The other day my wife and I were watching a dance show from the early '70's and were shocked. Everyone was thin! There it was; a whole room of thin, dancing people. What in the world is going on?
Look around you and you will see the majority of people are overweight. In the US, Europe, Asia and Latin America an epidemic of obesity continues unabated. What is going on?
Why do I have to eat two mega plates of food before I feel satisfied? Could it be the smaller amount of nutrition in the food? I read recently that if you ate a head of lettuce in 1960, you would have to eat twenty heads of lettuce to get the same nutrition. The soils in agro business farms are sterile, exhausted by not rotating crops decade after decade. Remember 'crop rotation' from history class? Could this be why people are eating so much?
Organic soils, on the other hand, pack organic food with so much more than we get in agro-business produce. Organic farms, vastly smaller, by law must use organic fertilizers. This richness in the soil packs nutrients into the produce. Perhaps this is what allows me to feel satisfied eating two ounces of organic pasta at $3.00 a pound instead of needing six ounces of pasta at $1.00 a pound.
Of course we know regular exercise is a very critical part of healthy living. It can help lower both blood pressure and sugar levels. But eating less doesn't raise these levels as much. I found that organic foods allow me to eat a smaller, tastier portion and feel better after eating.
Bottom line is that eating organic foods can be about the same expense because of many factors including eating smaller portions and wasting less. Celery used to wimp out in our refrigerator after just six or seven days and get thrown out. We found organic vegetables last longer in storage. After all, they are survivors. They have to fight microbial attack on their own without the help of pesticides. Lasting longer in storage we found there is less waste.
The other cost factor is we eat out less often. This wasn't even a conscious decision. We prefer the taste and the good feeling of cooking at home. My five-ounce organic sirloin is as tender as butter and satisfies me instead of the usual twelve ounce steak. Add to this three steamed vegetables, sweet honey-baked squash and a large salad with fresh-baked, home made bread. Less meat, more vegetables, smaller portions, more taste and about the same cost when you consider several aspects such as portion control and not eating out as often; two dietary componants Americans definitely need to improve.
Organic food sales, even in a big recession, continue to increase about 20% annually and account for the reversal in the number of American farms; up for the first time in 150 years by 3% annually. Simply put, eating organic just seems right for more and more people.
