October 23, 2018

Organic Food Can Help Reduce Cancer Risk

To reduce your risk of cancer, you know you should quit smoking, exercise regularly, wear sunscreen
January 24, 2017

Why Organic Matters: Let’s Count the Ways

By Marissa Hermanson Standing in the produce section of your local grocery store, you have a choice. It seems like a small one: Which carton of strawberries to purchase, the conventional or the organic? But, in that moment, you’re making a choice that can have a big impact. As research increasingly supports the benefits of choosing organic, surveys reveal people are purchasing organic products more than ever. According to a Gallup Poll, 45 percent of shoppers actively try to include organic foods in their diet. And organics don’t just appeal to one type of shopper. The Organic Trade Association’s (OTA) […]
September 20, 2016

More Omega-3s in Organic Milk and Meat

Organic milk and meat pack about 50 percent more omega-3s than conventional milk and meat, according to a new study published in British Journal of Nutrition. In the biggest study of its kind, researchers from the U.K.’s Newcastle University systematically analyzed an international collection of 196 papers about milk and 67 papers about meat and found big differences in terms of nutritional components, especially in the fatty acid department. Why the difference? Researchers linked them to the cows’ outdoor grazing and low concentrate feeding, the diet prescribed by organic standards. Chris Seal, Professor of Food and Human Nutrition at Newcastle […]
June 29, 2015

Farmacology: Healing from Farm To Body

What can good farming teach us about nurturing ourselves? Family physician Daphne Miller, M.D., long suspected that farming and medicine were intimately linked. Increasingly disillusioned by mainstream medicine’s mechanistic approach to healing and fascinated by the farming revolution that is changing the way we think about our relationship to the earth, Miller left her medical office and traveled to seven innovative farms across the country, on a quest to discover the hidden connections between how we care for our bodies and how we grow our food.  Farmacology: What Innovative Family Farming Can Teach Us About Health and Healing, the remarkable […]
April 14, 2015

Organic Food Reduces Toxins

Organic food can be expensive. With living expenses through the roof, few people want to pay double or triple for their favorite foods. As a result, many health-conscious people eat organic selectively, focusing on specific foods. And according to a new study, these efforts appear to be worthwhile. Eating organically – even occasionally – can help reduce your toxic burden. The results were published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives. Eating Organic May Decrease Pesticide Levels by up to 65% Over 4,400 participants were selected for the study. Data was collected from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. The purpose was to examine the […]
September 30, 2014

Organically Grown Foods Have Edge

Scientists have long recognized the dangers of cadmium (Cd) exposure to the human body. This heavy metal is emerging as a major cause of vascular disorders, common cancers, osteoporosis, and kidney disease, and can also cause damage to the body’s reproductive and neurological systems. While tobacco smoke can be a significant source of exposure for smokers, the primary source of cadmium exposure for nonsmokers is through consumption of contaminated plant-based foods. A survey of all previous pertinent research (meta-analysis), appearing recently in the British Journal of Nutrition, concluded that organically grown foods are on average 48 percent lower in Cd than […]
February 13, 2013

Beautiful Skin Needs To Be Chemical Free

In our ever advancing and constantly changing society, let’s get back to some of the basics—the basics of food and the earth. While technology and growth are amazing, chemicals and hormones in our food and body products is not so amazing. If we are trying to “eat organic” and “healthy,” why are we okay with putting chemicals onto our skin? What goes onto our skin goes directly into our bloodstream, including all our wonderful smelling lotions, shampoos, cleansers, toners, make up, and perfume. Even if something says it’s “organic” you still have to read the label—unfortunately! The Organic Consumers Association’s […]
April 4, 2011

Why Eating Organic is Better

If you have any doubts about organic produce vs. traditionally grown produce, a new study may help convince you of the virtues of organic. Recently, the results of one of the most comprehensive studies ever done were released. Lead by the University of Washington, the study compared the quality of the fruit and the soil from 13 pairs of commercial organic and conventional strawberries over a two-year period. The study found that the organic strawberries were more flavorful, left the soil and the environment healthier, and even had a longer shelf life. On the nutrition front, the study also showed […]