Chicken is a staple in cuisines from around the world, and it's no wonder why. Chicken is a delicious comfort food, and a lean, tasty alternative to red meat. If you feel like chicken tonight, check out these organic chicken tips and recipes to help you prepare the chicken safely, and for great recipe ideas from soups to chicken cacciatore.
When you buy organic, you don't have to worry about extra chemicals in your food. The Mayo Clinic says that to encourage unnaturally fast growth, conventional farmers feed their chickens antibiotics and preventive medicine to keep them from getting infections from living in cramped cages. For the healthiest and most flavorful dishes, go for organic chicken raised cage-free on organic feed that hasn't been treated with pesticides and herbicides. You'll never go back!
Make sure you look for the USDA Organic or 100% Organic labels on all your food, including chicken. These products are certified by the United State Department of Agriculture, and found to be free of pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics, and growth hormones. Labels that say "100% Natural" or "All Natural" are not certified by the USDA, and food companies use these terms to cash in on the green living movement without actually having to do anything different, so watch out!
Some other things to think about: organic food is made without preservatives, so make sure you cook your chicken while it's still fresh. Prepare your chicken safely and minimize your risk of foodborne illness by washing your hands and utensils often. And when you cook chicken, make sure you're getting the most out of your bird. You can make great gravy with a pan reduction, and you can use a carcass for homemade chicken stock for soups. The possibilities are endless!
Stressing the importance of eating organic food goes well beyond potatoes and oranges. The health benefits and environmental upsides of organic food can also be found in things like fizzy sodas and tasty beverages.
Believe it or not, in 2004, realizing that the pesticide levels in their Coke and Pepsi products were so high in pesticides, Indian farmers who couldn’t afford conventional pesticides and herbicides started to spray their cotton and chilli crops with these soft drinks instead! That’s because the Indian Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) had released reports that Coca-Cola and Pepsi products contained unsafe levels of insecticides and pesticides, including lindane, DDT, chlorpyrifos, and malathion. The report detailed possible health problems associated with drinking these beverages, including nervous, immune, and reproductive system disorders, birth defects, and even cancer.
What followed was an uprising by consumers as they engaged in “smash-the-bottle” campaigns. Some states even banned the sale of these products either completely or partially throughout their regions. Although the two giant soft drink companies are fighting back, many people in India continue to choose other drinks.
While similar problems have not been documented in North America, the health problems associated with too much soda are well-documented. Sugary drinks like soda pop have been linked to obesity, diabetes, as well as gum and tooth disease, due in large part to the high concentration of high fructose corn syrup they commonly use. Additionally, soda contains a substance called sodium benzoate which can cause cell damage. Phosphates, which are also found in many sodas can contribute to higher rates of osteoporosis as well.
An occasional drink of conventional soda won’t kill you, but you can make better choices for your health by opting for organic and natural sodas. These alternatives will use things like cane sugar, fruit juices, and tantaric acid from grapes to replace other not-so-healthy ingredients. PepsiCo now produces Pepsi Raw (limited availability) and others are venturing into natural sodas (check labels for confirmation of claims!).
If your family can’t live without a fizzy drink now and then, consider making your own so that you can ensure you know what’s going into it. Soda-Club Fountain Jet makes a Home Soda Maker that is not only healthier for you, it will save you some money and cut your waste by 90 percent (you fill reusable bottles instead of disposable cans and bottles). Plus, you can make your own custom-designed sodas, which makes the process a whole lot of fun! Just be sure to pick up natural flavorings and sweeteners. Happy sipping!
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Coffee isn’t the only morning beverage that needs a green makeover. Many of the same social and environmental problems faced by java drinkers are also prevalent in the tea industry, making the choice of what tea you sip every day an important part of any green lifestyle. So add organic, fair trade tea to your organic food shopping list this year to make a difference for farmers and the planet, too.
Organic farming has many benefits, not only for the farmers, but also for the future generations of the communities dwelling there. Organic methods protect the soil and water against infiltration by cancer-causing pesticides and other chemicals so that many more generations can lead healthy lives. According to a National Cancer Institute report, farmers who use herbicides regularly were six times more likely to contract cancer than other people. Organic tea also ensures that soil erosion is prevented, water quality remains good, and biodiversity is preserved.
