Why Choose Organic Meat?

Happy Wednesday From All Of Us Here At Florida Herb House!

So you are thinking about shelling out the extra cash for organic meat huh? Well we for one say "Way To Go!" Being the leading all natural herb and spice company here in Florida for five years we can confidently say eating organic meat compared to regular meat has many benefits!

Food certified under U.S. Dept. of Agriculture regulations as organic must be produced without most synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. Antibiotics, growth hormones, and feed made from animal parts are also banned.

Widespread use of antibiotics and growth hormones is a larger issue for those considering organic meat, poultry, eggs, and milk. Here, the major health benefit to consumers is indirect. Antibiotic use in animals helps promote antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria, explains Urvashi Rangan, director of eco-labels.org, a site developed by Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports. And while the U.S. Food & Drug Administration says the growth hormone used in cattle is virtually identical to what cows naturally produce, consumer groups such as Consumers Union argue that milk from treated cows has higher levels of a growth factor linked to increased cancer risk.spongiform encephalopathy, or mad cow disease. The disease spreads when cows ingest animal feed made with parts from dead animals. The human form of the illness, Creutzfeldt-Jacob Disease, is believed to be caused by eating contaminated beef. It is always fatal. The risk of contracting the disease, however, is low. The U.S. has had only one confirmed case of mad cow disease, and the only American case of CJD involved a woman who contracted it in Great Britain.

Whether to shell out more for organic beef will depend on your budget -- and how seriously you take the threat of mad cow disease. Other ways to lower the odds include avoiding processed meats such as hot dogs and preground hamburger that might contain bits of brain or spinal cord and eschewing cuts sold with the bone, says Michael Hansen, a senior research associate at Consumers Union.


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Buy Your Fruits And Meats Organic!

Happy Monday from your home of everything natural www.SharpWebLabs.com and www.FloridaHerbHouse.com! Yes after so many studies and findings by independent companies what we will say that even if you are not an organic junkie there are some foods that it is imperative to purchase organic!
First on the list is your thin skinned fruits. See fruits are grown conventionally in the fields with fertilizers and pesticides added to help produce more fruit. Fruits come of all different sizes and shapes and also have different skin thickness. This is key to safety for you and your family. Stay away from any non-organic fruits that have think skins. This includes but is not limited to apples, plums, grapes, pears, cucumbers, and tomatoes. The problem is the pesticides. These harmful chemicals easily soak into the fruit and through its thin skin. Thick skinned fruits such as bananas and oranges as well as coconuts and pineapples are much safer to be eaten in conventional (non-organic) form as the thick skin helps to keep out the pesticides and dangerous chemicals.

The Dirty Dozen – Twelve Most Contaminated (Buy These Organic)
1. Peach
2. Apple
3. Bell Pepper
4. Celery
5. Nectarine
6. Strawberries
7. Cherries
8. Kale
9. Lettuce
10. Grapes (Imported)
11. Carrot
12. Pear

The Clean Fifteen – Lowest in Pesticides
1. Onion
2. Avocado
3. Sweet Corn
4. Pineapple
5. Mango
6. Asparagus
7. Sweet Peas
8. Kiwi
9. Cabbage
10. Eggplant
11. Papaya
12. Watermelon
13. Broccoli
14. Tomato
15. Sweet Potato

Next on the list which most already know is your red meat. Boy we can not say enough about red meat. Not only do we recommend keeping your red meat servings to only once ot twice per week but buying your red meat organic is important! yes you will pay more $$ but the extra cost easily outweighs the risks. In non organic farming hormones, antibiotics and remains of other animals are used to contribute to quickly fattening up animals for the market. Hormones, while expensive and often illegal, are injected into animals to quickly bring them up to market size. Antibiotics are in fact used to keep the animals alive until they are butchered. However, a great problem with this is when we eat this meat; our bodies are ingesting antibiotics in high volumes and are becoming immune to their bacteria fighting abilities. So when we go to the doctor for an antibiotic shot, it does nothing for us. As to carcass meal (remains of other animals) which are often fed to animals in the meat and dairy industry, many doctors now believe that this has helped to lead to the disaster which we now are beginning to realize. Carcass meal helps contribute to mad cow disease by keeping the diseased animals in the food chain. This is especially dangerous for humans when we ingest it.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has permitted hundreds of meat and poultry plants to operate virtually uninterrupted even while federal inspectors file tens of thousands of citations against them for unsanitary conditions and food contamination, department records show.
Cox Newspapers analyzed an Agriculture Department computerized database of meat and poultry inspection records for 1996 and found 138,593 instances in which inspectors said food being prepared in packing plants was ``certain'' to sicken consumers. The database was obtained under the Freedom of Information Act. Experts can't estimate how much contaminated meat and poultry makes its way to America's dinner tables from these plants.
The word "organic" refers to the way farmers grow and process agricultural products, such as fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy products and meat. Organic farming practices are designed to encourage soil and water conservation and reduce pollution. Farmers who grow organic produce and meat don't use conventional methods to fertilize, control weeds or prevent livestock disease. For example, rather than using chemical weedkillers, organic farmers may conduct sophisticated crop rotations and spread mulch or manure to keep weeds at bay.

Have A Healthy Happy Day!
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