Study Finds Organic Foods Not More Nutritous
If you were to ask the a random person on the streets, “Are organically grown foods more nutritious than conventionally grown ones?”, what would you expect the answer to be? I would imagine the majority of people would say that organic foods are in fact more nutritious. A recent study found quite the contrary, organically grown foods are not more nutritious over foods that were conventionally grown. The study was done by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine to determine the exact question I proposed.
This study that was funded by the U.K Food Standards Agency, was conducted on foods grown over the last 50 years. It concluded that produce grown organically and conventionally have comparable contents of many major vitamins and minerals include nitrogen, vitamin c, magnesium, potassium and more. In meats, there was no difference in any nutritional content. This is another blow for organic products because of the bad press already receive in America for allowing non-organic ingredients to be used in something labeled organic.
Many US food organizations think that the studies our outdated and newer studies show that there is in fact a difference between the two. Regardless of the nutritional content, I think that many people buy organic foods because they were not treated with pesticides or dangerous chemicals like conventionally grown foods usually are. It gives people a feeling that they are putting foods into their body that they know are safe to eat.
I decided to do a quick poll to determine how you feel about this study.
Loading ...Oatmeal: Tasty and Cheap
Oatmeal is one of the best ways to start your morning being highly nutritious, very inexpensive and is filling. I eat oatmeal on a regular basis and can’t say more about how much I enjoy eating it while still feeling like I am doing my body good.
All About Oatmeal
Oats are the basis of making oatmeal which is a type of cereal grain grow specifically for its seed. Oats can grow in conditions that other crops just cannot survive. In order to get a product that can be consumed by humans, the outer hull must be removed. The result is the inner part of the oat that is called an oat groat. These oat groats are processed further to get all of the oat products that we have available on the market today.
Steel Cut Oats
Steel cut oats are simply oat groats that have been cut up into several smaller pieces which look similar to rice. They require a longer period of time to cook, normally around 30 – 45 minutes because they are more dense. Steel cut oats are less processed and thus contain some of the oat bran still intact.
Rolled Oats
Just as the names suggests, rolled oats are flattened oats by steaming and rolling oat groats. Rolled oats are the typical Quaker Oats “Old Fashion” variety of oats, but usually don’t contain much if any of the oat bran. This allows for a much quicker cooking time, usually 5-10 minutes.
Quick Oats
These are simply rolled oats that have been cut up and steamed to allow for a quicker cooking time. Quick oats often are used in “Instant” varieties and should be avoided. These instant products usually have added sugar and other ingredients that don’t add anything to your oatmeal.
Which variety to buy is up to you, but just know that rolled and steel oats are the most nutritious.
Health Benefits
Oats contain high levels of many nutrients including magnesium, selenium, protein and high levels of fiber. One of the major benefits to eating oatmeal on regular basis is to prevent heart disease, diabetes as well as lower cholesterol levels. Oats in particular contain high levels of a particular type of fiber that has been shown to lower cholesterol levels and help prevent heart disease. They also contribute to stabilizing blood sugar levels which can really help people with type 2 diabetes.
Buying Bulk Oats
Most people usually buy the small packets of instant oats because they cook within minutes and are sweeter. These types of oats are not only more expensive, but they are contain large amounts of unnecessary sugar. On top of that, those packets are so tiny that I just don’t know how anybody would be filled by eating such a small amount ( but that’s just me ).
The best way to buy oats is in bulk quantities and avoiding instant varieties to maximize nutritional benefit and minimizing cost. Whether you buy in bulk bins at many natural food stores or buying bulk at wholesale stores like Costco or BJs, you will be saving. I want to do a quick cost comparison to find out how much you could possibly save when purchasing bulk over instant packets.
A typical box of instant oatmeal costs approximately $3 for 10 packets weighing about 13 ounces, making each packet cost about $.30. When you buy oatmeal from bulk bins or wholesale stores, you usually get get it for under $1 a pound. That makes the savings for a pound of oatmeal in bulk bins verses the small packets at $2 per pound. Imagine the savings if you go through the small packets of oatmeal and especially if you have kids. Say you buy a package of 10 oatmeal packets every week. You could save over $100 just off of this simple change. Even if you add in other ingredients to flavor up the oatmeal, you will still be saving huge. In addition, you can control how much of the ingredients you put in your oatmeal.