Biodynamic farming is another green method of getting delicious tea leaves without harm to the planet. The biodynamic method is a closed-loop one, requiring that no “outside” influences (like pesticides and herbicides) be used. Instead, these farmers make use of things like cover crops to improve soil health. They also employ homeopathic preparations (containing plants, animal manure extracts, minerals, and compost) to the soil, while following the natural rhythms of the cosmos to determine when to seed and when to harvest. In many ways, biodynamic is one step more serious about environmental-protection than USDA Certified Organic options. Demeter US is the certifying body for this type of gardening.
Like coffee drinkers, tea sippers are serious about flavor and the quality of their tea leaves. Here again, organic has the advantage since organic teas are said to have better flavor. The smell and taste of a delicious cup of organic green tea or mango berry tea is richer and deeper than conventional options.
Additionally, organic tea is often also fairly traded. The Fair Trade Federation, which helps to certify organic teas, ensures that farmers are given a fair wage (at least $1.26 per pound), that workplace safety laws are in place, and that families of farmers receive education and health care. It also helps to stimulate local economies so that they can develop self-sufficiency.
When shopping for your organic tea, look for a total of two labels: one for how the tea was grown, and one for how it was traded. Either the Demeter US label or the USDA Certified Organic will ensure your tea is grown in an earth-conscious fashion, and the Fair Trade logo will guarantee that farmers were treated fairly in the trade. Together, you’ll have a truly sustainable morning (or evening) fix.
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Genetically-modified (GM) food crops are a contentious issue for many. While some believe they will save humanity from pollution and disease associated with conventionally-grown foods, others question the wisdom of playing with the basic structure of our food, concerned that such meddling will have untold health consequences.
Although at this point, scientists are still unsure of the direct health repercussions of eating genetically modified organisms (GMOs), they are sure that GM foods can increase rates of allergic reactions. That’s because genes of common allergens are often combined with other plant food, potentially passing the allergen onto the newly created food. Allergic substances from the proteins found in eggs, fish and shellfish, peanuts, milk, wheat, and tree nuts—proteins that are the cause of more than 90 percent of food allergies—can be combined with new strains of corn, for instance, making this once innocuous food a potentially deadly food for those with allergies to these substances. The US Food and Drug Administration has attempted to address this issue by requiring that new GM organisms be free of any allergenic substances on the main allergen list.
Health issues aside, GM foods come with other consequences, most specifically for the environment. While some GMO produce will be able to better fend off specific pests and diseases, this tampering could threaten biodiversity. Of most concern is the possibility that the bioinsecticides may actually kill off beneficial insects. An insect resistant strain of corn called B.t. that was used first in 1999 is suspected of being lethal to monarch butterfly caterpillars.
Additionally, pests and weeds may become resistant to inbred bioinsecticides and biopesticides. This may inevitably increase the need for pesticides and herbicides instead of having the intended benefit of decreasing their use. Not only that, the genes of these modified food crops may spread, via wind and water, to non-GMO crops.
Whether we like it or not, the GMO-age is upon us. GM technology may be found in your corn, soybeans, papayas, zucchini, and tomatoes. The US is the biggest grower of GM crops with nearly 60 million hectares being cultivated with these seeds. You can avoid GM foods by choosing organic foods. If you’re not sure, the four-digit PLU Code on your produce will be preceded by a “9” if it is organic. If it is a GMO product, it will be preceded by an “8” instead.
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While the best thing you can do for the environment when it comes to your diet is to develop at least one meat-free day per week, you can also reduce your environmental footprint by increasing the quantity of organic food you eat, which also means choosing meat that has been raised organically. You’ll be ensuring that the animals raised for your meat are treated humanely, while also encouraging farming methods that lesson the damage done to the environment.
The meat industry effects the environment on so many levels—problems like soil and water pollution, climate change, deforestation, diseases, and more are all perpetuated by large-scale animal farms. Often called CAFOS for confined animal feeding operations, these factory farms are not only damaging to the environment, they are a den of cruelty for the animals.
Creatures who are raised for meat on large-scale farms are often confined in very tight spaces with little to no room to move around or lie down. They are deprived of fresh air and forbidden from doing what comes naturally to them—roaming in green pastures, taking care of their young, feeding in a free-range fashion, and resting when necessary. Instead, they lead lives of fear, pain, and misery. Those who consider eating a spiritual act (such as Hindus and Buddhists) also believe that when an animal lives and dies in fear, they pass along their negative emotions to those who eat them.
