So is it all just a hype or can you get better nutrients and health benefits by eating certified organic foods and eggs?
Re: Cage free eggs, organic produce...
you definitely get less or no pesticides and chemical residue with organic produce. personally, i think there is a lot of long term health benefits from going organic. the price delta is closing every day too, especially if you do a CSA plan, or shop for stuff that is in season. besides, better to pay the grocer than the doctor..
cage free vs. cooped etc.. i dont think makes a big difference nutritionally, but it boils down to how cruel do you want to be to the animals that get you fed.
i highly recommend watching "Food Inc." to anyone who lives in north america and wants to understand what they are eating.
Re: Cage free eggs, organic produce...
OK, will do that.
Explain the "how cruel you want to be" part about the eggs :(
Re: Cage free eggs, organic produce…
Food Inc is great to watch:) (Will probably turn you into a vegetarian though:-). There are numerous articles on-line about Organic food and they go both ways of being pro or anti. Vouching from personal experience (Having been on an organic diet for years), I have yet to have any sort of medical problem, my weight/hair/skin is perfectly healthy and my Immune system never gives me a problem even in these horrible winters, so I would assume it to be because of my diet. (Actually I think it is:-).
Also you don’t have to buy everything organic. Certain foods contain lower degree of pesticides and are considered safe to eat. You could use the list below as a guide
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/10/ask_treehugger_21.php
Here is some information about the Cruelty part of the question
http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/confinement_farm/facts/cage-free_vs_battery-cage.html
Re: Cage free eggs, organic produce...
Oh wow! Thanks for the info.
Re: Cage free eggs, organic produce...
I don't know about specific health benefits from eating organic. I do think though that organic farming practices (crop rotation, tilling, IPM) are better for the soil/ ecosystems, and air and water quality.
Re: Cage free eggs, organic produce...
there is no doubt that organic eggs taste so much better than the umm broiler(?) eggs.. but not all cage free eggs are considered organic and vice versa! If you are buying eggs at the supermarket, these labels dont mean anything at all since there is no specific definition for these words by USDA.. if you are buying them at the local farm, then probably you can trust the labels!
Organic produce, on the other hand, I will not buy them unless and until they are certified organic.. I have been to many local farms in the area who claim to be organic but I have seen junk tractors/cars etc, parked there forever..that motor oil leaking into their farmland.. no regulations to go by if they are not being inspected by the state then I will not call that organic!!