Is organic food dangerous?

Question

I have read that there is bacteria that can creep into organic food that is very harmful then foods that are treated. yet, I have also read how pesticides are making people sick ( not to mention me, when I look at it on my food and I cant always get it off my apples!).

I have a stomach disorder which is dyspepsia and IBS. I thought that organic food might help lower the irritation to my gastro that chemicals may cause. HOwever who the hell do you beleive!?. I'm buying president choice organic right now, and I honestly dont know what to think. Being a student, its not that cheap. so I need to know if im making a worthy investment.

Answer 1

Every food whether inorganic or organic will have its bad and good. I say stick w/ organic, just wash them real good before cooking...the investment is worth it, your health. Theres too much fast food roaming the world and everyone is susceptible to disease such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, coronary heart disease, mycardial infarctions, atheroscerlosis, gastric reflux, etc. etc. and the list goes on. Just clean them real good...you'll be fine. Its better than eating steroid pumped chicken.

Answer 2

I have no idea what bacteria you're referring to. Organic is the way to go because the pesticides do cause cancer. Often organic uses a natural seed for fruit and stuff that's not meant to travel for miles and miles and miles so the fruit is fresher since it's locally grown.

Food is very cheap in this country compared to other countries and it's not that much more to buy good food than to be cheap and buy crap food. I would say splurge a little. The concept of quality is something that should be brought back into this culture, and organic foods are a start of a higher standard of quality of living. IMHO.

This is especially true for organic meats vs. commercial meats. Where do you think mad cow came from, organic meat farms or mass produced farms where every cow is touching like 10 other cows?

I am taking it up a notch and buying organic dairy products. My kids drink 2 or 3 gallons of milk a week. It costs a lot more (almost double)but I the cows are fed much healthier and normal items and this is how I personally want to live.

When you find out what that bacteria is I would love to check into it.

Answer 3

That is such a great question. I grew up in WI where we didn't hear about organic food, then I move to the South and I happen to fall in love with a hippie. She loves organic food and claims it is better for the environment, and she spends a ton of our money on organic foods. To me it doesn't matter. I like food like the rest of the people, and to me it seems as if companies slap the "organic" label on it to make you pay twice the price. The only intelligent arguement I have against organic farming is that it could only feed about 3 billion people. If all farmers went to organic methods about half the world would die. We Americans get to pick and choose between big mac's or whoppers, and other countries starve to death. Maybe we are being pretentious? To sum up, I don't know.

Answer 4

I don't know where people are getting that it's dangerous, but i know it has given me more energy. I've had energy issues the past few years. The point to where i was sleeping almost 20hrs a day. It seems like the meals that i make with organic food give me more energy than the regular stuff. (Can't buy organic all the time though due to price.)

Answer 5

That sounds nutty to me. Are you talking about Raw food? I also had a vet tell me not to feed raw because it contains bacteria. However another vet, a holistic vet, told me dogs can handle bacteria (they eat poop for goodness sakes). If Raw, just keep frozen till ready to feed. If dry kibble, and the organic food is from a reputable company I wouldn't worry about it. Just don't buy huge amounts and let it sit out in the sun. Human food without preservatives is a good thing so why would it be bad for dogs?

Answer 6

Very worthy investment!!! Kudos to you for making the switch. It is expensive but well worth it I think.

I made the switch to mostly organic foods last year, when I discovered my allergy to splenda. After that I thought I was lactose intolerant, I switched to Organic milk & it tastes great and doesnt make me feel sick. :) I pay more attention now to what I eat, I try to go organic with as much as possible for my daughters sake.

Sometimes local farms have a small organic business on the side, check your area, ask around. In the summer you might be able o join a farm co-op & get veggies for cheaper too.

It really is scary what we are eating today!!!

Answer 7

IBS can sometimes be caused by celiac disease, an intolerance to gluten, which is in wheat, rye, barley and oats.

Before I found out that I had celiac, I was also really frustrated because no matter what I ate it made me sick. Especially if I decided to start eating healthy (i.e., whole grains, which is mostly wheat).

Here's the National Institutes of Health website on celiac -

http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/celiac/

If that starts sounding familiar, here are a couple of message boards for people with celiac and other forms of gluten intolerance -

www.glutenfreeforum.com
www.celiacforums.com

I hope you start feeling better soon.

Nancy

Answer 8

The food that you swallow travels down your throat and is pushed by contractions of the muscular esophagus. In the area where the esophagus joins the stomach a valve-like mechanism, known as lower esophageal sphincter (LES), is located. The closure of this muscle prevents stomach acid from backing up, or refluxing, into the esophagus. LES malfunction is the first factor that causes and contributes to gastro-esophageal reflux disease. In a healthy individual, the LES relaxes only when food passes from the esophagus into the stomach. After the food passes into the stomach, the valve shuts off, keeping the stomach content and acid inside. However, when the LES is weak and doesn't close properly, acid can splash up into your throat causing painful burning sensation, called heartburn.

A good natural method to cure your acid reflux can be found on this site http://www.goobypls.com/r/rd.asp?gid=568

Answer 9

From what I have read, it is suppose to be healthier and free of chemicals and pesticides.
It is so much higher than regular food that I don't buy it yet. I have seen no proof that organic is as it claims.

Answer 10

no organic food is afe,safer than other foods.
Now you can get organic food with prebiotics,these helps stomach a lot.
As for pesticides,in organic foods nothing is used to alter the growth of veggies and fruits,organic means food free of pesticides,manure and all that.They are grown like it is.
Prebiotics are added though but from natural means so no worries.Prebiotics will help for stomach problems.