Column #90

cows feeding on grass

In America, health is impacted more by food chemistry than everything else combined.

A vegan’s recent letter to our local newspaper complained about the scarcity of organic selections at our local grocers and restaurants. Supposedly the only organic food source was a distant Whole Foods. Then it claimed “Veganism is no longer a rainbow hippie fantasy. It is a needed reality as a healthy choice for individuals and our planet.” 

Eating organic food is a noble practice and a belief shared by many who desire healthy food. But for better health one must look beyond organic because organic marketing rhetoric does not match results.

“Organic” focuses on minuscule levels of contamination while playing down the actual chemical compositions of foods. Organic can’t turn sugar, grain, nuts, seeds, fruit, and grain-fed natural meats into healthy foods. Even claims that organically grown is nutritionally and environmentally superior to conventionally grown have been proven false by independent studies. Since 1990, the cost of healthcare jumped from 12.5% of GNP to 18% even though organic food sales increased an astounding 40 times.

Believing “organic” is pesticide free is definitely a fantasy. This statement angers many health conscious consumers who have been told repeatedly that organic is pesticide free. They fail to realize that all plants produce natural pesticides and laboratory tests on natural pesticides aren’t reported even though most of them exceed EPA limits for man-made pesticides! Furthermore, the pesticides organic farmers use would not work if they were free of chemicals.

The writer implied humans are natural vegans which is also sheer fantasy. The first sustainable life was a green leaf because it absorbed energy from sunlight and nutrients from the environment. Then animal life developed that obtained energy and nutrients from both green leaves and other animals that had green leaves at the bottom of their food chains. Animals have always eaten animals. Even chickens eat meat.

A vegan diet consisting of grains, seeds, nuts, sugar, honey, oils, fruit, and non-green leafy vegetables doesn’t provide the appropriate spectrum of nutrients contained in green leafy vegetables and animals with the green leaf at the bottom of their food chains. Even when grown organically, those foods introduce nutritional deficiencies and imbalances that cause chronic diseases.

Believing that farming is environmentally friendly is another fantasy. Farming rips open soils, with some fields lying fallow. Organic farming requires more land and all farming requires fossil fuels, fertilizer, and irrigation inputs. Most farmed crops are deficient in Omega-3 fatty acids, the lack of which causes autoimmune, mental, and nervous system diseases.

Due to a natural symbiotic relationship, the environment is actually healthier when animals graze pastures. Animals recycle nutrients back to the soil, breathe out carbon dioxide that plants breathe in while releasing oxygen, and pastures grow back naturally with most requiring just natural rainfall.

Like most places, the availability of organic foods in our region is outstanding. Major grocers, including Walmart, sell organically labeled foods. But when vegans live in a “rainbow hippie fantasy” some retailers exploit their fantasies and charge them top dollar. As a result, the profits in marketing deceptions has made shopping for health food a mine field. So buyer beware.

Grass-fed meats and wild-caught seafood provide mankind’s required nutrients in perfect balance. Meats are also easily digested. There are big differences between grass-fed and grain-fed meats. One promotes health, the other does not. Obviously consumers must know the realities of biology, nutrition, anthropology, agriculture, and additional sciences to actually select healthy foods. Or they can eat just the green leafy vegetables, grass-fed meats, and wild caught seafood and see for themselves.

To your health.

Ted Slanker

Ted Slanker has been reporting on the fundamentals of nutritional research in publications, television and radio appearances, and at conferences since 1999. He condenses complex studies into the basics required for health and well-being. His eBook, The Real Diet of Man, is available online.

Don’t miss these links for additional reading:

Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Health and Disease and in Growth and Development by Dr. Artemis P Simopoulos
This paper about food and its impact on health is legendary in scientific nutrition literature and the word “organic” is not mentioned even once.

Think Organic Food Is Better for You, Animals, and the Planet? Think Again from Telegraph Media Group

Are Organic Foods Healthier than Conventional Foods?

Statistics and Facts on the Organic Food Industry in the U.S.

Chronic Diseases: The Leading Causes of Death and Disability in the United States

Dining on Pesticides

Myth Busting on Pesticides: Despite Demonization, Organic Farmers Widely Use Them

7 Myths You’ve Probably Heard About Organic And GMO Foods — Debunked by Erin Kelly

Organically Grown Poisonous Plants