The US Department of Agriculture National Organic Program requires that organically-raised animals be hormone- and antibiotic-free, and that they receive only organic feed. This eliminates the problems associated with pesticide overdose, but doesn’t solve the issue of how the animals were treated. So if you care about animal cruelty, you’ll want to choose animal protein that comes from small-scale farms that allow their animals to roam freely and feed naturally.
You can often find this kind of meat at the farmer’s market or through a community supported agriculture (CSA) organization. Although “free range” and “natural” are unregulated terms, if you ask your farmer to see pictures of their animals and/or have them define for you how they were raised, you have a better chance of ensuring they were not ill-treated. Buying from vendors like these also ensures that you’re supporting your local economy.
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That slow melting of a luscious piece of chocolate after a long day of work is like getting away—treating yourself to a mini-indulgence that’s just for you. If you’re looking to augment your organic food diet, you’ll want to add this decadent treat to the list of ingredients you buy regularly from the organic counter. Organic chocolate is not only better for you, it can also come with environmental and social benefits, too.
The cocoa used to make chocolate is grown on the cacao tree, the growth of which requires the second largest infusion of chemical pesticides and herbicides in the world (the highest pesticide use crop is cotton, of course). These chemicals wreak havoc on the health of cocoa growers and chocolate eaters alike. Lindane is a common pesticides used in chocolate grown in West Africa where it increases the rates of cancer and hormone disruption of local farmers.
Your chocolate bar may also harm the societal health of the farmers who grow it. Poor farmers are often encouraged to chop down the old growth forests in their communities to make room for tree stands for growing chocolate. Losing these forests reduces the region’s biodiversity, water retention, climate regulation, flood protection, and more. Plus, the application of pesticides combined with monoculturing can deplete the soil of nutrients, leaving the local people with soil that won’t grow anything.
You would think this would be enough, but chocolate is also bought from these already-suffering farmers at unfair prices. They often receive only one penny for a chocolate bar that you would pay 60 cents for. Plus, in many cases farmers are forced to employ their children in order to keep costs down and make a decent living.
You can choose a better indulgence by looking for organic food chocolate that has also been fairly traded. Both the Fairtrade Labelling Organization International and the Rainforest Alliance ensure that their cocoa farmers are given a fair wage for their labor so look for their labels.
Rainforest Alliance also strongly encourages farmers to use organic farming methods to save money and protect their land. You can also look for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Certified Organic label to ensure it’s been grown without the use of chemical pesticides and herbicides. These farming methods will also protect ground water supplies and wildlife, and because it is often grown in the shade of the existing forest canopy, organic cacao protects the rainforest as well.
So next time you want to indulge, think about the farmers, the planet, and your own health—and choose organic and fair trade.
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Whether you’re getting married and looking for the best wine for your celebration or planning a quiet barbecue get-together with friends in your backyard and in need of a good beer, you may want to consider organic options for their health and environmental benefits. And like eating organic food, you may just find that imbibing these brews is tastier, too!
Like most conventionally-grown foods, the grapes for wine and the grains for beer are treated with loads of pesticides and herbicides to fend of insects and weeds. But these chemicals will also land up in your beverage. The hops, yeasts, and malted grains (wheat, corn, barley, and rice) used to make beer are all laced with agricultural chemicals. In a 2003 study by the US Food and Drug Administration, it was found that 17 percent of barley and 32 percent of wheat products sampled had pesticide residues (which have been linked to human health problems). The organic varieties, on the other hand, had less than 5 percent.
The production of wine tells a similar story. Grapes grown for the making of wine are treated with more chemicals than any other crop in California (the biggest grape-growing state in America). Biodynamic and organic wines, on the other hand, severely limit the use of these chemicals.
Although the US Environmental Protection Agency claims that the levels of pesticide residues in our food and drink are safe, there are those who believe more studies need to be done to determine the effects of combinations of so many chemicals on the human body.
Choosing organic beer and wine may be good for your health, but it is also no surprise that the earth will thank you, too. Chemicals used on conventional crops not only pollute our waterways, they can harm birds and kill other beneficial insects and plants in our landscapes.
So when shopping for beverages for your next event, big or little, check out organic options. If it is labeled 100% organic, that means it contains 100 percent organically-grown grains or grapes. An “Organic” label means that up to 5 percent of the ingredients can be conventionally grown, while 95 percent must be organic.
