Choose to fight the corporate “Patenting of Life” – Monsanto’s genetically engineered food, by eating local, organic food grown by a farmer who has your bodies’ best interest in mind. Shake the hand that feeds you!
Not that long ago a person would have been considered crazy if they suggested the patenting of a living entity. The common belief (before Biotech) was that God and Nature had the patenting of life. But that is exactly what has been done by genetic engineering corporations. They used to be called chemical or pesticide manufacturers, but now call themselves "Life Sciences" companies. The most notorious of these corporations is Monsanto, but there are many others with their own versions’ of patenting life. Life should not be patented or owned for profit. We need to take back control of our food supply! Here are reasons why buying organics is just better:
- Organic food is smarter - Avoiding agricultural chemicals (pesticides and herbicides) is good for your liver! It creates less toxic load for your body to have to deal with – improving digestion and your livers’ health is very important to general health.
- Organic food is tastier - Even though organics are generally higher in price, in the long run, it costs less to eat organic. You are getting far more for your money, organic food tastes better and is more nutritious, causing you to eat less - and your body will appreciate the better nutrition.
- 100% Organic Food is always NON-GMO - Many crops such as corn, cotton, canola, rice are genetically modified. GM crops are a serious threat: threatening the loss of biodiversity, sustainable agriculture and causing potential future problems –a food supply that’s one giant genetic experiment. No long term health risk studies have been done on humans, but studies on animals suggest failure to thrive when fed these products.
- Organic food has strength – because it does not have the pesticides to ‘protect’ it from fungus and pests, it has to develop its own defence system – like humans’ immune system - and it develops substances called ‘salvestrols’ that are imparted to us when we eat them: they are triggered to shut down cancer cells in the body. Any strength or weaknesses the food has is imparted on the consumer.
- Organic food is sustainable and earth-friendly - According to the Canadian governments’ website: “In addition to reducing the number of potentially harmful chemicals in the soil, water and air, it can help maintain soil quality and help crops withstand drought, disease and pests. Scientists have also pointed towards organic farming practices as a means of slowing and coping with climate change. Laura Telford of the Canadian Organic Growers explains that organic farming is a third more energy efficient than conventional chemical-based farming, which uses energy to produce and transport chemical - based fertilizers.
Also, she points out soil that is farmed organically is capable of keeping more carbon in the soil – thus releasing fewer greenhouse gas emissions – than is the case with conventional farming practices.”
- Organic food has been grown on farms that are following standards – all Canadian and American organic farms have to follow the strict and detailed guidelines set out by the Canadian General Standards Board and the USDA Organic program, everything from the land and fence posts to how long they have to farm organically until they can officially have and advertise the label.
- It’s traditional. Before we started “mass producing” our food on huge factory farms, we used great grandmothers and great grandfathers’ farming practices. They used what they had, and would farm organically using manure to fertilize. And what is the holistic nutritionists’ grandmother quote? “Eat food your great grandmother would recognize!”
- Today's non-organic fruit and vegetables contain dramatically less vitamins and minerals. The average potato has lost 100% of its vitamin A, 57% of its vitamin C and iron, 28% of its calcium and 50% of its riboflavin.. This all according to a study by the Globe and Mail and CTV. For broccoli there's been a 63% decrease in calcium and a 34% decrease in iron! This is because non-organic farmers do not feed their soil –non organic food simply needs soil and chemicals to yield. But organic food needs healthy, nutrient-rich soil to yield.
On a budget? Here's a link to a list of the most important food to buy organic: http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/eat-safe/dirty-dozen-foods#fbIndex2
Support small-scale organic farmers - Most organic farms are small, independently owned and operated or family farms of less than 100 acres. By buying locally produced food, you are keeping local farms viable; you are not contributing to the environmental and social costs of the worldwide transport of foods or supporting a system based on the exploitation of third world labor. You are helping your community attain food security. It is a myth that huge, corporate agribusiness is more efficient than the small farmer!
