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Better Choices

Study: Organic Grains Offer Superior Nutrition than Conventional or “Natural”

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.

In two research reports recently completed by The Organic Center, which examined the nutritional differences of organically farmed grains compared to “natural” and conventional varieties, the authors concluded that commercially produced organic breads are more nutrient-rich, contain more whole food ingredients and have fewer preservatives and additives than conventional breads.

Additionally, organically grown wheat can contain a higher nutrient content than wheat grown using conventional farming practices.

Some of the specific findings from the two reports include:

• 63% of organic bread ingredients were found to be significant sources of important nutrients, while only 27% of conventional bread ingredients were nutritionally beneficial.

• On average, organic breads examined contained 49% whole food ingredients vs. 24% in “natural” breads and only 12 percent in conventional breads.

• Preservatives and additives made up 27% of ingredients in the conventional breads versus only 10% in the “natural” and 7% in the organic breads.

• With fewer inputs and not having to use synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, organic crops must rely on their own natural defenses, which can help increase their antioxidant content.

• Organic farming can also encourage more robust roots, allowing for the extraction of nutrients deeper in the soil. The presence of mycorrhizal fungi in organic soil can help increase the uptake of nutrients as well.

• On average, 75% of nutrients are lost when a grain is refined and hulled, making refined bread options like conventional white bread far less superior in nutritional content.

MY TAKE

In this country, a false expectation has been created that food is supposed to be cheap, and as a result, many people are reluctant to pay extra for organic.

Therefore, it is up to each one of us to re-frame the conversation when it comes to the cost of organic.

We must inform people that spending slightly more for organic means that they are getting a product that also has more nutritional value.

As The Organic Center has correctly pointed out in its studies, organic wheat is just not the same as conventional wheat. This is the important message that needs to be shared.

To read both reports from The Organic Center – Daily Bread and With The Grain – click HERE.

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What’s With These Holes in My Kale?

Ok. Let’s be very, very honest here.

How many times have you been at the market, looked at a piece of organic produce, seen numerous imperfections, and then searched for something that looked a little bit more aesthetically pleasing?

I’m certainly guilty of doing that.

But the question is: Why do we do this?

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Don’t Be Influenced By Pretty-Looking Organic Egg Cartons

Whether you’re new to organic or have been eating it for decades, here is a very likely scenario when you go to buy eggs.

You stand in the refrigerated section of the market, look at all of options, check out the prices and make a decision largely based on the packaging of each brand.

Some have attractive pictures of rolling farmland, others show actual farmers, some have photos of the animals. Most certainly, the brands are using buzz words such as “cage-free”, “sunlit porches”, “omega 3-s” or “heritage breed”.

Are these brands being falsely deceptive?

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Why Organic Coffee is So Important

A girl I used to know in New York City was so fanatical about recycling that she would literally take empty bottles home from bars because she feared that they would be tossed in the garbage.

I’ll never forget the time when we were out one night and she started filling up her designer handbag with empty beer bottles, which weren’t even hers!  She was that committed to the environment.

Yet, when she drank her coffee each morning, organic coffee was never even a consideration.

Although I didn’t realize it at the time, this didn’t make much sense.  Why?

Because conventionally-grown coffee is incredibly unhealthy for people and the planet.

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livingmaxwell: a guide to organic food & drink