Going Organic: Results
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08robyngreen wrote: »08robyngreen wrote: »Has your family made the switch to eat only Organic (Non-GMO) foods.
GMO can be organic. Are you talking one, the other, or both?
Non-GMO/Organic. I look for food labeled Non-GMO, I try to shop in the organic section because there is a lot more food labeled non-GMO. Basically I avoid foods that contain added hormones, pesticides, and herbicides.
You realize that organic farming also uses pesticides and herbicides, right?
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08robyngreen wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »08robyngreen wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »08robyngreen wrote: »Capt_Apollo wrote: »you should look into the dirty dozen (foods you should always try and buy organic) and the clean 15 (foods that you never have to buy organic.
also, look into what words like organic, free range, and all natural mean in the grocery store and even the pharmacy. sometimes they're just buzz words to get you to pay 15% more.
Thank you I have actually looked at both. We actually look more for the Non-GMO labels than we look for organic, but I believe most if not all foods at Whole Foods Market is organic. We made a switch to organic non-gmo due to a study that resulted in increased kidney damage, inflammation, digestion issues, and cancer rates in animals fed GMOs. I know there are people that have extreme views for or against Organic non GMO and I thought maybe some people on Myfitnesspal would have some insight as too why they tried going organic and why they ultimately switched back aside from money issues.
Which study are you referring to?
There was a study conducted by Gilles-Eric Seralini of the University of Caen, it was the first long term study that I could find on the effects of GMOs. If you know of any long term studies related to GMO's (not just organic) please list them. I could only find short term studies that prove that GMO's have no negative side effects. Most of the study results on GMO's were never posted.
Are you talking about this, now retracted, study? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Séralini_affair
The study I researched was not on Wikipedia although it may be referring to the some study. I don't consider Wikipedia to be a valid source of information. Although I will say the study was called "controversial" and there is about a 50 50 view on whether the study is valid similar to most studies that involve any data on GMOs.
Either way this is not a debate for me, I just wanted to hear others opinion on whether they experienced any health benefits from eating organic non GMO. Do you have any benefits from switching to organic that you can speak of? Or reasons why you switched back to Non organic aside from money related reasons?
The Wikipedia article is a summary of the controversy related to the study that you referenced. I understand that you don't consider Wikipedia a valid source of information, but you can easily follow the references included at the end of the article for more information about how the study was discredited. The rats used in the study were rats with abnormally high cancer rates normally (80% of males and 70% of females develop cancer under normal conditions) and this was not properly adjusted for within the study. Marion Nestle, who is strongly in favor of GMO-labeling and certainly no industry stooge, has said she is skeptical of the study. Within the study data itself, it was noted that rats who ate MORE GMO-food (33%) actually had lower cancer rates than some of the other rats (who ate 11% GMO-food). The lack of a response to dose throws the study into question, as does the overall small number of rats involved.
The publication of the study was retracted by the publisher and those involved have not been able to find another peer reviewed journal willing to publish their information. No peer reviewed study has ever duplicated the findings. There is not a "50 50 view" on whether the study is valid. The study is clearly insufficient.
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08robyngreen wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »08robyngreen wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »08robyngreen wrote: »Capt_Apollo wrote: »you should look into the dirty dozen (foods you should always try and buy organic) and the clean 15 (foods that you never have to buy organic.
also, look into what words like organic, free range, and all natural mean in the grocery store and even the pharmacy. sometimes they're just buzz words to get you to pay 15% more.
Thank you I have actually looked at both. We actually look more for the Non-GMO labels than we look for organic, but I believe most if not all foods at Whole Foods Market is organic. We made a switch to organic non-gmo due to a study that resulted in increased kidney damage, inflammation, digestion issues, and cancer rates in animals fed GMOs. I know there are people that have extreme views for or against Organic non GMO and I thought maybe some people on Myfitnesspal would have some insight as too why they tried going organic and why they ultimately switched back aside from money issues.