Biodynamic is another option, and although this label is not controlled by the USDA, it does signify a healthier, more sustainable product. Biodynamic farming is totally chemical-free like organic farming, but this approach is also closer to the land.
Responsible drinking isn’t just about avoiding driving drunk, it’s also about responsibility to your own body and to the planet. Plan your next party without the side of pesticides.
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It may be impossible to certify fish and seafood as “organic,” but that doesn’t mean it can’t be sustainable. Overfishing, fish farming, and other not-so-green ways of getting protein from the sea are contributing to declining healthfulness in both human bodies and marine ecosystems. So while you can’t put Certified Organic fish on your organic food to-do list, you can shop more sustainably when looking for food from the sea.
It is estimated that in the wild, a full 75 percent of all commercial fish stocks have been either fully exploited, overexploited, or depleted. This is due to several seriously destructive ways of getting fish from the sea. Of course, the first is overfishing, which is the process by which commercial fishing operations take more fish from the sea than the system can sustain. Over time, the population of reproducing adults declines to the point where the species can no longer replenish quickly enough. Eventually, commercial fishing operations shut down due to low populations with the potential of the species disappearing from the wild altogether.
Another major problem with conventional fishing is bottom trawling. Huge commercial fishing vessels drag massive nets behind their boats, which scrape the bottom of the ocean floors clean in an effort to get as much shrimp, flounder, rockfish, or cod as possible in one move. Unfortunately, along with these fish, the nets destroy coral reefs, which are the nurseries for all ocean life, and take with them bycatch.
Known in some places as “incidental catch,” bycatch is when the nets capture unwanted species such as turtles, dolphins, sharks, whales, and other marine mammals. These mammals can’t get away, and as a result, often drown. By the time they are brought up to the surface, they have died, and are simply discarded over the side of the boat.
We can help to stem the tide of these tragedies by choosing sustainably-caught fish and seafood. When shopping for your evening meal, look for line-caught fish. This means that the fish were caught selectively so that there is little to no bycatch.
There are a number of systems now available to help you make good fish choices. The Marine Stewardship Council Certification program ensures that fish is line-caught. The Environmental Defense Fund also has a Seafood and Sushi Selector To Go which helps you find sustainable seafood while at a restaurant or at the grocery store. Finally, the Seafood Choices Alliance has a Buying Seafood Guide which lists other certification systems.
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Have you ever calculated how much money you spend on heating and maintaining your pool every summer? If you haven’t, you really should. According to the US Department of Energy (DOE), the average homeowner spends upwards of $2,000 every year on pool heating and upkeep, making it one of the most expensive “appliances” in your home.
While we may not think of our pools when searching for ways to increase our green living habits, there are some big-impact things you can do to reduce the energy you consume to keep your pool warm and comfortable all summer long.
First, and most importantly, get a pool cover. While these may seem like a real pain, you’d be amazed at how effective they can be. Shockingly, even if you cover your pool for only half of the summer, you could cut your heating energy consumption by 50 percent! Any conventional pool cover will do the trick, but the best option around is a solar pool cover. These have pockets of air in them which insulate and pass the sun’s heat onto your pool water, further reducing heating costs.
Once you’ve got a cover, think about how you’re heating and pumping your pool water. A solar thermal water heater for your pool is probably one of the best solar investments around. In fact, the amount of money you save on heating your pool water in one year can almost pay for the solar water heating system—in one season! So the payback period on a solar water heater is very short.
A solar water heater comes with many parts, all of which absorb the sun’s energy as heat and pass it along to the water that’s circulated through the system. It usually includes tubing or piping made of dark rubber or copper, which is snaked through an insulated box and often covered with glass. You can install your solar water heater on your roof or anywhere on your property.
You can further reduce your pools operating expenses by choosing solar power to run your water pump. These little systems include a solar photovoltaic panel which collects solar energy and converts it to electricity, which is then used to run the pump.
Together, these three solar products for your pool—a solar pool cover, solar thermal water heater, and solar pool pump—could totally eliminate the regular energy costs for maintaining your pool, making your summer swim completely sustainable! Jump in, the water’s warm.
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Do you find yourself drawn to the bright colors, fragrant blooms, and interesting flower shapes as you walk down the aisles of your local greenhouse or garden center? We’ve all got different reasons for choosing the plants we do for our gardens. If you’re into green living, you’ll want to choose native, drought-resistant plants to help reduce your outdoor landscape’s impact on the environment. Doing so will save you money and make your job of maintaining your garden less time-consuming, too!
