Organic Food for Kids

[abelenkpe]

Hello Dahlings:

I just saw this article on organic food on Yahoo and thought some of you might find it interesting and/or informative. Enjoy!


"The concern about children is that they are more vulnerable to toxins in their diets, said Alan Greene, a pediatrician in northern California. As children grow rapidly, their brains and organs are forming and they eat more for their size than do grown-ups, Greene said.

"Pound for pound, they get higher concentrations of pesticides than adults do," said Greene, who promotes organic food in his books and on his Web site, http://www.drgreene.com.

New government-funded research adds to the concern. A study of children whose diets were changed from regular to organic found their pesticide levels plunged almost immediately. The amount of pesticide detected in the children remained imperceptible until their diets were switched back to conventional food."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051102/ap_on_he_me/fit_organic_kids;_ylt=AtWLVJghUe7dhjSKEn0wKZKs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA3ODdxdHBhBHNlYwM5NjQ-

[mzmolly]

1. I buy organic when ever I can. But I should buy more organic grain

products. We always buy organic fruits/vegies. And, we buy organic meats when ever possible.

Thanks for the info!

[MountainLaurel]

2. Great stuff

You should also post this in the environment forum: This is a topic they'd be interested in as well.

[Sabriel]

3. Truly a rich person's option

Buying organic can mean a 50-200% increase in food costs. Who the hell has that kind of money?

Yeah, I'd like to buy only organic stuff, but out here in Nowhere, Wisconsin, it costs an arm and a leg and looks crappy, to boot.

Here's my latest shopping comparison:

Regular gallon of milk: S2.69, organic: $6.29


Regular apples: $1.19/lb., organic: $3.29/lb.

Regular chicken: 89 cents/lb., organic: $2.49/lb.

[lostnfound]

4. That's sad. Doesn't have to be the way -- it isn't everywhere.

We have local food co-ops where I live that are organic. Recently, with gas prices having driven up the prices at the regular stores, the prices at the co-op are pretty comparable.

[Dora]

6. Geography is what makes the difference.

We live in an urban area where organics are more readily available.

Many people (such as myself) who are not rich choose to spend more buying organic and all-natural foods because they see it as an investment in their health.

Some people take up jogging. I took up organics.

[abelenkpe]

7. not in LA

There are many places to buy organic right in my neighborhood, and the cost is really not much different than at a regular grocery store. Milk is a bit more, but baby food, and fruits are surprisingly affordable. Of course food costs a lot here in general though. And maybe because there is so much competition the prices are more reasonable. Hopefully things will change in your area. The more people who buy organic the more stores will be encouraged to offer organic food. My husband says that his mom used to buy food directly from farmers there in Wisconsin and it was better and cheaper than what you could by in the grocery stores. Perhaps you can look into a similar arrangement? There's gotta be some people there growing organic for themselves. I look at it as an investment in my son's health. I'm definitely not rich. I can't afford to buy a house. But whatever. Home prices here are way overpriced anyway.

[lostnfound]

5. Summary of the longitudinal study (with some amazing graphs):

As explained below, this was a longitudinal study measuring fluctuating pesticide byproducts in urine samples among the same group of children as they switched from conventional to organic to conventional foods (consistent diet throughout).

Look at the dramatic drop during the organic phase!

Malathion metabolates:


Chlorpyrifos metabolates:


A longitudinal study accomplished by researchers at Univ of Washington, Emory, and the CDC and published by the NIH studied urine samples from children during phases in which the children were given a conventional diet and an equivalent (same menu choices) organic diet. The study found a "dramatic and immediate" reduction in pesticide exposure in children eating organic food.

Children in the study were tested for pesticide concentrations in their urine for 15 days. During the first 3 days ("Stage I"), children were fed a conventional (nonorganic) diet; for the next 7 days("Stage II"), they were fed an equivalent organic diet; and for 7 more days ("Stage III"), they were fed a conventional (nonorganic) diet again.

The study's conclusions:
"We conclude that organic diets provide a protective mechanism against OP (organo phosphate) pesticide exposure in young children whose diets regularly consist of fresh fruit and vegetable, fruit juices, and wheat-containing items. Such protection is dramatic and immediate. This is particularly true for certain OP pesticides, such as chlorpyrifos and malathion as measured in this study, and is probably true for other OPs like azinphosmethyl, dimethoate, and acephate, which are only registered in agricultural production. "

[OnionPatch]

8. I started buying organic when

I became pregnant. I always bulked at the price before but decided it was an investment in the baby's and our health. I find that the price is offset a little for us since we no longer buy lots of pre-made foods. Since the farmer's market is the best place to find organics, you have to be willing to cook lots of things from scratch. Finally, we have a huge garden every year and preserve things like tomatoes, peppers, fruit, etc. (All organic, of course.) We even have chickens so we can have our own eggs. Again, this wouldn't be easy for everyone. I know some people can't afford organic and I understand where they're coming from.

Thanks for posting the link to the article. Reading it assures me that my efforts were/are worth it. My hope is that someday soon, as more people buy organic, the price will come down and everyone will be able to afford to eat healthy food. As it should be.