60 Second Organic Food

When you purchase organic, you are doing much more than providing healthy nutrition for you and your family. 

What is organic farming? Raising crops without the use of any synthetics. Naturally creating healthy and nutritious soil is a key organic farming principle The National Organic Program (NOP) within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulates organic farming.  Strict standards are followed and maintained by annual inspections.

Organic farmers know that their work entails far more than just not using chemical fertilizers and weed killers. When farmers work closely with the soil respecting its habitat, the benefits are far beyond the yield of nutritious food. A healthier soil means healthier organisms for your intestinal environment. Having lots of different organisms in your gut makes you healthier. Their natural method of working the soil contributes to cleaner air and water as well.

In direct contrast, farmers who employ conventional practices use more than one billion pounds of pesticides each year in the U.S. alone!  Studies dispute the safety of many traditional farming products including the herbicide glyphosate found in the popular weed killer, Roundup. An extensive 2015 study by the Consumer Reports Food Safety and Sustainability Center brought to light the potential health hazards that toxic pesticides have on farmers, the public, wildlife, and the environment. Scientific evidence makes the connection between pesticide exposure and certain cancers and diseases.

If it is organic, it cannot be a GMO. A GMO (genetically modified organism) is the result of a laboratory process where genes from the DNA of one species are extracted and artificially forced into the genes of an unrelated plant or animal. The top ten most common GMO foods are soy, corn, canola oil, cotton (cottonseed oil), milk (cows are given hormones to develop and produce milk faster), sugar, aspartame, zucchini, yellow squash, and papaya.  The jury isn’t out on the safety of GMO products, so they are to be avoided. (Makes me think of Frankenstein).

Dr. Thorburn is a Registered Nurse and a Doctor of Chiropractic. She also has advanced training in nutrition.