What are native plants? They are those species that grow wildly in your area and have done so for many decades or even centuries. Native plants require no irrigation, do not depend on anyone to get extra nutrients, fend off pests naturally, propagate without any help, and otherwise thrive without any outside human intervention. Native plants are also likely to be drought-tolerant, able to withstand the stress of occasional dry periods throughout the various seasons.
Unfortunately, though local nurseries carry an abundant supply of interesting and beautiful plant species, they don’t always stock the best native plants. And since the native species specific for your climate will be different from the ones best suited to my area, you have to do some research to find out what will work in your particular garden.
To determine what plants will work best for you, check out these resources:
Old Farmer’s Almanac Frost Chart will tell you the length of your growing season and may help you find out what plants are ideal for your garden.
Hardiness Zone Map by the Arbor Day Foundation will tell you your region’s overall rainfall, temperature patterns, and other important factors which influence what plants will grow in your area.
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center’s Native Plant Database helps you search for species that thrive in your particular climate to find the ideal options for your landscape.
Virtual Plant Tags helps you see what plants work in particular growing conditions.
Since native plant species thrive so well on their own, choosing these varieties will mean less work for you—lower watering requirements, fewer applications of soil amendments (like organic fertilizers and compost), less weeding (they can fend them off on their own), and virtually no need for insecticides. That means you’ll have more time to sit back and relax, knowing you’ve cultivated an outdoor space that’s less toxic and safer for your family, friendlier to wildlife and beneficial insects, and generally more, well, native!
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You may be planning a summer wedding, hosting a big birthday bash for your parents, or getting ready for a holiday celebration. Regardless of the occasion, an easy way to take green living into all of your events is to incorporate reusable dishes and cups rather than disposables.
An astounding 25 billion polystyrene cups are trashed in the US every year! Styrofoam plates and cups are awful things to have in our environment. They are made from petroleum by products, making the extraction of their base components totally unsustainable and non-renewable. Plus, they take hundreds of years (about 500) to break down in the landfill, can leech chemicals into the soil and water in the process, and if they’re incinerated, can add toxins to the air as well.
Plastics are no better. Also made from crude oil, these are equally non-biodegradable and non-renewable. In all, plastics make up around 11 percent of municipal landfill waste in the US. Plus, many plastic disposables end up on beaches and in the oceans, which can injure marine animal.
And then there’s paper, which takes up 35 percent of landfill space. Using paper for disposable dishes and cups is equally disturbing. Take trees for disposable products causes deforestation (which has enormous environmental implications) and when these are sent to the landfill, they contribute to climate change—as they decompose in an anaerobic (oxygen-deprived) environment, they generate methane gas, a greenhouse gas that is greater than 20 times more potent as a heat-trapper than carbon dioxide.
There are many ways to green-up your barbecue dish habits, including:
Durable Reusables: It may take a little more effort, but choosing reusable plates, cups, and cutlery for your next function will mean less waste is created and fewer resources are trashed after a single use. So pack some dishes for your next picnic, ask your caterer to only use china and real cutlery, and stock your kitchen with enough utensils for your next dinner party. Your dishwasher can do the clean-up for you, and in time, you’ll save a lot of money with this method as well!
Biodegradable: Whether you need containers to take food to the party or are looking for more eco-friendly reusable dishes, you can get even more eco-friendly by looking for pieces made from biodegradable materials such as bamboo, corn plastic, and even switchgrass (a North American perennial grass). Many of these can be used multiple (hundreds!) of times, but when you’re done with them, they can be composted.
Recycled-Content: The last best choice, this is the one you use when you can’t do without disposables for your next function but want to be a little more eco-friendly about your choice. Today, there are several brands now creating paper and/or plastic plates and cups made from recycled content.
An easy way to take green living into all of your events is to incorporate reusable dishes and cups rather than disposables. So ditch the traditional disposables and you’ll be on your way to creating a greener event in no time.
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“Just one 320-acre farm going organic equals 117 cars taken off of the road or 1,462,500 miles not driven!” That’s the conclusion of Chris Hill and Greg Bowman, contributors to the Rodale Institute’s NewFarm.org website which has been heavily involved in researching the impacts of conventional and organic farming.
Seems that buying organic food—be it oranges, carrots, soybeans, or lentils—can be an effective way of shrinking your carbon footprint and living green. That’s because organic farming is a powerful atmospheric scrubber. By cultivating diverse crops, organic crops are better able to sequester carbon. In otherwise, they serve as a carbon sink.