Which study are you referring to?
There was a study conducted by Gilles-Eric Seralini of the University of Caen, it was the first long term study that I could find on the effects of GMOs. If you know of any long term studies related to GMO's (not just organic) please list them. I could only find short term studies that prove that GMO's have no negative side effects. Most of the study results on GMO's were never posted.
Are you talking about this, now retracted, study? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Séralini_affair
The study I researched was not on Wikipedia although it may be referring to the some study. I don't consider Wikipedia to be a valid source of information. Although I will say the study was called "controversial" and there is about a 50 50 view on whether the study is valid similar to most studies that involve any data on GMOs.
Either way this is not a debate for me, I just wanted to hear others opinion on whether they experienced any health benefits from eating organic non GMO. Do you have any benefits from switching to organic that you can speak of? Or reasons why you switched back to Non organic aside from money related reasons?
To answer your questions: I observed no difference in my health when I ate organic. I switched back because the price was high and I was unable to locate sufficient resources to determine that eating organic was actually better for us. I also have doubts that organic farming is sustainable to feed the world, so there was a political component to the decision to switch back.0 -
08robyngreen wrote: »Basically I avoid foods that contain added hormones, pesticides, and herbicides.
Food labeled "organic" is not pesticide / herbicide free. It. Is. Not.
http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?c=ecfr&SID=9874504b6f1025eb0e6b67cadf9d3b40&rgn=div6&view=text&node=7:3.1.1.9.32.7&idno=7
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If anyone has any noticeable health benefits that they can speak of related to switching to eating all organic foods or foods that are GMO free. Please share.
I will not debate GMO vs. Non-GMOs or Organic vs. Non-Organic with anyone. Everyone has their opinion there are not enough studies to support either side. All I'm asking is whether anyone has experienced a noticeable change from switching.0 -
08robyngreen wrote: »If anyone has any noticeable health benefits that they can speak of related to switching to eating all organic foods or foods that are GMO free. Please share.
I will not debate GMO vs. Non-GMOs or Organic vs. Non-Organic with anyone. Everyone has their opinion there are not enough studies to support either side. All I'm asking is whether anyone has experienced a noticeable change from switching.
We all do have opinions. What is important are the facts that we are using to back up those opinions. Those aren't irrelevant, even if you would like for them to be.0 -
08robyngreen wrote: »If anyone has any noticeable health benefits that they can speak of related to switching to eating all organic foods or foods that are GMO free. Please share.
I will not debate GMO vs. Non-GMOs or Organic vs. Non-Organic with anyone. Everyone has their opinion there are not enough studies to support either side. All I'm asking is whether anyone has experienced a noticeable change from switching.
you don't want scientific studies? you'd rather have n=1 anecdotal evidence from some random person claiming that they feel better after having made the switch to organics?0 -
janejellyroll wrote: »No because unnecessary.
And @janejellyroll we sometimes buy oranges labeled organic and the only benefit I've noticed is they tend to taste better. But that's solely because they are small(er). When I make sure to buy non-organic but still small-sized oranges (or apples) they also tend to taste better. Same with tomatoes.
Still not going to buy organic.
I have had some organic berries that tasted much better and I wasn't sure why. Now that you mention it, I think it was because they were smaller than the mega-berries that I typically buy. Awesome observation.
It's ESPECIALLY true with tomatoes, such that if my dad buys really big tomatoes I'll likely not eat them or will use them up in recipes instead of eaten plain. Seems to also be the case for bananas too, although I haven't noticed a HUGE difference for those. Bananas aren't my favourite though anyways so maybe that's why I don't notice it as much
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The Seralini paper is attention-whoring junk and a disgrace to "science".
