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For example, the only healthy beef is 100% grass fed, from beginning to end, raised on an organic pasture and taken to slaughter under humane conditions. Beef labeled organic may be fed organic grains and kept in confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) just like the factory farmed animals. The only differences are their feed and they are not given antibiotics and hormones. Grain-fed animals do not provide healthy meat. Grass fed meat, if it does not state 100%, may be grain finished to fatten them up. This is a less healthy choice as well.
Dairy products are controversial. Some say they should be avoided. Humans are the only creatures on earth that drink milk after weaning. Others say that raw milk is a healthy food. Now, it's true that pasteurized milk is unhealthy. The majority of the enzymes and other constituents that make milk a healthy food have been destroyed during the pasteurization process. Raw milk, from cows with the A2 beta casein gene or goats, which are raised on organic pastures is a healthy food. Even better is a specific type of cultured milk, Amasai, from the A2 beta casein cows.
Fruits and vegetables that are not organic are sprayed with toxic pesticides and some, like Hawaiian papayas, some zucchini and crookneck squash, may be genetically engineered (GMO). Studies have shown that organically grown produce is more nutrient dense than non-organic. However, sometimes buying organic may be outside the limits of your budget. So, if you're not buying organic produce, you need to know which fruits and vegetables have the most pesticide residue and which have the least.
If you buy packaged foods, you need to be diligent about reading ingredients lists, even on organic foods. If you buy non-organic packaged foods, you're probably eating foods with GMOs. The majority of the non-organic packaged foods contain genetically engineered ingredients from corn, soy, sugar beets, canola oil or cottonseed oil.
If you don't recognize all the ingredients as common, non-GMO food items, and you don't know what the other ingredients are, you have several choices:
1. Don't buy it.
2. Buy it anyway and take the risk that you'll be eating food that has ingredients that are harmful to your health. This is a big contributing factor to all the obesity and disease that is rampant in our society today.
3. Learn how to read ingredients lists and know what the ingredients are and how healthy or unhealthy they are. Then make your choice from an informed place, knowing what kind of risk you're taking, i.e. choose your risk.
Do you know that right now, behind closed doors, there is a movement to lower the organic standards to allow "synthetic and non-organically produced ingredients to be added freely to organic foodsas long as they have, theoretically, nutritional value?" In fact, just recently, carrageenan, a possible carcinogen as determined by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, was re-evaluated by a meeting of the National Organic Program Board. It was decided to continue to allow this cancer-causing ingredient, to be used in certified organic foods.
In addition, do you know that most of the organic food companies are owned by the conventional food industry? This is the reason for the move to lower the organic standards.
So how can you guarantee that the food you eat is healthy?
- Buy Beyond Organic
- Buy 100%, beginning to end, green fed
- Buy 100% green fed, probiotic rich, raw cheese or cultured dairy, like Amasai
- Buy your eggs and poultry from farms where the chickens are outdoors and allowed space to roam
- Buy Organic produce or choose from the "Clean 15"
- Always read labels when you buy packaged foods
- Buy from those farmers and companies that are truly committed to producing healthy products, not those who are just in it for the profits.
Yes, it is getting harder and harder to make healthy food choices because we have an industry that is determined to genetically engineer every seed and to use the cheapest synthetic ingredients to maximize their profits at the expense of your health.
So, what do you do?
Become an informed consumer. Take extra time to do your research. You may just be surprised at how much healthy food choices improve your health.