But why is growing organic food better at carbon sequestration than growing food conventionally with fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides? Over their 23-year comparison of organic and conventional corn-soybean farming systems, these were the conclusions gathered:
• Retention of organic matter: A general rule of thumb in farming is that the more organic matter is retained in the soil, the more carbon is sequestered. Organic farming generally makes use of animal manure and cover crops as a means of amending the soil; conventional farming on the other hand uses chemicals which deplete the organic matter found in soil. Pound for pound, organic farming adds rather than takes away soil organic matter and therefore helps to sequester carbon.
• Lower fuel consumption: Organic farming systems use about one third less fossil fuels compared to conventional cropping systems because of a lower dependence on heavy machinery. This lower dependence in fossil fuels results in fewer greenhouse gases expended to grow the same amount of food.
These two factors make for a great climate solution. In fact, if the US were to participate in the Kyoto protocol, it could meet 73% of its proposed targets by converting all 160 million acres of corn and soybean farmland to organic farming methods! That would be like taking nearly 60 million cars off the road.
So in addition to organic foods’ better flavor and higher nutrient content, organic food can help you lower your greenhouse gas emissions! Buying organic from the grocery store, therefore, is a great way to shrink your carbon footprint.
If you want to further enhance your environmental impact, grow your own organic food using, compost, natural fertilizers and soil amendments! This is a cost-effective way to get your daily nutrients and a fun activity for the whole family.
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You and your children may be ingesting up to 70 types of pesticide residues every single day, according to a report released by the Pesticide Action Network North America (PANNA). These residues are classed in a group of toxic chemicals known as persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and could potentially harm the health of you and your family. Buying organic food may help.
Exposure to persistent organic pollutants has been linked to several serious human health conditions, including certain cancers, suppression of the immune system, disruption of nervous and hormonal systems, and reproductive system damage. The highest exposures in our country are experienced by those living in the Southeast, with the lowest exposures in the Midwest of the country.
Although the use of chemicals that lead to these residues have been widely banned in many countries, including America, they have not been properly controlled in other countries, many of which provide the US with fresh produce. We are exposed to these chemicals when we eat food produced in other countries and through waterways and precipitation as POPs are carried around the globe through the natural water cycle.
But lest you think Americans are free of chemicals pesticides that can harm our health, think again. American crops are exposed to over 500 kinds of pesticides equal to greater than 50,000 tons annually. And the big shocker is that little more than one percent of these chemicals actually reach their intended targets! The rest gets washed away into the environment where they permeate our soil and water.
Exposure to pesticides and POPs is of particular concern for parents with young children. Children have higher metabolisms and lower body weights than adults, making them more susceptible to the effects of pesticide exposure. In fact, there are over 300,000 cases of pesticide poisoning in the US every year. Some studies suggest that pesticides can contribute to the incidence of Parkinson’s and Lou Gehrig’s diseases, too.
Beware! The fruits, veggies, and other foods with the highest levels of pesticides are:
Summer squash
Cantaloupe
Radishes
Spinach
Winter squash
Cucumbers
Butter
Meatloaf
Peanuts
Although buying organic food won’t be a sure-fire way of avoiding pesticides and POPs (virtually all foods are contaminated with POPs according to PANNA), it can go a long way to reducing your exposure. More importantly, it will signal to the government and the agriculture industry that you don’t support the use of conventional farming methods. Consumer choices speak volumes, so make yourself heard!
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The fruits and vegetables eaten by your parents and grandparents may have been healthier than the stuff you can buy at the grocery store today. Once again, it proves that eating organic food it not only good for the planet, it’s better for our bodies as well.
In a research study conducted at the Biochemical Institute at the University of Texas, Donald R. Davis uncovered some startling statistics when comparing produce analyzed in 1950 and similar produce analyzed in 1999 by the USDA. Here are the results:
• Lower nutrient quantity: Out of the 13 nutrients analyzed, six had declined over the 50 year period studied. • Lower mineral quantity: Likewise, when three minerals were examined—iron, calcium, and phosphorous—they were found to be 9% to 16% lower in 1999 than in 1950. • Lower protein quantity: Virtually all plant-based foods have some protein component, and those grown today are 6% lower on the scale.