IME, picking at peak of ripeness has far more effect on flavour than organic/non-organic for berries, tomatoes, etc. I have numerous friends who run organic farms, and I support them, but there really are no meaningful nutritional or physiological differences between Organic/non-organic.0 -
Well I tried to find an article in my school's database about the consumption of organic vs non-organic (or "conventional) food on health. I'm too lazy to go through a whole bunch of hits that includes mostly irrelevant (not related to actual health differences) so I'll just post the first one that seemed relevant to this discussion
Title: A comparison of the nutritional quality of organic and conventional ready-to-eat breakfast cereals based on NuVal scores.
The abstract: "ObjectiveTo identify whether there were differences in nutritional quality between organic and conventional ready-to-eat breakfast cereals of similar types, based on NuVal scores.DesignThe current descriptive study analysed NuVal scores for 829 ready-to-eat breakfast cereals and eighteen different cereal types. ANOVA was used to compare the mean NuVal scores of 723 conventional cereals with those of 106 organic cereals.SettingReady-to-eat breakfast cereals (n 829) with NuVal scores.SubjectsNot applicable.ResultsThere was no significant difference in NuVal scores between conventional (mean 28·4 (sd 13·4)) and organic (mean 30·6 (sd 13·2)) cereal types.ConclusionsConsumers who choose the organic version of a ready-to-eat breakfast cereal believing that nutritional quality is superior may not be making a valid assumption. Public health nutrition educators must help consumers understand that organic cereals are not necessarily more nutritious and their consumption could result in excessive intake of undesirable nutrients, such as fat, sugar and sodium. "
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08robyngreen wrote: »If anyone has any noticeable health benefits that they can speak of related to switching to eating all organic foods or foods that are GMO free. Please share.
I will not debate GMO vs. Non-GMOs or Organic vs. Non-Organic with anyone. Everyone has their opinion there are not enough studies to support either side. All I'm asking is whether anyone has experienced a noticeable change from switching.
It looks like so far all of the people who have responded about how they felt said they noticed NO difference with the organic foods except for one person who said the organic meat seemed easier to digest....just to recap for you.
I work part time in a grocery store and I find some people's grocery bills to be astounding when they shop only in the organic food section...especially when there doesn't seem to be compelling evidence to do so.
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I experienced no health benefits. I don't think any of it tasted any better, either, and if people think so I'm inclined to think that's probably psychological. I switched back because I realised I was being dumb and that organic is not sustainable. GMO is the best weapon we have against world hunger, so I never actually avoided them in the first place, I just happened to pick foods without.0
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19 years, billions of animals, no evidence that GMO has any adverse effect:
Numerous experimental studies have consistently revealed that the performance and health of GE-fed animals are comparable with those fed isogenic non-GE crop lines. United States animal agriculture produces over 9 billion food-producing animals annually, and more than 95% of these animals consume feed containing GE ingredients. Data on livestock productivity and health were collated from publicly available sources from 1983, before the introduction of GE crops in 1996, and subsequently through 2011, a period with high levels of predominately GE animal feed. These field data sets, representing over 100 billion animals following the introduction of GE crops, did not reveal unfavorable or perturbed trends in livestock health and productivity. No study has revealed any differences in the nutritional profile of animal products derived from GE-fed animals
https://dl.sciencesocieties.org/publications/jas/articles/92/10/4255
http://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/19-years-of-feeding-animals-gmo-shows-no-harm/
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I have subscribed to a local CSA for over a decade. I purchase a weekly box of seasonal organic fruits and vegetables. I can't say scientifically whether I am healthier because the produce is organic or not. I enjoy supporting a local farm. I am much more aware of what is in season. I end up learning how to use and appreciating vegetables that I might not have otherwise tried. I am pleased to support their farming methods. I am at a healthy weight as is my family and we are rarely sick but I cannot scientifically attribute that to any one particular aspect of our lifestyle or genetics. Is it more expensive? Probably. Is it worth it to me? Yes, for the reasons I describe above I feel I get a good value for my investment and I am happy about it.0
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The only reason I would be against GMOs is for patent troll reasons. Otherwise, I don't really see the big deal. We have been genetically engineering our food for as long as we have been raising it, just over much longer spans of time.
