Organic foods, BULL****?

Just my .02. I haven't seen acreage yield or man hours addressed. I own a patch of dirt my amish friend Zeke sharecrops tomatoes on. Part of the buyer agreement he has gives him priority status if he offers organic produce as well. I don't have the tonnage/acre reports here in my office but I remember last year the traditionally farmed acres produced about 280 percent what the organic did. Also the organic lots used almost 200 percent more billable man hours. Organic has its benefits but it's definitely a luxury.
 
Organic is in a sense, much better for you, but when it comes to fruits and veggies...I dont go organic simply because of price.

When it comes to a snack, say potato chips? Holy Hell is there an amazing difference between an MSG loaded brand chip, and one of those slightly more costly(not by much) bags of natural. Plus they taste a hell of alot better than anything I have seen processed.

It is true though, it is cheaper to eat the poisonous crap, than to buy a good clean weeks worth of groceries. Try to keep MSG/HFCS/other crap out of your diet, and see how limiting that is...
 
Organic is in a sense, much better for you.

I keep hearing this, but I see no evidence to support it.

It is true though, it is cheaper to eat the poisonous crap, than to buy a good clean weeks worth of groceries. Try to keep MSG/HFCS/other crap out of your diet, and see how limiting that is...

Poisonous as in: potato chips, soda-pop, cheesies, etc? Or, poisonous as in: traditionally-farmed food stuff?
 
I keep hearing this, but I see no evidence to support it.



Poisonous as in: potato chips, soda-pop, cheesies, etc? Or, poisonous as in: traditionally-farmed food stuff?

I didnt see the public being 60% overweight adn 30 something percent obese when everything was old school farmed, and foods were produced differently...

Poisonous as in anything processed.
 
Organic is in a sense, much better for you, but when it comes to fruits and veggies...I dont go organic simply because of price.

When it comes to a snack, say potato chips? Holy Hell is there an amazing difference between an MSG loaded brand chip, and one of those slightly more costly(not by much) bags of natural. Plus they taste a hell of alot better than anything I have seen processed.

It is true though, it is cheaper to eat the poisonous crap, than to buy a good clean weeks worth of groceries. Try to keep MSG/HFCS/other crap out of your diet, and see how limiting that is...

If I have msg I can pass out. I've passed out from eatting campbells before and got a migraine for two days. Creatine and Taurine counter msg attacks, so does nsids and coq10. I'm not sure the exact science behind it, but I can tell you the Taurine and any over the counter pain killer work. I just wish I knew that a few years ago. I'd take Taurine everyday to prevent attacks, but after awhile it's hard on my stomach. I might get coq10 soon. I try to eat as healthy as possible, but you never truely know if anything is ok and I can have attacks at any time. Even some organic produce is bad, because some organic farmers use auxigro, which is about 30% msg. I stay away from over size produce. It's a hard life style, but when you have panic attacks, migraines and pass out from not eatting healthy it's worth it to eat healthy.
 
If I have msg I can pass out. I've passed out from eatting campbells before and got a migraine for two days. Creatine and Taurine counter msg attacks, so does nsids and coq10. I'm not sure the exact science behind it, but I can tell you the Taurine and any over the counter pain killer work. I just wish I knew that a few years ago. I'd take Taurine everyday to prevent attacks, but after awhile it's hard on my stomach. I might get coq10 soon. I try to eat as healthy as possible, but you never truely know if anything is ok and I can have attacks at any time. Even some organic produce is bad, because some organic farmers use auxigro, which is about 30% msg. I stay away from over size produce. It's a hard life style, but when you have panic attacks, migraines and pass out from not eatting healthy it's worth it to eat healthy.

Dang sorry to hear it effects you so much.

I also want to point out, some parents who have children with ADD or ADHD have been finding out its in the diet. They take away all processed food, and all of a sudden...the child is normal. No medication needed....wtf huh?
 
Dang sorry to hear it effects you so much.

I also want to point out, some parents who have children with ADD or ADHD have been finding out its in the diet. They take away all processed food, and all of a sudden...the child is normal. No medication needed....wtf huh?

Also doctors never really see if children are deficient in anything such as vitamins, minerals, ect. I was on 5 different anti-depressants since I was young. I stopped taking them and started taking cod liver oil and guess what I'm not depressed anymore.
 
I didnt see the public being 60% overweight adn 30 something percent obese when everything was old school farmed, and foods were produced differently.

Well, nobody is going to dispute that, however: I don't feel that necessarily constitutes evidence for how organic foods are more nutritious than conventional food stuffs. Correlating contemporary obesity rates to a change in farming methods is pretty dubious.

