<h3><kbd><tt><span style="color: #66cc66;"><strong><span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS;"><big><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-102" title="dreamstime_3672131" src="http://blog.thinkhealing.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/dreamstime_3672131-300x300.jpg" alt="dreamstime_3672131" width="300" height="300" />The 10 Most Important Foods to Eat Organic</span></span></big></span></strong></span></tt></kbd></h3>
<ol>
	<li><span style="color: #993300;"><span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS;"><strong><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">Baby Food</span></strong></span></span><strong><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;"> </span></strong><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">- Babies are extraordinarily susceptible to pesticides. Two brands of organic baby food (Earth’s Best® and Well-Fed Baby®) are on the market, or you can make your own by cooking and pureeing organic produce.</span></li>
	<li><span style="color: #993300;"><span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS;"><strong><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">Strawberries </span></strong></span></span><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">- To ensure that strawberries survive the rigors of factory farming and transport, growers use layers of chemicals. Best bet: eat them in season from local organic farms.</span></li>
	<li><span style="color: #993300;"><span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS;"><strong><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">Rice</span></strong></span></span><strong><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;"> </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;"> </span></strong><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">- Domestic rice is often farmed with heavy doses of pesticides. As rice has a long shelf life, organic varieties can be bought in quantity and stored.</span></li>
	<li><span style="color: #993300;"><span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS;"><strong><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">Other Grains</span></strong></span></span><strong><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;"> </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;"> </span></strong><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">- As we shift our diets to include more fiber, organic sources of grain become ever more important.</span></li>
	<li><span style="color: #993300;"><span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS;"><strong><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">Milk</span></strong></span></span><strong><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;"> </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;"> </span></strong><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">- Commercial brands may contain bovine antibiotics and, increasingly, growth hormones.</span></li>
	<li><span style="color: #993300;"><span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS;"><strong><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">Corn</span></strong></span></span><strong><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;"> </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;"> </span></strong><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">- Although corn is usually low in artificial pesticides, Americans eat an average of 11 pounds per year, so organic shopping makes sense. Look for local organic corn in season.</span></li>
	<li><span style="color: #993300;"><span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS;"><strong><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">Bananas </span></strong></span></span><strong><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;"> </span></strong><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">- A short window of ripeness and a long distance to market add up to heavy pesticide use by many banana producers. Organic brands include: Eco-Fruit® and Made in Nature®.</span></li>
	<li><span style="color: #993300;"><span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS;"><strong><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">Green Beans</span></strong></span></span><strong><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;"> </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;"> </span></strong><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">- Over 60 different pesticides are used on green beans. Even the green beans used in baby food have been found to be contaminated.</span></li>
	<li><span style="color: #993300;"><span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS;"><strong><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">Peaches</span></strong></span></span><strong><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;"> </span></strong><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">- Peaches often have the highest rates of illegally applied pes­ticides.</span></li>
	<li><span style="color: #993300;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">Apples</span></strong></span></span><strong><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;"> </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;"> </span></strong><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">- A decade after Alar abuse was exposed, many apples are still soaked in pesticides, but fortunately, the number of organic growers is soaring.</span></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="line-height: 150%;">For many years, I have fancied organic food without giving much thought for why I am doing so. My guess is that not really knowing much about it I just preferred to buy organic whenever the opportunity presented itself, because I knew that it is supposedly healthier and tastier, and also other people, who’s opinion I valued, did the same thing. My point is that most of us, including myself, regard organic food as a better alternative for our diet without knowing much about it. However, none of us are fed on an entirely organic diet, we simply shop for our fruit and veggies, and when we are given the choice of organic or not organic, most likely our pick will be organic. But if there isn’t any available, we will go for the regular type. Well, I don’t any more. Knowing what I do about non-organic products, now, I would rather skip the meal, than feed my body with slow releasing poisons. And I wonder, how did we get to the point whereby we would prefer to turn a blind eye to something that religiously harms the most secret fundamental of all – our body and our health? Is this due to the fact that if we don’t feel or see an immediate effect through this poisoning, like eating a bowl of rat poison, for example – we tend to think that it is probably not serious? Well it is serious, and when related to the old saying – “ignorance is bliss” - it transpires that this does not apply to this situation very well. Does it? Our ignorance in this case is a complete negligence towards ourselves. After reading the information below, I truly hope that you will agree with me on this point?</span><span style="line-height: 150%;">
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<h3><span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS;"><big><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;">Food Chemicals and Processed Foods</span></strong></span></big></span></h3>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%;">Chemicals found in processed foods and commercially grown fruits, vegeta­bles and meat can have a detrimental effect on our health. We cannot process chemical additives into nutrients that the body can utilize, so they aren’t able to simply pass through our system “as is.” Only water and cellulose can do that. Therefore, these chemicals get absorbed for an indefinite period of time, delaying digestion and adding extra toxins to our blood, tissues and organs, and extra pounds to our weight. No scientific study exists which has been able to determine the length of time it takes for the human body to eliminate the pounds of chemicals it is carrying around. It is interesting to note that pre­servatives such as sodium nitrate (found in hot dogs, bacon, ham, and other processed foods) and BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene) are stored in our fat cells. </span></span></span>
<h3><span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS;"><big><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><span style="line-height: 150%;">9 Reasons To Avoid Processed Foods</span></strong></span></big></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS;"><span style="background-color: lime;"><span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">1<span style="text-decoration: underline;">. They ruin your taste buds</span>.</span></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;"> Processed foods contain refined sugar, extra salt, and other flavor enhancers. These foods are not only unhealthy, they also dull the taste buds to natural flavors. The result? A need to eat more processed foods to get the taste you want, as you will no longer be able to appreciate the taste of natural foods.</span>