As for organic, I don't go out of my way to buy it. Sometimes Costco has no other option, like right now for tzatziki, so then it ends up in my cart, but the fact that it is organic had nothing to do with me buying it. I just like tzatziki, am too lazy to make it myself, and organic was the only option.0 -
My daughter swears the bananas taste better.
I don't go out of my way to buy organic, and I am pro-GMO. Green revolution and all that.0 -
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My family has recently started buying more foods organic and non-gmo, although we did still use to buy some. I can't say I've noticed any difference yet though.0
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My experience is that apples taste way better when organic, but that's the extent of it... so I make a point to buy those organic, even if my wallet hates it.0
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CrabNebula wrote: »The only reason I would be against GMOs is for patent troll reasons. Otherwise, I don't really see the big deal. We have been genetically engineering our food for as long as we have been raising it, just over much longer spans of time.
Bingo. The issue is so much more patent rules as opposed to GMO not being safe, because it is.
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So I started back on My Fitness pal today and I found this thread. We have started incorporating more Organic and Non-GMO foods into our diet. At first it was a slow process because my family was like eww organic but I started sneaking it in and then telling them AFTER they ate it. Worked like a charm. While we aren't totally organic we make a great effort in incorporating as much as we can. Now that there area TON of organic coupons out there it has made eating more organic so much easier!!!!!
I am also starting an all organic garden this year! Good luck on anyone trying this route. It's pretty awesome!0 -
sanjoparolas wrote: »I have subscribed to a local CSA for over a decade. I purchase a weekly box of seasonal organic fruits and vegetables. I can't say scientifically whether I am healthier because the produce is organic or not. I enjoy supporting a local farm. I am much more aware of what is in season. I end up learning how to use and appreciating vegetables that I might not have otherwise tried. I am pleased to support their farming methods. I am at a healthy weight as is my family and we are rarely sick but I cannot scientifically attribute that to any one particular aspect of our lifestyle or genetics. Is it more expensive? Probably. Is it worth it to me? Yes, for the reasons I describe above I feel I get a good value for my investment and I am happy about it.
Thank you, this is the type of answer I was hoping to hear. I just wanted to get peoples opinions on why they chose organic or why they ultimately switch back to non-organic.0 -
08robyngreen wrote: »sanjoparolas wrote: »I have subscribed to a local CSA for over a decade. I purchase a weekly box of seasonal organic fruits and vegetables. I can't say scientifically whether I am healthier because the produce is organic or not. I enjoy supporting a local farm. I am much more aware of what is in season. I end up learning how to use and appreciating vegetables that I might not have otherwise tried. I am pleased to support their farming methods. I am at a healthy weight as is my family and we are rarely sick but I cannot scientifically attribute that to any one particular aspect of our lifestyle or genetics. Is it more expensive? Probably. Is it worth it to me? Yes, for the reasons I describe above I feel I get a good value for my investment and I am happy about it.
Thank you, this is the type of answer I was hoping to hear. I just wanted to get peoples opinions on why they chose organic or why they ultimately switch back to non-organic.
no...08robyngreen wrote: »Has your family made the switch to eat only Organic (Non-GMO) foods. What have the results been like? Any noticeable changes from switching your diet?
you wanted peoples anecdotal evidence on their changes after going organic.0 -
I personally think organic/free-range meat tastes better, but that is about the only food item for which I find a noticeable difference.
If you are concerned with the environmental impact, I would suggest buying local if you have that option. Local produce, meat, and dairy is yummy, and it is often fresher because it doesn't have to travel as far. I live near a lot of farms, and I hear from them that many of them use organic farming techniques, but can't afford the massive cost to get USDA certified organic. Large industrial organic farms often have lower standards than the small farms who can't afford to pay for the certified organic label. Plus, you are putting money back into the local economy, and going to the farmer's market is fun!
