Late Monday night, I read about the Stanford University report on organic food, which said that organic and conventionally-grown food offered similar nutritional benefits, and have spent the last few days processing this news.

Here are my key takeaways.

INTELLECTUAL HONESTY MUST REIGN SUPREME

Based on the parameters that the Stanford professors used, it was obvious that organic was going to be the clear loser before they even got started.

Why? Read more »

Let’s put this under the You Just Can’t Make This Stuff Up category.

Under a new USDA fast-track process, a Canadian company is asking the USDA to approve a genetically-engineered (GE) apple that will not turn brown when sliced.

Now for some questions……

What happens when an apple is sliced open and exposed to oxygen? It turns brown.

Does it lose any of its flavor or nutritional value? No. Read more »

In yet another study, we have more evidence that organic is the healthier choice.

A recent report out of the University of Barcelona claims that organic tomatoes have a higher amount of antioxidants than conventional tomatoes.

Researchers used liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry to determine that organic tomatoes have a greater amount of phenolic compounds or polyphenols. Polyphenols, which are natural antioxidants of plant origin, are associated with the prevention of cardiovascular and degenerative diseases, and some forms of cancer. Read more »

There is a battle brewing in California that every American needs to know about.

Even if you don’t live in that state, it doesn’t matter at all. It still impacts every single one of us.

The voting that will take place on the California ballot in November is called Proposition 37. This measure, which will be voted on by the state’s citizens, would require that foods containing genetically-modified ingredients be labeled as such.

And if approved, the implications will be enormous. Other states will be more willing to pass a similar measure and will be less afraid of potential lawsuits from Monsanto et al.

Right now, President Obama and the USDA do not believe that citizens have the right to know if they are eating genetically-modified foods (GMOs) or not. Why? Read more »

One of the reasons that many of us eat organic food is because we want to keep dangerous chemicals out of our bodies.

Yet even if we adhere to a 100% organic diet, we still need to pay very close attention to all of the personal care and household cleaning products that we use – from handsoaps, shampoos, floor cleaners, window sprays, air fresheners, dishwash soaps, etc.

The Environmental Working Group, one of my favorite non-profit groups, who also happens to put out The Dirty Dozen, just released a sneak preview of their Cleaners Hall of Shame – a list of the most hazardous cleaning products on the market.

Many products contain ingredients known to cause asthma or are contaminated with carcinogens. Read more »

One complaint that I hear all of the time is that “organic is so expensive”.

True, organic is slightly more expensive. This is primarily because it is not subsidized by the government in the same way that conventional food is.

But what rarely gets mentioned is that organic also offers superior nutrition. Read more »

This morning I put the juicer back to work after a few week hiatus.

I still have been drinking organic green juice nearly every single day, but I had been buying it.

So, wanting to have a large quantity of freshly made juice this morning, I picked up some lacinato kale, celery, and arugula sprouts last night.

Juicing with sprouts is a no-brainer. Why?

The amount of proteins, vitamins, minerals, and enzymes in sprouts is greater than at any other point in a plant’s development.

Therefore, it makes sense to be juicing with foods that give us the biggest return.

For example, broccoli sprouts have 20-50x the amount of sulforaphane, a potent anti-cancer compound, than a mature head of broccoli. Read more »