Poisonous as in anything processed.

Define, "processed". Does this mean you eat only raw ingredients? Whey Protein is highly processed by nature, as are quite a few things we tend to eat.
 
Also doctors never really see if children are deficient in anything such as vitamins, minerals, ect. I was on 5 different anti-depressants since I was young. I stopped taking them and started taking cod liver oil and guess what I'm not depressed anymore.

I find 5-9g of fish oil amazing for mood! That with a good dosed multivitamin, and man I knew the difference.

I have an idea about the chemicals that are at "acceptable" doses in the food today, and what it might do to your bodies when its constantly fed into it.
 
Organic is in a sense, much better for you, but when it comes to fruits and veggies...I dont go organic simply because of price.

When it comes to a snack, say potato chips? Holy Hell is there an amazing difference between an MSG loaded brand chip, and one of those slightly more costly(not by much) bags of natural. Plus they taste a hell of alot better than anything I have seen processed.

It is true though, it is cheaper to eat the poisonous crap, than to buy a good clean weeks worth of groceries. Try to keep MSG/HFCS/other crap out of your diet, and see how limiting that is...


There is a difference between organic and natural. Natural peanut butter, for example, is not really organic, it can still use whatever the farmers normally use, its just made without all the crap. There can be an Organic Natural Peanutbutter I guess. Natural potato chips are awesome.....organic chips can taste weird.


Also, I love that episode! I work in Chicago so there a bunch of those green hippie people, I cant wait to show this to them!


I didnt see the public being 60% overweight adn 30 something percent obese when everything was old school farmed, and foods were produced differently...

Poisonous as in anything processed.

If you go down to an organic store you will see a bunch of fat people there....so food has nothing to do with it. Its lazyness. Back then we didnt have the luxuries we have now.
 
There is a difference between organic and natural. Natural peanut butter, for example, is not really organic, it can still use whatever the farmers normally use, its just made without all the crap. There can be an Organic Natural Peanutbutter I guess. Natural potato chips are awesome.....organic chips can taste weird.


Also, I love that episode! I work in Chicago so there a bunch of those green hippie people, I cant wait to show this to them!

"Natural" is more of a marketing term. It doesn't really mean the food is good or bad. I've had food with "natural flavors" and guess what "natural flavors" is just code word for msg. see according to the FDA companies don't have to label ingredients as MSG as long as it isn't 79% free gluten. As a result I have to go over every ingredient on every product that I buy, this is not limited to food either. This includes, toothpaste, deodorant, soap, ect.
 
There is a difference between organic and natural. Natural peanut butter, for example, is not really organic, it can still use whatever the farmers normally use, its just made without all the crap. There can be an Organic Natural Peanutbutter I guess. Natural potato chips are awesome.....organic chips can taste weird.


Also, I love that episode! I work in Chicago so there a bunch of those green hippie people, I cant wait to show this to them!




If you go down to an organic store you will see a bunch of fat people there....so food has nothing to do with it. Its lazyness. Back then we didnt have the luxuries we have now.

I was just gona post and clarify more that I mean Natural. As in funky crunky free.

Like I said I buy whatever fruit there is, but avoid non natural foods.

But Natural should be free of MSG, and preservatives...
 
Anytime you see flavoring or flavors, whether it says natural or artificial it contains free gluten, believe me I know. Certain things are ok if it states the natural flavor, such as "natural lemon flavor" and "natural vanilla flavor", but "natural flavors" or "natural Flavoring" will always contain atleast some free gluten. However things like "natural pork flavoring" is not ok. You can see how this can get confusing. Luckily there is a nice forum I goto where I can talk to others who also have a sensitivity.
 
"Natural" is more of a marketing term. It doesn't really mean the food is good or bad. I've had food with "natural flavors" and guess what "natural flavors" is just code word for msg. see according to the FDA companies don't have to label ingredients as MSG as long as it isn't 79% free gluten. As a result I have to go over every ingredient on every product that I buy, this is not limited to food either. This includes, toothpaste, deodorant, soap, ect.


We really do put limits and restrictions in the most half-assed way....
 
I keep hearing this, but I see no evidence to support it.

As penn and teller said, eating it makes you feel better since you feel like you are helping solve a non-existent problem as that is what the media has forced down your throat, and you bought into. similar to

same as this

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I certainly can taste the difference between organic and non organic broccoli that I buy. The organic is anywhere from 30% to 100% more expensive depending on where they source it from, but it's still only about $3 for a head which I don't think is too much. That, and organic brown rice, carrots and salad are all the organic stuff that I buy.