In addition to these declines, produce in the 1950s was also higher in things like riboflavin and ascorbic acid (a precursor to vitamin C) by about 15%!
Studies like this have been repeated in other parts of the world, confirming what American scientists have found. This can be attributed to several factors, most of them dealing with big farm methods of growing fruits and vegetables.
For instance, in an effort to grow food larger and more quickly, conventional farmers heap on water and chemical fertilizers, but this can interfere with a plant’s ability to take up and create vitamins and minerals. It also reduces the nutrient density available to plants, which in turn reduces the nutrient value of these foods.
By contrast, organic farming doesn’t use these intensive chemicals, but rather organic matter to boost soil’s growing ability. By cultivating biologically living soil in which microorganisms can thrive, organic farming helps plants in their uptake of nutrients, which are then infused into our produce.
Our bodies require certain vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients to fight off infections, maintain healthy bones and muscles, and for mental and emotional wellbeing. So if you want to prevent disease and experience true vitality that enables you to enjoy being active for longer, choose organic foods. Freshly-grown organic fruits and vegetables available from a local farmer’s market, your everyday grocery store, or your own backyard, is a superior way to get your daily dose of macro and micronutrients necessary for a healthy body. Choosing organic food recipes is an excellent way to enjoy these delicious, seasonal organic foods!
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“It’s one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global.” That’s what a United Nations report concluded in 2006 when evaluating meat consumption worldwide.
In North America, we love our meat—whether it’s a lazy summer barbecue or a regular meat and potatoes meal. But if you’re looking for a high-impact green living idea, you should consider eating less meat since it can have a greater impact on your carbon footprint (for the good!) than switching from a gas-guzzler to a hybrid car.
As the greatest environmental threat of our time, climate change is one we can’t ignore, and your eating habits have an impact on this problem unrivaled by nearly all other sources of greenhouse gas emissions.
Climate change, as you’ve likely heard, is a serious environmental problem with many repercussions, and humans are the ones causing the problem. If we don’t slow climate change, we could be facing devastating consequences:
• Air pollution, hotter than average weather, and extreme weather events will negatively affect human health and could accelerate the spread of vector-borne diseases. • An increase in droughts, floods, and severe storms will lead to crop failures and shortages in fresh water supplies. • Glaciers will melt more rapidly, causing rising sea levels which will lead to land loss and the displacement of millions of people. • Temperatures will increase more rapidly than plants and animals can adapt, causing numerous species to become extinct.
Those are the worst possible scenarios, but they are real, and your diet may be part of the problem.
How eating less meat will slow climate change
Of all of the green living changes you could make to your life, eating less meat (and dairy) may have the biggest bang for your buck—it’s more effective than buying food locally, eating organic, or driving a hybrid car. But why is this? Let me explain:
• Deforestation: Raising animals for meat results in the levelling of huge swaths of forests around the world. It is estimated that 55 acres of rainforest is required to produce one meal composed of meat protein (John Robbins, author of The Food Revolution). Trees are a major carbon sink (not to mention their many other environmental benefits), so cutting them down reduces the planet’s ability to absorb carbon dioxide.
• Agricultural greenhouse gas emissions: Eighty percent of all grain products grown in the US are used to feed livestock. Conventional farming methods involve large doses of petroleum-based chemicals (fertilizers and pesticides) as well as the operation of heavy machinery which burns a proportionately large amount of fuel, emitting a lot of carbon dioxide.
• Enteric fermentation: As ruminating animals (cows, sheep, goats, and buffalo) naturally digest their food, they produce a potent greenhouse gas: methane, which is more than 20 times more effective at trapping heat in our atmosphere than carbon dioxide. According to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization, eating meat is responsible for 37% of methane, 9% of all carbon dioxide, and 65% of nitrous oxide—all of which are greenhouse gases.
Of course, we like hybrid cars and organic food and happily encourage them. But a cheaper and more effective way to live a green lifestyle and cut your greenhouse gas emissions is to simply cut meat out of your diet at least one day every week. This would be like driving your car 1,000 fewer miles every year. And remember: not only are vegetarian organic food recipes creative and delicious, they’re healthier than meat-based meals, too!
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Chicken is a staple in cuisines from around the world, and it's no wonder why. Chicken is a delicious comfort food, and a lean, tasty alternative to red meat. If you feel like chicken tonight, check out these organic chicken tips and recipes to help you prepare the chicken safely, and for great recipe ideas from soups to chicken cacciatore.
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