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From:	Just Me (67.137.157.170)
Subject:	Re: Organic vs. Conventional
Date:	April 10, 2012 at 9:13 am PST

In Reply to: Organic vs. Conventional posted by Mike on April 10, 2012 at 7:57 am:

Hi Mike,

Well, seeing that we eat A LOT more fruit and veg than the average Joe, this means that (if we are consuming conventional produce) we are consuming A LOT more pesticides, herbicides, fungicides (poisons) as well. Not that I think it is "good" to consume toxic chemicals in any amount, but I think most studies are done in regards to the "average" person and not someone who eats the amount of produce that 811rv-ers do.

Anyway, the 80-10-10 Diet is made up of whole, fresh, ripe, organic plant foods, right? And, Dr. Graham has said that all six components are important with not one being more important than another. So, my understanding is that organic is on the same level as raw; organic is on the same level as plant foods.

Re cost, for me, I've made it a point over the past year to start my own back yard greens garden. Lettuces do not do well here in the summer, so I am getting ready to start planting tomatoes, cucumbers, summer squash, basil, sweet peppers, and perhaps even some melons for this summer. Fall/winter provided an abundance of lettuces, baby bok choi, asian cabbage, kale, chard, etc. My husband just planted three citrus trees in our front yard -- mandarin, valencia, and navel oranges. Next year we plan to plant some plum and apricot as well as fig and persimmon. We're choosing varieties that ripen at different times so that we will eventually have fruit available through many months.

Beyond that, volunteering at the co-op gets me an extra percentage off purchases and I've found local farms/orchards that grow organically although they do not sport the pricey certification. Our local Costco sometimes sells organic greens that are semi-local to where I live (in the same state!) and seasonally they sell organic grapes and apples (beware on the apples though -- some are sold waxed). The prices are much better at Costco than the "regular" grocery store. Case discounts are very helpful as well -- for example, at Whole Foods I get 20% off if I buy a case of bananas. It pays to shop around -- Whole Foods organic, fair trade bananas are 99 cents/pound plus 20% case discount, whereas the co-op sells them for $1.39 per pound plus 15% case discount for members. Even with my extra 10% volunteer discount this is not as good as Whole Foods.

I try to make it a point to eat seasonally as well. This really makes a difference with cost (out-of-season produce costs a lot more than in-season produce). So, I don't get to eat everything year 'round and some months I am eating one fruit the entire month -- but, who can complain when that means a month of eating persimmons!. :)

Am I going to freak out and starve myself if my only option is conventional once in a blue moon? No. I just try to make the best choices I can in any given situation. I believe that stress is just as big of a contributor to illness and disease as anything else.

Here are some quotes from Dr. Graham you may find helpful, Mike:

"To concern yourself with pesticide residues while eating cooked food is a proverbial fire and frying pan situation. Neither is good for us. The best solution is to consume only organic raw plants. Otherwise, the decision is much like choosing whether to shoot oneself in the foot or shoot oneself in the hand." The 80-10-10 Diet, p. 250

"My advice is, buy organic whenever you can afford it and you can find it. If you can't afford it or you can't find it, then have the non-organic as a secondary choice and be selective." Making Friends With Your Food

"No-one is promoting the concept that . . . anything ending in "cide" [e.g., herbicide, pesticide, insecticide, rodenticide, fungicide] is good for you . . . ." MFWYF

"If you would like to see the cost of organic produce go down, you must buy organic produce . . . [Y]ou vote with your dollar for organic produce -- you send a message to the grocer that he can sell more organic produce, he sends a message to the farmer that he can make money growing organic produce." MFWYF

"[W]hen people ask me, "Why organic?" . . . . [m]y answer would be . . . "Show me that adding herbicides, pesticides, fungicides, insecticides . . . any chemical killing agent has even the potential of helping our health. Show me it's not harmful." . . . Nobody is so crazy as to put forth such a ludicrous idea and so it's literally got to be organic by default." Perfect Health Program

"Any time we consume [conventionally-grown produce] we are knocking ourselves down another notch. I'm looking for people to learn how to stack every card in their favor in terms of health development [and] health accrual, and part of that is learning how important organic really is." Perfect Health Program

Keep in mind that everything I said here (except for the quotes) are my personal experience/opinions only. I wish you well on making the best decisions for YOU, Mike. :)

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