Thursday, September 18, 2008

Organic Certified Healthy for Us and the Planet

Author: Joan Barton

Organic certified products have labels proving their worthiness, if a business wishes to be organic certified, it has to first meet the standards of their country for organic certification. The farmer/producer needs to qualify for certification and there are certain steps that must be taken, the farm is put under scrutiny, a.They keep strict records b.Soil and water samples are taken c. Plant growing schedule for the next year must be submitted d.An inspection is carried out each year e.They must also comply with rules saying they will use organic suppliers f.The certification process is paid for by the applicant on their way to being Organic certified.

This shows that not just any one can qualify as organic with the strict regulations and inspections, the authenticity of the organic certified is assured. There are several organic certifying labels, international, European and Australian ones, the USA has its own organic certified standards, there are labels from states and individual producers too, basically, they all mean the same thing the term organic generally means, free from artificial chemical, fertilizes, pesticides, antibiotics, food additives, and genetically modified organisms. These unnatural substances will end up in the water and/or soil, infusing their contaminant affect upon more plants and animals this is why soil and water samples are provided on organic farms requiring organic certified status. Organic can also mean the producer/farmer is more likely to follow fair trade and other environmentally friendly practices, but not required.

There all kinds of organic certified produce, from cleaning supplies to clothing and food.

Organic Food - The number of people buying organic food is on the rise, organic certified produce is better for your health and the environment. It is worth a little extra expense, to ensure you are not filling your body with contaminates here is the food "dirty dozen" that contain the highest levels of pesticides and other contaminants;

1. Meat
2.Milk
3.Coffee
4.Peaches
5. Apples/nectarines
6.Sweet Bell Peppers
7.Celery
9.Strawberries
10.Lettuce
11.Grapes
12.Potatoes/Tomatoes.

If going organic is too expensive at least avoid the foods in that list.

Organic clothes - Organic clothes play an important role in the environment as they are required to comply with the same strict rules that apply to organic food producers. There are some wonderful materials available including organic hemp and bamboo, these sustainable crops also are more environmentally friendly, as they require less chemicals and cause little water pollution when being manufactured. Most often, these garments are being produced within fair trade standards, Just look for the label showing it's organic certified. The overuse of antibiotics on farm animals decreases the effectiveness on humans these same animals are most likely to receive growth hormones and feed that could contain pesticides, the same is true for chickens and their eggs, also of course, cows milk. People who continually eat food containing in pesticides are at higher risk of suffering from health issues such as cancer, or nervous system damage, depending on a few variable factors. Children are of particular concern as their immune systems and organs are developing making them quite susceptible to the harm of none organic items, they can quite easily become affected by the unnatural substances put into growing crops and animals, it makes sense to buy organic baby food cloths and diapers. With all this in mind it would seem to be logical to check for the items being organic certified.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/organic-certified-healthy-for-us-and-the-planet-505008.html

About the Author:
Organic Certified produce is better for your health and the environment. Here is the food "dirty dozen" that contain the highest levels of pesticides and other contaminants; 1. Meat 2.Milk 3.Coffee 4.Peaches 5.Apples/nectarines 6.Sweet Bell Peppers 7.Celery 9.Strawberries 10.Lettuce 11.Grapes 12.Potatoes/Tomatoes. If going organic is too expensive at least avoid the foods in that list.

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