I got a message from a reader the other day on Facebook about a Health.com story that made her quite concerned. And rightly so.
The article is titled “27 Mistakes Healthy People Make” and the #2 mistake was that “you always buy organic”.
It starts off by saying “Buying organic is wise for certain foods, such as beef or strawberries, but it doesn’t make much difference for others, like avocados or eggs.”
It alarms me that a website with such a giant readership could mislead people so badly. To say that it doesn’t make much of a difference to buy conventional eggs versus organic eggs is simply preposterous.
Organic egg production prohibits the use of antibiotics and growth hormones, the use of feed sprayed with toxic chemicals, and the use of feed that has been genetically-modified. Furthermore, there are minimum requirements in terms of floor space and access to the outdoors.
On the other hand, conventional eggs can use antibiotics and growth hormones, can use feed that has been sprayed with toxic chemicals, and can use feed that has been genetically-modified. Conventional egg production often packs hens into tight cages, resulting in the most inhumane conditions imaginable.
How on earth can any reasonable and intelligent person say there is no difference between the two????
The sad part is that many, many people have already read this article and now believe Health.com’s statement to be true.
Even if a food item is on the Environmental Working Group’s Clean 15 – the list of conventional foods that receive the least amount of pesticides – it is still sprayed with toxic chemicals but just to a lesser degree.
Chemicals, antibiotics, synthetic growth hormones, and genetically-modified ingredients have absolutely no business being in our bodies. Don’t let anyone try to convince you otherwise or that they are harmless in small quantities. When we ingest something in small quantities over and over again, it no longer is a small quantity. It is a much larger quantity.
This isn’t just some organic food proponent talking about the health risks of chemicals. It is what the medical experts believe as well.
According to the President’s Cancer Panel report, 41% of Americans will get cancer and 21% of Americans will die from it. One of the report’s key recommendations is to eat food that has been grown without the use of chemicals.
The report also said that “the true burden of environmentally induced cancer has been grossly underestimated. With nearly 80,000 chemicals on the market in the United States, many of which are used by millions of Americans in their daily lives and are un- or understudied and largely unregulated, exposure to potential environmental carcinogens is widespread.”
The American Academy of Pediatrics shares similar concerns and says that pesticide exposure for children must be reduced. It stated that “epidemiologic evidence demonstrates associations between early life exposure to pesticides and pediatric cancers, decreased cognitive function, and behavioral problems. Related animal toxicology studies provide supportive biological plausibility for these findings.”
In order to protect the health of your family, do whatever you can to keep these toxic chemicals out of your body.
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A few more things.
1) For those of you who eat eggs, be sure to check out the Cornucopia’s Organic Egg Scorecard. It’s an excellent resource.
2) I don’t know about you, but it makes me cringe to see a health article right next to a big advertisement from Kellogg’s.
Not only did Kellogg’s spend nearly $800,000 to defeat Proposition 37, California’s recent GMO-labeling ballot initiative, but it is the proud owner of Kashi, a company which is facing a class action lawsuit for using hazardous substances in its “all-natural” products.
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Wow! I am glad I don’t subscribe. I disagree with some other things in the article including “you skip vaccines”.
Hi Beuna,
I was so turned off by #2 “you always buy organic”, that I didn’t even read the rest of the article. And, yes, I disagree with the vaccine comment also.
Live well,
Max
thanks for this great article. no wonder so many people get confused!
i attended a kick off meeting to get GMO food labeled in NC on Thursday night. it was a great meeting and best of all, i finally got to FOOD BABE!!!
she is the best…sweet, smart and absolutely GORGEOUS.
i love all the health information that you and food babe put out there.
I think the saddest part of the story is that the readers of health.com are typically the people who are taking an interest in their well being and attempting a healthier lifestyle. That’s what really sucks about the misinformation. The mainstream, fast food eating, obese public are already fooled or ignorant. The incorrect info is going to the people who are trying to do better and educate themselves. You nailed it when you said, “The sad part is that many, many people have already read this article and now believe Health.com’s statement to be true.”
Hi Kerry,
You are totally right! No wonder so many people get confused when such poor information is disseminated to the public.
Yes, Vani is awesome and I am so glad that you got to meet her! She said the meeting was packed, which was fantastic to hear.
I really appreciate your kind words and thanks so much for reading what we have to say. I am very grateful!
Hope you’re having a fantastic Saturday!
Max
Hi Toni,
It is so true what you said – that readers who are attempting to live a healthier lifestyle are being fed such wrong information. That means people like the two of us have to work harder to educate others.
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts here!!! I appreciate it!
Max
Excellent retort Max,
The war on organic food following Dr. Oz’s snob diet article and the study he sites saying there is no difference nutritionally has me very concerned. It seems completely idiotic to me that anyone would tell people not to buy organic.
Hi Kali,
Thanks so much! My sense is that Dr. Oz has been under real pressure from his advertisers to bash organic. Plain and simple. Seeing these statements from him is very, very surprising.
Live well,
Max
Excellent post Max! Absolutely LOVE your blog and the invaluable information you provide. I often forward your posts to people and share your FB posts.
Thank you!
Hi Cristina,
Thank you so much!!! I really appreciate your words and I am very grateful that you read and share what I have to say here.
Have an awesome week!
Max