I think the real problem with the whole organic thing is that the big companies have come in and thrown organic all over everything that is just barely able to legally be called organic. The variation between one organic thing and another is very big. If you got 100% truly organic like something you grew yourself then it's way better tasting, but probably still more expensive overall. I do know by experience since I've grown some things myself such as broccoli, beans etc. and they all are better tasting and theoretically cleaner than store bought stuff.

I have read of studies that have tested people's urine before and after switching to organic for a short while and there are drops in the amount of chemicals detected.
 
I have read of studies that have tested people's urine before and after switching to organic for a short while and there are drops in the amount of chemicals detected.

But the more important issue is whether or not that divergence in chemical levels has any adverse health consequences - a question that has yet to be answered. The "acceptable" levels that the FDA sets for the pesticide residues are 1/1000 of the level that would cause a human serious, adverse health consequences. You could plausibly have 10x the "acceptable" amount and notice nothing. This is where people are being duped.
 
But the more important issue is whether or not that divergence in chemical levels has any adverse health consequences - a question that has yet to be answered. The "acceptable" levels that the FDA sets for the pesticide residues are 1/1000 of the level that would cause a human serious, adverse health consequences. You could plausibly have 10x the "acceptable" amount and notice nothing. This is where people are being duped.

sort of like muscletech dosing, 150mg of beta alanine :D
 
But the more important issue is whether or not that divergence in chemical levels has any adverse health consequences - a question that has yet to be answered. The "acceptable" levels that the FDA sets for the pesticide residues are 1/1000 of the level that would cause a human serious, adverse health consequences. You could plausibly have 10x the "acceptable" amount and notice nothing. This is where people are being duped.

Well it's hard to say but some pesticides are lipophilic which means they can build up in your body over time and it's worse the fatter you are and also if your diet is high in fat. Look at the inuit who eat a lot of seal fat as almost a staple of their diet. It's been measured that they have a lot higher concentrations of some pesticides in the woman's breast milk due to the higher fat content of their diet.

Look here,
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Inuit in this study had 25 times the PCBs than the control group of people from other parts of Canada

Another one
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I agree that the high concentration of blubber in their diet is the sole reason that they have the higher concentrations of these chemicals and that most people don't have this but it's still worth it to me to try and limit exposure as much as possible.
 
sort of like muscletech dosing, 150mg of beta alanine :D

Exactly. I mean, the explicit argument here is: organic foods contain less synthetic pesticide residues than conventionally-farmed foods. To that end, there are two prominent implications: a) Organic pesticides are intrinsically safer than synthetic ones, and; b) Synthetic pesticides will have health consequences when ingested regularly. The issue here is that a) is dubious at best, and b) has not been validated to this point.

The "organic foodist" movement shares something in common with these other sectoralized, identity politic contingencies (veganism, green movement, etc.,): its motivations are outwardly practical - economic, ecologic, political, physiological - but they really all dissipate into a similar philosophic statement. That statement being: "All things produced by Man are inherently poor, lesser, and "bad"; and all things produced by Nature are inherently rich, greater, and "good". And invariably all the ridiculous reiterations of this statement stem back to the original anti-Capital, anti-Production, anti-System movement of the Beatniks, which came into existence as a backlash against the fervent and directional production of the post-war period. While the specific "cause" evolves from generation-to-generation, the appeal remains that 'Person X' is given an opportunity to be morally superior to 'Person Y' due to participating in this group. And, possibly more importantly, 'Person X' is given an avenue to convince himself that he is "different" from the greater society that doesn't fit into his progressively-molded world view. "Oh, you mean children are raped and beaten in Darfur still? Oh well, I'm an organic vegan, so that's 'the other people', not me". Quite frankly I get ****ing sick and tired of the suspicious practical reasoning they put forward to mask the more outward goal of moral and philosophical judgment.
 
Well it's hard to say but some pesticides are lipophilic which means they can build up in your body over time and it's worse the fatter you are and also if your diet is high in fat. Look at the inuit who eat a lot of seal fat as almost a staple of their diet. It's been measured that they have a lot higher concentrations of some pesticides in the woman's breast milk due to the higher fat content of their diet.

Look here,
Invalid Link Removed

Inuit in this study had 25 times the PCBs than the control group of people from other parts of Canada

Another one
Invalid Link Removed

I agree that the high concentration of blubber in their diet is the sole reason that they have the higher concentrations of these chemicals and that most people don't have this but it's still worth it to me to try and limit exposure as much as possible.