Those instant packets can be convenient especially if you are constantly on the run or like taking them to work. Why not make your own? It’s really simple. Just take the rolled oats you bought and put them in a reusable container or zip-lock back and put in any dry ingredients you want to flavor the oatmeal with.
Storing
Be sure to store oatmeal in a tight sealed container to make sure that it does not go rancid, especially when buying large quantities. They can keep fresh for about 2 months.
Recipes
There are many ways you can cook up your own oatmeal and I wanted to share what I put in mine every morning.
Banana Nut Oatmeal
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- Few drops of vanilla
- 1/2 banana
- Handful of walnuts or your favorite type of nut.
Over medium-high heat, bring the milk, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon to a boil. Add the oats once boiling and cook for approximately 5 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed. Either cut up or mash the banana and put into oatmeal after complete. Top with nuts.
You can also make this in the microwave that will have a slightly shorter cooking time.
Share your recipes
Please share all of your oatmeal recipes.
Wild Salmon Vs. Farmed Raised: Which is Better?
Salmon is one of the healthiest fish available today and is for good reason. It is rich in various nutrients that are hard to find in most foods. On the other end, there have been many reports as to the dangers of consuming salmon due to its high levels of mercury and PCBs. Much of the confusion comes with the differences between wild and farm-raised salmon. As you will see, wild salmon are superior nutritionally and environmentally.
What’s the Difference
If you were to hold a wild salmon next to a farmed-raised one, it would be extremely difficult to find any differences among the two. Just because the two may look exactly the same, there are huge differences between both between the two. You would have no clue just by looking at them.
Nutrition
Salmon is low in saturated fats and calories, contains high levels of protein and healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids are consider essential because our body cannot naturally produce them, but can be founds in foods like salmon. It also an extremely good source in other nutrients including selenium, niacin and vitamin B12 along with being a good source in many other vitamins and minerals. Wild salmon is far more nutritious in terms of fat and protein content. Wild fish contain 20% more protein, 20% less fat and are in general much smaller. Even being fattier, farmed raised contain much less usable omega-3 fatty acids and and contain higher levels of omega-6 fatty acids. The lower the ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids. Wild fish in general contain a much more favorable ratio of omega-3’s to omega-6. The ratio for salmon is 15:1 for wild as compared to 3:1 for farmed raised.
PCBs
Polychlorinated biphenyls or PCBs are a class of organic compounds that are highly toxic. Even back in the 1930’s they discovered just how dangerous it was and several papers were published on it. I can’t believe it took our country all the way until the 1970’s to ban it. PCBs were used as coolants and insulating fluids for transformers and capacitors, plasticizers in paints and cements and a stabilizing additives in flexible PVC coatings. Consuming PCBs has even been linked with causing cancer. Even though they have been outlawed, they are still present in our environment, especially in our waters. Salmon are carnivorous and eat many small fish that contain high levels of PCBs. The levels of PCBs in farmed-raised were 8 times higher than found in wild caught salmon. That is huge considering how dangerous it is to our health.
Coloration
Salmon are generally colored either in either orange, red and occasionally white. They are actually naturally white and only get their coloration from the food they eat that includes krill and small shellfish. Because white salmon would not be as popular, farmed salmon are actually given chemicals to turn their flesh these colors. On top of not being healthy for the fish and humans, it also makes it harder to shop for them.
Disease and Contaminants
All salmon contain slight amounts of parasites and some even contain disease, but not at the same levels compared to farmed-raised. Seeing that they are held in giants nets in the ocean, it’s no surprise that aquaculture of salmon contain more disease. They are also given tons of antibiotics to fight off the diseases that they could be carrying in these closed spaces. It’s scary to think that we have no idea what kind of antibiotics or pesticides are in these farmed fish.
Environmental
I previously discussed the aquaculture farming of fish and it’s various environmental impacts. With so many fish packed together in a net in the ocean, there are bound to be negative impacts to the environment. Excess waste from these fish reduce the amount of oxygen in the water and hurt the nearby ecosystem. Also, whenever farmed fish escape from their nets, they can spread disease and lice that are normally not seen in wild fish. This can really hurt the wild populations by making it harder for young salmon to survive to adulthood.
Taste
If you were to try both farmed and wild salmon, you would notice the difference immediately. I have had both and I can say that there is no comparison. If you are currently eating farmed salmon or are not sure what type you buy, try wild and you will not be disappointed.