Ultimately though, an organic walnut has the same calories and macros that a conventional walnut has. I am by no means knocking organic, I'm a fan myself, but I think that in terms of weight loss, it won't make a difference. Going local when possible is my personal soapbox, but you have to do what's right for you!0 -
08robyngreen wrote: »sanjoparolas wrote: »I have subscribed to a local CSA for over a decade. I purchase a weekly box of seasonal organic fruits and vegetables. I can't say scientifically whether I am healthier because the produce is organic or not. I enjoy supporting a local farm. I am much more aware of what is in season. I end up learning how to use and appreciating vegetables that I might not have otherwise tried. I am pleased to support their farming methods. I am at a healthy weight as is my family and we are rarely sick but I cannot scientifically attribute that to any one particular aspect of our lifestyle or genetics. Is it more expensive? Probably. Is it worth it to me? Yes, for the reasons I describe above I feel I get a good value for my investment and I am happy about it.
Thank you, this is the type of answer I was hoping to hear. I just wanted to get peoples opinions on why they chose organic or why they ultimately switch back to non-organic.
I think that organic produce tastes better and often is better quality. However, I would imagine that expensive GMO produce might taste better too. We try to buy local produce regardless of whether or not it is organic for some of the same reasons as PP. Local honey has helped with our allergies, but not the food.
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08robyngreen wrote: »If anyone has any noticeable health benefits that they can speak of related to switching to eating all organic foods or foods that are GMO free. Please share.
I will not debate GMO vs. Non-GMOs or Organic vs. Non-Organic with anyone. Everyone has their opinion there are not enough studies to support either side. All I'm asking is whether anyone has experienced a noticeable change from switching.
Nope. No health benefit. I bought organic foods for a year and noticed to no change compared to now.
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I began incorporating organic, free-range, and non-GMO foods into my diet in the past year and half. I don't exclusively eat these foods, but I especially try eat organic for those fruits and veggies that are the "Dirty Dozen." I also try to buy only wild caught fish of varieties that are low in mercury and meat that is organic/free range. I do so because of concerns of the potential and known negative health effects of consuming pesticides, antibiotics, hormones, etc. Cost is clearly an issue, so I use such strategies as buying larger quantities of sale items, buying fresh produce in season and freezing it myself, and making more of my own foods from scratch such as bread and pasta sauce. I have also significantly decreased my consumption of meat. It's impossible for me to discern whether the health benefits or differences in how I feel are attributable to these changes. Do I feel better because I'm eating significantly more organic, free-range, and non-GMO foods or because my overall dietary and lifestyle changes have lead to the loss of a significant amount of weight? There are too many confounding variables. I'm sure that my weight loss is directly attributable to many health benefits I'm experiencing in the short-term, however, I believe that staying away from foods with significant levels of pesticides, antibiotics, etc. will be beneficial in the longer term.0
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Yes, I buy organic and non GMO when I can. It's a personal conviction.0
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Yes, I do. I mostly do it for my kids -- my parents did it for me (before it was trendy) so I figured I'd do the same for them.
No, I don't notice a difference, except the strawberries spoil faster.
The only difference I've noticed in veggies is in the taste of those that are home grown vs. buying them from the grocery store. But organic vs. conventional, no difference in taste to me.
I don't buy everything organic. I'm not one of those people that have a strong stance for or against it. But I am grateful that I have a choice.
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KombuchaCat wrote: »I personally try to eat as much organic as I can afford or get from local "beyond organic" farms that have just not been able to afford the organic certification but they are just as good if not holding themselves to a higher standard. I don't think one should do this and expect any major results physically, although longterm you would reduce your exposure to toxins so I would hope there would be a positive change in your health. For me this is more of a sustainability/protect the environment/help local farmers issue.
It's also an ethical issue for me, not a nutritional one. The extra cost is often there but it's worth it to me. Home grown in the garden or on the patio solves that when the season is right
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