You are still missing the point, though: the higher concentrations of 'X, Y, Z' do not have conclusive links, or even convincing links, to serious, adverse health consequences. It is classic question begging.
 
Its more of the same like our two party system, its easier for the elite to keep people under their thumb when they constantly fight with each other with religious fervor. Cows create more greenhouse gases than all of mans works, yet somehow I dont see the greenies looking to ban cows (although a lot of them are vegetarians)
 
You are still missing the point, though: the higher concentrations of 'X, Y, Z' do not have conclusive links, or even convincing links, to serious, adverse health consequences. It is classic question begging.

No I'm not, actually they specifically say in the 2nd link's summary that the higher concentration of PCB, even though it's known to cause brain development problems, actually had not in the Inuit children(to a measurable amount), possibly due to high omega-3 levels also from the blubber.

Organic chemistry is way too complex for us to understand the overall picture of a person's body right now. Are the overall increasing cancer rates due to chemicals or are they due to people living longer than they used to? We don't know for sure, and maybe it's both. All I'm saying is why even take the chance if you can avoid eating some of these chemicals. The sad fact is you will never eliminate it all from your body living on this earth but if you can try and avoid it then by all means do.

The problem with any studies we can do is that humans live too long to accurately say anything about whether something really causes long term issues.
You could study KNOWN carcinogens for 2 years at miniscule quantities and say it doesn't seem to affect anything that you can detect. Until we have a way to measure every cell in the body you can't say for sure when you are talking about small quantities. If something happened to 10 cells due to xyz carcinogen that then led to a tumor 10 years later, how would you prove any link?
 
All I'm saying is why even take the chance if you can avoid eating some of these chemicals.

you do more for anti-cancer and lifespan by following dietary caloric restriction since there is actual scientific study evidence proving it, not just feel good rhetoric from hippies. So stop eating beef to avoid colon cancer, and get down to around 125lbs weight, and you'll do more to avoid cancer than by buying organic foods.
 
you do more for anti-cancer and lifespan by following dietary caloric restriction since there is actual scientific study evidence proving it, not just feel good rhetoric from hippies. So stop eating beef to avoid colon cancer, and get down to around 125lbs weight, and you'll do more to avoid cancer than by buying organic foods.

I have never heard of caloric restriction for anti cancer, but for longer life span I have. From what I've read, the caloric restriction is to extend the lifespan over what they think you should live(tested with mice & other shorter living animals), not that eating a lot causes you to die earlier.
 
. The incidence of cancerous tumors and cardiovascular disease in animals on a restricted diet was less than half that seen in animals permitted to eat freely.

Again, where "organicism" is a cult or religion rather than anything else. There is no scientific data backing up its reduction of cancer, yet followers state it as something important while ignoring even looking into scientifically proven methods that actually accomplish that goal.

Not trying to pick on you, but its part of what penn and teller said, and proved with the banana cut in half and telling people that the one piece was organic and the other not. People who were in the organicism religion thought the one they were told was organic tasted better, had better texture, etc than the other half of the same banana.

Do I buy organic stuff? Sure. i buy newmans own cookies as its the only way I can get oreos and fig newtons that don't have HFCS and partially saturated fats, neither of which fits into my dietary plan. I'm just not psycho about it, its those 2 particular ingredients that matter. I've bought organic coffee before, and some brands are good, and some suck worse than 8 o'clock.
 
And just think of all the money we would all save if we bought nothing but fast food, pepsi, and other unhealthy foods simply because they were less expensive than chicken, beef, whole gains, and whey protein. When I walk the stores, usually the products that are the least costly are also the worst in nutritional value.

We would be saving money but at what cost? As for organics, I like apples that are the size of a fist instead of apples the size of a softball.

Just my two cents.
Not where I live. I went into a KFC to repair a network issue and when I glanced at the prices, like holy crap. Fast foods are priced much higher than buying grocery store foods nowaday. A two piece with one side was almost 8 bucks. I can get 5 lean beef patties and some whole grain buns for less than that..
 
"Natural" is more of a marketing term. It doesn't really mean the food is good or bad. I've had food with "natural flavors" and guess what "natural flavors" is just code word for msg. see according to the FDA companies don't have to label ingredients as MSG as long as it isn't 79% free gluten. As a result I have to go over every ingredient on every product that I buy, this is not limited to food either. This includes, toothpaste, deodorant, soap, ect.

I'm really not following you. What if it's 78.4 or .80? You didn't specify the over or under?
 