<span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS;"><span style="background-color: lime;"><span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">2<span style="text-decoration: underline;">. Deadly additives.</span></span></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;"> Harmful chemical additives are added to foods to keep them “fresh” longer (i.e., to give them a longer shelf life) and to enhance taste and color.</span>

<span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS;"><span style="background-color: lime;"><span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">3<span style="text-decoration: underline;">. Hide and seek.</span></span></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;"> Processed foods often contain hidden sugar, salt and harmful fats. All three of these contribute to health problems.</span>

<span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS;"><span style="background-color: lime;"><span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">4<span style="text-decoration: underline;">. Mystery ingredients.</span></span></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;"> Many processed foods are filled with strange parts and pieces. For example, hot dogs contain “edible offal” – ani­mal skin, snouts, ears, esophagi, etc. </span>

<span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS;"><span style="background-color: lime;"><span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">5<span style="text-decoration: underline;">. No nutritional value.</span></span></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;"> Processing takes most of the nutrients out of nutrient-rich foods. You get almost nothing of what your body needs. </span>

<span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS;"><span style="background-color: lime;"><span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">6<span style="text-decoration: underline;">. Fortified with synthetics.</span></span></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;"> To make up for the loss of nutrients dur­ing processing, synthetic vitamins and minerals are added. These may appear healthy, but our bodies are not built to process synthetic nutrients. (A perfect example is the “enriched flour” found in many products, including breads. Wheat is stripped of all its natural nutrients and then synthetic vitamins are added to it. This is what they consider “enriched.”) </span>

<span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS;"><span style="background-color: lime;"><span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">7<span style="text-decoration: underline;">. Wrong Market.</span></span></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;"> When you spend money on processed foods, you encourage growth in this market. Spending money on organic fruits and vegetables instead, encourages others to enter this market, there­by bringing the prices down. </span>

<span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS;"><span style="background-color: lime;"><span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">8<span style="text-decoration: underline;">. Money</span>.</span></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;"> Although fruits and vegetables often appear to be expen­sive, they are often less expensive than processed foods. </span>

<strong><span style="color: #ff0000;"><span style="background-color: #ffff00;"><span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS;"><span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">9<span style="text-decoration: underline;">. They Are Dead!</span></span></span></span></span></strong><span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;"> Most of the goodness is cooked or processed out of our foods. We do not benefit from the enzymes and nutrients the foods normally contain. Dead foods equal dead cells! </span>
<h3><span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS;"><big><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;">Expending Our View On Pesticides</span></strong></span></big></span></h3>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="line-height: 150%;">The word “pesticide” is generally used as a catch-all term for a variety of different insecticides, herbicides, rodenticides, fungicides, soil fumigants, and other chemical compounds that are used to eliminate unde­sirable organisms from a specific place. These mate­rials are, by their very nature, highly toxic poisons.</span></span></span>