Below is a summary of the differences between both types of salmon:
Wild Vs. Farmed Salmon Comparison
| Wild | Farm-Raised | |
|---|---|---|
| Nutrition | Higher Ratio of Omega-3 to Omega-6 Fatty Acides | Lower levels of protein and much fattier |
| PCBs | Low levels | 8 times as many PCBs |
| Coloration | Naturally orange or red because of diet | Given pigments to turn color of salmon from natural white |
| Disease | Contain low amounts of lice, disease and contaminations | High levels of disease, lice pesticides and given large amounts of antibiotics |
| Environmental | Populations killed off by escaped farmed fish | Excess waste and disease harm natural eco-system |
| Price | Slightly higher price | Cheaper because already in nets |
Varieties
There are several varieties of salmon whether it be from the Atlantic or Pacific. I could list all them here, but this articles does a great job in describing all of the main types of Salmon that we eat.
Where to Buy
The best way to get wild salmon any time of the year is to check out your local natural store. I sometimes get frozen salmon at Trader Joe’s or other local natural stores that is always wild. They taste just as good as if you were to buy it from a fish market. Always be sure to be vigilant in asking where the fish comes from and whether it is wild or farmed. If they do not know the answer or the price looks a little too low, assume that it is not wild. There have been instances of several fish markets selling farmed fish as wild. You might also be surprised that canned salmon is usually wild. It’s an affordable way to get wild salmon anytime of the year. Once again, check the labels to make sure that it is in fact wild.
Choose Wild Over Farmed
Next time you go to buy salmon, make sure to check that you are buying wild salmon. It is overall just a healthier fish for you and far superior in terms of taste. There are just too many negatives against farmed salmon to make it not worth the slightly lower price. If more people demand wild salmon when buying it, it could start to eliminate many of these harmful salmon aquaculture farms.
Save and Go Green: Local Produce
I go to a local farmers’ market every weekend because I love fresh produce. The taste of the food I buy is unmatched by any grocery store that I go to. I have even heard Alton Brown from the Food Network say on his show that large strawberry farmers only produce for looks not taste. Even though taste is a huge factory, it is not the point of this article. The article will be geared towards answering the following two questions: does buying locally promote green lifestyle and most importantly, will it save me money over buying produce from the grocery store?
I had heard various segments on the radio about how our travels far to get here, but I never realized just how far. Apparently, our food travels an average of 1,500 miles between the farm where it was grown and your refrigerator. Much of the food we buy in the grocery store that usually could be bought locally is still shipped in from other parts of the country. Why not just buy from local farmers to get fresher produce that will taste better? I can only guess that cost must be the major factor into their decision. The amount of pollution that is occurring from the food’s transportation seems extremely wasteful. Also, many major farmer don’t use sustainable or organic methods of farming.
A huge plus I find when buying local produce is that you can actually talk to the farmer that grew the food you are buying. You can just ask them the types of farming methods they use and if pesticides are used.
You can save also save a bundle when buying local produce. One food that I love to eat is tomatoes. They are ridiculously expensive at the grocery store, usually $2-$4 a pound. Thats way too much to spend on tomatoes may or may not taste like crap. The tomatoes I buy at my local market are about $2.50 for about 5. That’s a huge savings over the grocery store and they taste better. In general, many things you can buy locally will be at a fraction of the cost of comparable products at the grocery store.
On the flip side, the grocery store is a little more convenient as you can buy produce whenever you want. Farmers’ markets and local farmers can sometimes be a far drive away or only be open certain days of the week. This can lead to buying produce too far in advance and it can go bad before you get a chance to eat it. Also, grocery stores carry a much wider range of produce that you would normally find at a local produce stand.
My rule of thumb when it comes to buying produce is to buy them locally while it is in season and get any reminding produce they don’t carry (like bananas) at the grocery store. Also, don’t buy too much produce just because it looks fresh. I have done this in the past and I regret it every time.
You can check out my article on Farmers’ Markets to find farmers in your area selling local produce.
Farmers’ Markets are in Season
Farmer markets have been around for years, but are really starting to become more and more popular as people have become more health conscious. People want to eat food that is fresh, locally grown and most of all tastes great. Going to your local farmers market is a great idea to stay healthy and save money.
Much of the produce sold at farmers markets is local and sometimes is organically grown with no pesticides. At the farmers’ market I attend every week, they even have fresh milk, eggs, cheese and meats. The taste and quality of the products are almost always superior to what I find in the grocery store.
The USDA has a good search engine to find a farmers’ market near in your area.