Again, where "organicism" is a cult or religion rather than anything else. There is no scientific data backing up its reduction of cancer, yet followers state it as something important while ignoring even looking into scientifically proven methods that actually accomplish that goal.

Not trying to pick on you, but its part of what penn and teller said, and proved with the banana cut in half and telling people that the one piece was organic and the other not. People who were in the organicism religion thought the one they were told was organic tasted better, had better texture, etc than the other half of the same banana.

Do I buy organic stuff? Sure. i buy newmans own cookies as its the only way I can get oreos and fig newtons that don't have HFCS and partially saturated fats, neither of which fits into my dietary plan. I'm just not psycho about it, its those 2 particular ingredients that matter. I've bought organic coffee before, and some brands are good, and some suck worse than 8 o'clock.

I'm sure many people are bought into that organic is the cure for everything but I'm not one of them. I just simply say why eat these things if there is a way you can get away from it. For me, the things I listed before that I buy organic are the only things. I might buy organic meat if I could afford it. But if I was going to go that route I would want to make sure it's actually worth it.

I would want to have the food tested independently myself in order to see what the difference between the organic and non organic really is.

The problem with the organic label right now is that of course all the food companies have lobbied the FDA and other organizations to allow them to stick organic labels on things that really shouldn't be called organic.

The organic food that I do buy is only costing maybe a few dollars more per day and I can live with that. In all honesty I would love to know for certain whether this is really better or not. Certainly though, I can tell between the organic broccoli I buy compared to the non organic from the same store. Organic is darker green and has a different taste. After eating only organic broccoli for a while, I tried some non organic that my mom bought and the difference was significant. But at the same time, I've had broccoli at restaurants that was most likely not organic and it didn't taste different.

I didn't watch the penn and teller thing yet because I'm at work but from the sounds of it they only proved what we already know which is most people believe what they're told. I have seen some of their stuff before and they're sort of like Michael Moore, they choose to do their show a certain way because they already have something they want to show. They think it's BS so they do things that suit their agenda.
 
No I'm not, actually they specifically say in the 2nd link's summary that the higher concentration of PCB, even though it's known to cause brain development problems, actually had not in the Inuit children(to a measurable amount), possibly due to high omega-3 levels also from the blubber.

Yes, you are. Unless I am mistaken, your position is that reducing your exposure to PCBs [and the like] will, over time, increase your health. You then posted a study in a completely unrelated population, geography, and set of environmental contaminants than ours. Not trying to be rude, but it still begs the question of: "Are organic foods healthier than conventional foods?" We can bring up studies that focus on the structure/function of environmental contaminants all we wish, but: given the lack of knowledge on said structure/function, making conclusions re: human health due to "exposure" is presumptuous.

The sad fact is you will never eliminate it all from your body living on this earth but if you can try and avoid it then by all means do.

Again, this assumes that avoiding has beneficial consequences, while exposing yourself to it has adverse consequences.

You could study KNOWN carcinogens for 2 years at miniscule quantities and say it doesn't seem to affect anything that you can detect. Until we have a way to measure every cell in the body you can't say for sure when you are talking about small quantities. If something happened to 10 cells due to xyz carcinogen that then led to a tumor 10 years later, how would you prove any link?

The term "carcinogen" is generally irrelevant without qualification, which may be something "organic foodists" tend to miss as well. Turkey, potatoes, carrots, and 50% of the supplements individuals on this board take daily contain "carcinogens". A "carcinogen" is nothing more than a compound which is shown, in some way, to promote the proliferation of cancer cells and/or cancer gene promoters. Here is the necessary qualifier: the vast majority of these compounds are determined carcinogenic in a method that is not practically replicable in humans. Whenever you view studies on carcinogens and/or environmental contaminants and/or whatever the scare of the week is, you have to pay attention to several things: a) the mg/kg equivalency; b) the cellular environment the test was conducted in, and; c) whether or not the proliferation of cancer cells and/or gene promoters was transitory. For the most part, "carcinogens" are compounds we ingest daily without consequence because: the doses used to determine their carcinogenic ability are not possible in humans, the proliferation was induced by an agonist and/or the in vitro environment contained other exacerbating factors, and the proliferation of the cells was acute, and not subject to termination by immune system replicants.

I am not trying to pick on you in particular, but you continue to beg the question: "what tangible health benefits does eating organic have?" To date, there is not a single shred of scientific evidence to validate either of the premises involved there:

a) Conventional farming methods, including synthetic pesticides, are practically damaging to human health, and;
b) Organic farming methods avoid these things.

If you choose to spend exorbitant amount of your own money on this fad, that is your choice; however, I simply dislike these types of myths being propagated ad naseum.
 