<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="line-height: 150%;">Pesticides have been known for centuries, but the first synthetic chlorinated pesticides were discovered in 1939 when Paul Müller, a Swiss chemist, accidentally found that a chemical he was experimenting with called dichlorodiphenyl trichloroethane killed in­sects. The global success of this compound, whose name was soon shortened to DDT, prompted researchers to look into the potential of other chemicals to destroy pests, and the pesticide revolution was born.</span></span></span>

<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="line-height: 150%;">Today, pesticides are used around the world by consumers, industry, and ag­riculture. Between 5-6 billion pounds are manufactured globally each year. Twenty percent of this total is used in the United States, amounting to 5 lbs. for every man, woman, and child in the nation. An estimated 98% of Ameri­can families use these chemicals at least once a year.</span></span></span>

<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="line-height: 150%;">Divided into 15 major chemical categories, there are approximately 1,400 pesticide compounds that are used in various combinations in some 35,000 different formulas. In addition to these so-called “active” ingredients (a term which means they are involved in the actual pesticidal action of the formu­la), pesticides also contain ingredients known as “inerts.” These solvents, spreaders, adhesives, wetting agents, carriers, and fillers can comprise up to 99% of a product’s formula. Roughly 2,300 various inert ingredients are used in pesticide formulas, and many of them are as toxic as the active ingredients themselves.</span></span></span>

<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="line-height: 150%;">Since 1977, the EPA has required that manufacturers provide proof of a pes­ticide’s safety before it can be sold. However, most pesticides in use prior to that year have not yet been subjected to this testing and are still being sold. In fact, of the 1,400 active pesticide ingredients in use, only 600 are registered. Of these 600, researchers have found that complete toxicological data exists for only 100, meaning that the potential health effects of exposure to the vast majority of pesticides available for use today remain largely unknown.</span></span></span>

<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="line-height: 150%;">Those effects we do know about are almost too numerous to mention. Pesti­cides have been linked to cancer, hormonal disruption, developmental disor­ders, reproductive problems, neurological dysfunction, immune system im­pairment, behavioral problems, and other negative health effects. For these and other reasons, healthy homeowners should never use any pesticide prod­uct in or around the home under any circumstances. </span></span></span>
<h3 style="text-align: center;"><big><span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS;"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;">These strategies can help:</span></span></strong></span></span></big></h3>
<ul type="disc">
	<li><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;">Be aware of and avoid products that use pesticides in less than obvious • ways. These include animal shampoos, flypaper, insect and rodent traps, mildew removal products, antibacterial cleaners, and insect repellents.</span></span></span></li>
	<li><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;">Keep a clean house. Bugs infest homes when food or water is available. • Clean up crumbs and spills right away, do dishes soon after mealtimes, store food in sealed containers, and store trash outside.</span></span></span></li>
	<li><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;">Fix dripping faucets, leaky pipes, clogged drains and other potential water sources.</span></span></span></li>
	<li><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;">Protect your home from insect and rodent invasions by replacing broken • screens, sealing foundation cracks, repairing holes in roof eaves, and fixing poorly sealed doors and windows.</span></span></span></li>
	<li><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;">Instead of pesticides, help your garden grow with beneficial insects, • healthy soils, garlic and herbal sprays, diatomaceous earth (the dust of fossilized skeletons of microscopic aquatic organisms - available in gardening supply stores), and other natural methods.</span></span></span></li>
	<li><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;">Forgo a large immaculate lawn of high maintenance, chemically-dependent grass in favor of a natural landscape of native plants that resists drought, bugs, and weed invasions.</span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma;"> </span></span>

<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="line-height: 150%;">Now that we are only able to see the tip of the iceberg, my question is how we, as people, can be prevented from being fed with misleading information and poisoned food by many companies and industries, who’s primary concern is their profit margins? How about following a simple structure of economics related to the demand and supply? We, the people, and only we, have the power on demand, thus the supply as well. Why do we prefer to save $2 on a tomato, but go on to spend hundreds, if not thousands of dollars on medical bills that consequently follow? Just because it does not have an immediate effect, it doesn’t mean it is not real. And the approach: “this will not happen to me” is absolutely wrong, because it will.</span></span></span>

<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="line-height: 150%;">Yours In Health,</span></span></span>