The Difference Between Organic and Natural

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IronPlayground
IronPlayground Posts: 1,594 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I see a lot of people talk of the benefits of eating organic food or natural foods. I would assume that the thought process is that these foods are "cleaner". Here is a great article that talks about products with these labels.

http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/most_recent/the_difference_between_organic_and_natural

One great point the article makes is the definition of "good/bad" or "healthy/unhealthy" foods:
Personally, I don't view any single food as inherently good or bad, healthy or unhealthy. Too much (or too little) of anything, regardless of what it is, isn't conducive to long-term health or success.

Additionally, as long as an individual is habitually eating in a manner which appropriately supports their caloric, macro/micronutrient, and individual needs, then moderately incorporating traditionally labeled unhealthy foods into their diet likely won't result in unhealthy side effects and, may in fact, be beneficial on a physical, emotional, and psychological level.

In other words, instead of judging the "healthiness" of each individual food, I prefer to take a more holistic approach and consider the health of a person's overall nutritional habits.

Replies

  • yo_andi
    yo_andi Posts: 2,178 Member
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    Thanks for posting, Mike. I tend to prefer eating products with ingredients I can pronounce but the price tag slapped on "organic" and "natural" foods puts a lot of them out of my reach. I think it is, however, possible to put good, wholesome things in your body and still keep a close eye on budget. It just requires you to pay a little bit more attention when you shop and as with everything, make better choices.
  • IronPlayground
    IronPlayground Posts: 1,594 Member
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    We pay close attention to macros. Always comparing different products. I agree with the article. There have been many times where the regular product has been a better choice than the one marked natural or organic.
  • dsmpunk
    dsmpunk Posts: 262 Member
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    I try to buy food that is as close to nature as possible. In other words, A plain old apple is better than an "organic" pop tart or whatever.
  • g4genn
    g4genn Posts: 58 Member
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    I always look at the ingredients. to Me, natural means that all the ingredients can be found outside without having to be put through a huge facility to create a newer version of it.

    When I can buy organic, I try to do this as well as there is a correlation between pesticide use and add/adhd symptom increase.
  • anissa1013
    anissa1013 Posts: 5 Member
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    what i am working hard at doing is "whole" foods. processed foods have lots of things in them that our bodies "fight" against as they move through the liver and other ares in our bodies. whole foods are easier on our digestion and thus, our bodies are working in a more balanced manner and consequently, we tend to loose more weight when our bodies are functioning better. often we are inadvertantly (by eating processed foods) slowing down our metabolism and weight loss. anyway....sometimes organic and natural might be "ok" but if it is processed, not interested. i must say that it is HARD to make this change for my whole family, we are slowly working on it, while i am also loosing weight! YEEE HAW!
  • madmish00
    madmish00 Posts: 35
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    It is best to just look at the ingredients.

    I was buying honey in the supermarket the other day - Own brand ingredients 100% honey £1.34, Organic range ingredients 100% honey £2.89. How does the label of organic justify more than double the price when the exact same ingredients are in the bottle?!

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