But the more important issue is whether or not that divergence in chemical levels has any adverse health consequences - a question that has yet to be answered. The "acceptable" levels that the FDA sets for the pesticide residues are 1/1000 of the level that would cause a human serious, adverse health consequences. You could plausibly have 10x the "acceptable" amount and notice nothing. This is where people are being duped.

Well, hold on, maybe he is on to something, miniscule even. We cannot leave out the possibility that certain chemicals do cause or exacerbate certain diseases. Now, whether or not it is from unhealthy foods or very poor air quality or impure drinking water, smoking, alcohol, etc is in question...We know that more people are dying from certain diseases than yester year. Also, it is just not as simple as some would put it, along the lines of 'well there are more people than 80yrs ago so more people are dying'. No, people are developing abnormalities at a faster rate and dying at a higher rate from said disorder. I do not think it would be wise to dismiss a plausibility that a course of organic foods, over a period of multiple years, starting at a very young age, would result in an overall healthier life. To what extent, I am uncertain but I am definitely studying it to educate myself on the matter.
 
I do not think it would be wise to dismiss a plausibility that a course of organic foods, over a period of multiple years, starting at a very young age, would result in an overall healthier life. To what extent, I am uncertain but I am definitely studying it to educate myself on the matter.

I don't think it would be wise to dismiss the plausibility that organically grown crops (since they have different pesticides and fertilizers) are possibly prone to causing just as many but different diseases. The prevalence of salmonella on organically grown crops has already been shown as use of natural manure for fertilizer is a standard carrier for salmonella.
 
Yes, you are. Unless I am mistaken, your position is that reducing your exposure to PCBs [and the like] will, over time, increase your health. You then posted a study in a completely unrelated population, geography, and set of environmental contaminants than ours. Not trying to be rude, but it still begs the question of: "Are organic foods healthier than conventional foods?" We can bring up studies that focus on the structure/function of environmental contaminants all we wish, but: given the lack of knowledge on said structure/function, making conclusions re: human health due to "exposure" is presumptuous.

I mention those 2 links as example only about how environmental toxins can accumulate in your body due to diet. PCB concentration in those populations is undeniable but they eat a unique diet. And it is a diet they've been eating for generations. Only in recent years(this century really) has their diet become contaminated with these chemicals.

Again, this assumes that avoiding has beneficial consequences, while exposing yourself to it has adverse consequences.

You can't say that NOT eating any of this stuff is bad for you, but you can say that eating too much of it(pesticides or whatever) is bad for you. If you can limit your exposure then why not? Just because you can save a few dollars a day?


The term "carcinogen" is generally irrelevant without qualification, which may be something "organic foodists" tend to miss as well. Turkey, potatoes, carrots, and 50% of the supplements individuals on this board take daily contain "carcinogens". A "carcinogen" is nothing more than a compound which is shown, in some way, to promote the proliferation of cancer cells and/or cancer gene promoters. Here is the necessary qualifier: the vast majority of these compounds are determined carcinogenic in a method that is not practically replicable in humans. Whenever you view studies on carcinogens and/or environmental contaminants and/or whatever the scare of the week is, you have to pay attention to several things: a) the mg/kg equivalency; b) the cellular environment the test was conducted in, and; c) whether or not the proliferation of cancer cells and/or gene promoters was transitory. For the most part, "carcinogens" are compounds we ingest daily without consequence because: the doses used to determine their carcinogenic ability are not possible in humans, the proliferation was induced by an agonist and/or the in vitro environment contained other exacerbating factors, and the proliferation of the cells was acute, and not subject to termination by immune system replicants.

Still no reason to expose yourself if you don't have to. If you have the choice to remove some things that may possibly do you harm, why wouldn't you do it? You only get one life and I don't see the point in ingesting things that may cause damage. Yes there are different levels of carcinogens but if you don't have to ingest it, why would you?

They used to say that BPA wasn't bad for you but now we're finding out it might not be such a good thing.

a) Conventional farming methods, including synthetic pesticides, are practically damaging to human health, and;
b) Organic farming methods avoid these things.

If you choose to spend exorbitant amount of your own money on this fad, that is your choice; however, I simply dislike these types of myths being propagated ad naseum.

Like I said before, you can't actually prove that 0.001mg/kg or whatever limit is deemed safe over your life doesn't actually do something. The only thing you can prove is that in a short period it doesn't seem to cause anything noticeable. If you don't have to ingest this then why do it? Like I also said, the cost of what I do buy that is organic is only a few dollars per day over non organic which is nothing to complain about.

