expensive, but they are worth it as they taste better and are much cleaner.
7.Blueberries: Due to their growing popularity in health-food circles, blueberries are becoming more and more in demand, which has numerous agricultural companies scrambling for ways to increase their blueberry yields. According to the USDA, blueberries are now treated with 52 different chemicals.
8.Nectarines: Like peaches, nectarines have a thin skin and an absorbent pulp, so that the 33 pesticides they are routinely treated with cannot be washed away. Among tree fruits, nectarines rank right up there with peaches and apples.
9.Leafy greens: Leafy greens such as lettuce and spinach are commonly treated with potent pesticides, which can be difficult to wash off of those pored and wrinkled surfaces. Plus, because most of these plants are so low to the ground, they tend to absorb chemicals from the soil and thus get permeated with unhealthy elements.
10.Pears: Pears are one of those fruits that, despite the best efforts of regulators, seem only to get doused in more and more chemicals by the year. As each new generation of insects grows increasingly resilient to the pesticides, agricultural companies have to keep creating stronger, more toxic pesticides to combat them. At this point, non-organic pears are routinely doused in 28 different pesticides, and this number will only grow.
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What Is the Best Organic Skin Care for Aging Skin
May 10, 2011
A lot of people start to suffer the consequences of aging on their skin once they reach their 30s, most people believe that it is inevitable and that there is not solution to wrinkles other than plastic surgery, but they are wrong, the signs of aging can be prevented and in many cases reverse it.
Organic skin care for aging skin is one of the best ways to eliminate wrinkles and to prevent the formation of new ones, most people opt to buy the anti aging creams that they see advertised on TV and on retail stores, however most of those products are made with cheap chemicals that are not healthy for your skin and can even produce negative effects in the long run.
First lets take a look at what causes wrinkles and fine lines:
Environment factors like wind, pollution and smoke cause free radicals that harm the skin.
Our body declines the production of collagen and elastin as we age and therefore our skin cant regenerate as fast as it did when we were younger.
Alcohol, smoking and sunlight also dry the skin and cause free radicals to damage the skin.
Unhealthy food also contributes to a weak immune system and lets free radicals to damage your skin.
Those are some of the primary factors that cause skin aging and you can avoid most of them by changing your habits. However you also need to have a skin care regimen, moisture and clean your skin every day and use an organic anti aging cream that provide your skin with the nutrients it needs.
The best organic skin care creams contain only natural ingredients such as: Vitamin C, D, E, avocado extract, manuka honey, nuts and na. They also contain natural compounds like: cynergyTK, wakame kelp and Coenzyme Q10.
For example CynergyTk stimulates the natural production of new collagen and elastin on your skin, Coenzyme Q10 is one of the most powerful anti oxidants that eliminate free radicals and Wakame Kelp enhance your hyaluronic acid.
But using organic skin care creams you will be safe and you will improve your skin naturally without side effects that other creams cause.
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