You Are What You Eat
A long time ago, over on Jon Taplin’s blog I was scolded by no less a person than T-Bone Burnett. He told me “People don’t consume music; they listen to music.” Well, a recent article by the Cornucopia Institute brought that back to my mind just now. With apologies to Joan Cutuly—it seems there might be a parallel to be drawn here: “You don’t consume food, you eat it.” T-Bone’s point was (I think, I’m routinely scolded for my lack of comprehension of matters musical) that, purchasing decisions aside, music is there to be listened to because it nourishes your soul. My point is that, purchasing decisions aside, food is to be eaten because it nourishes your body (and sometimes your soul too—ask Proust).
If you are eating food and the results are going to have a direct impact on your body and soul, wouldn’t you want to make the best choices you possibly could? Why waste your time and money eating, watching, listening to garbage? I mean, sometimes a little garbage can be OK. I will admit a weakness for Pillsbury orange rolls in a tube and Hellcats. But long-term garbage generally has piss poor long-term effects—on your mind, your waistline, and your dental enamel (among other things).
What’s my point? Well, unless you’re growing/raising your own, before you eat food you have to buy it. And some big corporations are spending serious time and money to thwart your efforts to make informed purchasing decisions. Recently a California ballot initiative to require labeling of foods containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) failed because of their work. (Such labeling is common in the European Union and other countries around the world.) As you can see from the chart (above right) many of these companies own popular (and large) organic brands. Source: The Cornucopia Institute
Here’s another Cornucopia Institute chart that shows “Who Owns Organic”. If you can’t read it and want to I highly recommend taking some time to browse the Cornucopia Institute’s site or to “Like” their Facebook page.
The same companies are most likely the ones trying to make it legal to use non-organic synthesized nutrients in food bearing the organic label (the article that started this Crazy Train of thought).
I’ve mentioned before that I think it’s important that people make mindful purchasing decisions; decisions based on their own values (priorities), tastes, and budget. For example, one of the reasons I buy much of my produce from local or regional growers (whether organic or conventional) is because of the energy costs involved in trucking food from ‘far far away’—both in terms of the price of gasoline and greenhouse gas emissions. Fortunately for me, I live in an area with abundant local farming and in a region where, when willing to eat ‘in season’, I can get almost anything my little heart desires. Maybe for the size of your family your budget doesn’t allow for organic food. Or maybe you simply know you won’t cook or eat it. I get it. Trust me. I . Get. It.
What’s important here is not me (or anyone else) passing judgment on someone else’s food (or music or TV) choices. Rather, it’s your ability to make an informed decision. These (highly profitable) companies are using a lot of big excuses (cost of compliance is always one of them) to deny you your right to know what you are putting in your body (and your kids’ bodies if you’re doing their shopping and cooking). I encourage you not to let them.
For now, in addition to the links and information in this post, I’ll give you this: “What do PLU codes say about your produce?” It’s a link to an article by Consumer Reports magazine that tells you how to tell if your produce is commercially or organically grown or if it contains GMOs. As noted in the article, PLU codes aren’t mandatory, so companies can label GMO-containing foods as ‘conventional’. Also, the food industry routinely fights efforts to appropriately label food with GMO ingredients. For example, most commercial corn contains GMOs. So anything you buy that is made with corn or corn oil probably contains them (Fritos, Cheetos, and even food that is marketed as ‘healthy’).
The problem with GMOs (besides their link to Monsanto—the company that makes the pesticide Round Up) is that there is no data on the long-term effects of consuming them. And by the time such data are available and have been validated through proper use of the scientific method, we may have a really big problem on our hands (more likely on our arses or in our intestines).
It was only recently that the problems with trans-fats and high-fructose corn syrup (both chemically altered foods) became widely acknowledged. It makes me wonder if recent increases in lactose and gluten intolerance as well as many other food allergies (many, many more food allergies are now being reported) have their root causes in food that has been messed with (usually good intentions with unintended consequences, but sometimes it’s just greed). Allergies are one way our immune systems respond to threats. Food shouldn’t be a threat. Immune responses to food should be rare. They aren’t.
Anyway, food for thought (pun intended). As always be mindful, but don’t stress yourself out (that doesn’t do you any good either).
you were snubbed by T-bone. That is righteous. I happen to think he’s wrong. People don’t really listen (with the implication of understanding) music. Most people cannot tell you much about their music. Hell, I met a young “musician” who couldn’t even read music. I disdainfully taught him in thirty seconds. He couldn’t even devote that much time to his craft. Jeez. Anyway, people do more than listen to music; they identify themselves by it and judge you by your listening habits. I specifically remember breaking up with a girl in high school because she didn’t appreciate Ronnie James Dio. People literally buy in to their music and its brand.
But the whole organic thing is interesting. I have found that it is largely an issue of wordsmithing. Yes, organic farmers don’t use synthetic pesticides. However, that doesn’t imply (as it should) that the produce is chemical-free; organic farmers just use natural pesticides. Similarly, under the recommendation of my coach I switched from plant-based eating to meatier fare and I was interested in healthy bacon (I know, right?) and noticed that yuppy bacon said it had no added nitrates. However it was cured with celery juice–which is a natural nitrate! So the organic bacon had no nitrates in the form of pink salt, but as much if not more nitrates in the form of celery juice. And I’ve talked to small-time farmers who cannot afford to be organic. Their stuff is worthy of the label, but they cannot afford the legitimate costs (the fees, paying for the inspector’s time, etc) and the illegitimate costs (the bribery), so they aren’t organic. However when I buy the white radishes that their daughter raises, I know that I am getting the spirit or organics. So what I do is privilege small farmers whose operations are small enough that they cannot really afford all the Monsanto crap. Plus, the small business-owner is more in keeping with my Socialist outlook, so that makes me happier.
Lastly, I have overseen some research that debunks that organic produce can lay any claim to statistical advantage in any regards. Nowadays, since organic produce can provide no numbers that prove that they are better, they are marketing taste. They say it just tastes better. Obviously taste isn’t predicated on any numbers or statistics, so that it is a more defensible position to take.
So, in short, I think organics are a scam. As you suggest, I just try to make the best choices available with what I am presented at my store without worrying about minutiae. With the internet, it is easy to go into analysis paralysis and become orthorexic by trying to be perfect with your hormones, macronutrients, etc. Ryan Andrews, my favorite nutritionist, has advised not to be concerned with small things like chemicals or toxins (whatever a toxin is). He maintains the biggest “toxin” is being 20% overfat and until that is fixed, it doesn’t matter how perfect your lipid profile or hormonal balance is, or how well you manage your insulin.
I don’t think organics are a scam. I think that many people who buy them buy into the marketing hype or the myths. I agree that “chemical fertilizers” sound scary, but “organic fertilizers” sound all squishy and good but they are really the same thing—except for how they are sourced. And for me, how stuff is sourced is an important part of the overall decision.
With respect to organics being “better” I tend to agree with my local CSA guy—the data only really show that food loses nutritional value as it ages, so eating it closer to when it was harvested gives you the most nutritional bang for your buck. That can be local and organic, or just local. It’s just that around here many of the small, local farms are also organic farms.
Organic also means no GMOs. Since there isn’t really any data on the long-term effects of GMOs (good or bad), I like to limit my consumption of them when and where I can (without completely obsessing over the source of every single grain of whatever in everything I eat).
But I think we are on the same page basically. If it’s a choice of some huge national organic brand or a local non-organic one, I almost always go local. But some national organic brands are better (smaller) than others. Happy to join you in your socialism.