You can take the same argument about air pollutants. Look at places like China where they actually limit the number of planes that take off and land per day in the country due to pollution. There the levels are higher and people actually have tangible health issues. Over in the US and Canada, it's also happening a little bit but for the most part only with people that are already having breathing issues.

Actually this is one reason why I hate going to Toronto because the air stinks of exhaust all the time and the air turns dark in the summer. I have no idea why anyone would want to expose themselves to that. Sure I get exposed driving where I live but it's nowhere near as bad.

Not every single organic product is free from all pesticides though and the guidelines and rules often aren't adequate.
 
I don't think it would be wise to dismiss the plausibility that organically grown crops (since they have different pesticides and fertilizers) are possibly prone to causing just as many but different diseases. The prevalence of salmonella on organically grown crops has already been shown as use of natural manure for fertilizer is a standard carrier for salmonella.
All manure isn't not equal, I suppose. I remember as a kid, I didn't know any better, I ate straight from my parents garden with only water to rinse the food before. I was probably 8. Most grown with manure...
We are on this board for a reason. It is for education purposes no matter how one tries to spin it. For me, you, or any number of individuals to side either way without pause to other 'evidence' would be quite foolish, agree?
 
All manure isn't not equal, I suppose. I remember as a kid, I didn't know any better, I ate straight from my parents garden with only water to rinse the food before. I was probably 8. Most grown with manure...
We are on this board for a reason. It is for education purposes no matter how one tries to spin it. For me, you, or any number of individuals to side either way without pause to other 'evidence' would be quite foolish, agree?

It depends on the kind of manure as well. If it's composted manure then it's probably reached a temperature of about 120F and the bugs have been killed off. Also cooking your food kills the e-coli and salmonella easily. There may be some "organic" pesticides and fertilizers that aren't all that good just like regular ones though and I don't dispute that.
 
All manure isn't not equal, I suppose. I remember as a kid, I didn't know any better, I ate straight from my parents garden with only water to rinse the food before. I was probably 8. Most grown with manure...
We are on this board for a reason. It is for education purposes no matter how one tries to spin it. For me, you, or any number of individuals to side either way without pause to other 'evidence' would be quite foolish, agree?

Sure, but again the point is that there is no credible scientific evidence that organic foods are any better. What studies there are that show superiority are horribly slanted and quite questionable. However, feel-good media has gotten people to believe its better without evidence. Do I say organic food is worse? no, but to pay a premium for making yourself feel better about something without evidence is illogical. Again, if you are looking for lower cancer rates and longer lifespan, then clipping your calories to about 2/3 of RDA for your height - so for you maybe 1700 calories a day and dropping to around 120-130lb bodyweight will do far more for you than eating a few organic foods. Again, for that there is actual peer reviewed scientific evidence, not just a bunch of hippies saying "man its from mother earth, its better".
 
I mention those 2 links as example only about how environmental toxins can accumulate in your body due to diet. PCB concentration in those populations is undeniable but they eat a unique diet. And it is a diet they've been eating for generations. Only in recent years(this century really) has their diet become contaminated with these chemicals.

And? You continue to harp on the fact that these environmental contaminants build-up, ignoring the fact that it proves nothing. You state it so that another person will fill in the conclusion - namely, that it is harmful. Again, this is just question begging.

You can't say that NOT eating any of this stuff is bad for you, but you can say that eating too much of it(pesticides or whatever) is bad for you. If you can limit your exposure then why not? Just because you can save a few dollars a day?

You continue to claim that these acceptable levels of pesticides are "bad for you" without providing a single shred of evidence. You could literally have 10x the average amount of PCBs and still be ten-fold under the FDA maximum intake. You state the premise, "PCBs and/or environmental toxins accumulate in your body", but never provide evidence for the conclusion.

Still no reason to expose yourself if you don't have to. If you have the choice to remove some things that may possibly do you harm, why wouldn't you do it? You only get one life and I don't see the point in ingesting things that may cause damage. Yes there are different levels of carcinogens but if you don't have to ingest it, why would you?

And you can get in an accident when you drive, so why drive? You can also cut yourself and get an infection when you cook with knives, so why cook? The point here is: the levels of contaminants used in laboratory trials to determine they are harmful in the first place are almost practically impossible to come into contact with.

Like I said before, you can't actually prove that 0.001mg/kg or whatever limit is deemed safe over your life doesn't actually do something. The only thing you can prove is that in a short period it doesn't seem to cause anything noticeable.

You are continuing to drive home a fallacy: "because it has not been disproved, it is proven". No matter how you carefully word the issue, your position is still the same: "Organic foods have a more beneficial and/or less detrimental effect than conventionally farmed foods". The fact is, the scientific community is pretty ambivalent about this, and that is putting it generously. With no competent, scientific data showing that organic foods have more beneficial health consequences, and conventionally farmed foods - well, more specifically: the pesticides used - have detrimental health consequences, it can be said to be "untrue". You simply cannot get around this. You will say, "I am not begging the question", but that is exactly what you are doing. By saying, "Why not get away from them?", you are implying there is a reason to get away from them, when evidence suggests otherwise.

You can take the same argument about air pollutants. Look at places like China where they actually limit the number of planes that take off and land per day in the country due to pollution. There the levels are higher and people actually have tangible health issues. Over in the US and Canada, it's also happening a little bit but for the most part only with people that are already having breathing issues
.

No, you cannot make the same argument; in fact, it is a completely different argument. With these pesticides you are speaking about 1/1000 of a mcg, whereas the environmental contaminants from an airplane are in the megatonnes. Eating a lifetime of conventionally-farmed, conventionally protected food is equivalent to a few days worth of polluted air in terms of contaminants ingested - that cannot be stressed enough. This is on the most minute of scales, and you are blowing it out of proportion.

Actually this is one reason why I hate going to Toronto because the air stinks of exhaust all the time and the air turns dark in the summer. I have no idea why anyone would want to expose themselves to that. Sure I get exposed driving where I live but it's nowhere near as bad.

It is only bad in the summer. The Niagara Region has the best air quality in Canada during the winter.
 
I like Penn & Teller, but just like the title of their show, their show is complete bullsh1t. Did they bother to do any scientific research OR did they grab soundbytes from people who would obviously help their case. Just because they interview SOMEONE who said organic foods are not more nutritional than non-organic does NOT make it fact. They could have easily switched it around and still have a show (but less contraversial and therefore less ratings).

Also their single blind taste test with pre-selected people was quite lame and obviously editted. I'm sure supplement companies would love to be able to use the same method - selectively ask about 10 people if they think it worked. Ah, movie magic - it looks like 7 out of 10 ppl couldn't tell the difference (or whatever number they used) - it must be legit.

It's not like they are magicians who use illusion to make you think one thing and not another... :P

And who exactly picked out the organic and non-organic foods for them to "test"? How many non-organic foods were rejected for their "test"? I'm sure I can easily setup the same "test" but have completely opposite results. That does not mean that organic food tastes better, it just means their "test" is flawed. They certainly did not come to my grocery store, as I CAN tell the difference between MOST of the organic/non-organic foods they offer there.

As for the not being able to feed the world problem - I'm pretty selfish and really looking at this from a personal point of health side. There are obviously too many people on this Earth if we have to resort to artificial means of food supply. I wouldn't be surprised if there was not enough protein powder/vitamins/fish oil to feed the whole world too, but that's not going to stop me from buying them for myself.

At least Mythbusters backs their findings with science. I still find Penn & Teller entertaining, but I wouldn't base any of my health requirements off of the opinions they decide to air on their show, just like I enjoy Jon Stewart, but don't consider him the ultimate source in world news.

I'm cool with whoever wants to eat GMO and non-organic foods. I try to buy organic when I can, but occasionally do not. Maybe pesticides are good for you in the doses they have. Maybe microwaving plastic with your food is find too - it's just something I'd rather avoid when possible. Their show did not convince me of anything on that subject.

I'll continue to watch Penn & Teller for my entertainment, but definitely not for my nutritional needs ;)
 
I have not read thru this thread completely as I dont have the time today, however just in case NO ONE has said this check it out

ORGANIC FERTILIZERS SOME I KNOW FOR A FACT ARE MADE FROM HUMAN FECES

I watched it on Discovery channel one day and laughed till I cried.. That will carry more parasites that can and will cause harm on the human body than the chems the farmers use in my humble opinion..

Face it folks.. Everything you consume right down to your chewing gum has chems it in.. Get over it for real!!!
 
And? You continue to harp on the fact that these environmental contaminants build-up, ignoring the fact that it proves nothing. You state it so that another person will fill in the conclusion - namely, that it is harmful. Again, this is just question begging.

If you think that a build up means nothing then why do you constantly refer to exposure levels being below FDA limits? You know exposure numbers are there for what you are currently eating, not what is collecting in your body. If some things are collecting over time then your exposure levels are constantly going up, not staying the same. Hence the reason for no long term study being possible because it's impossible to study a large enough group of humans from birth to death for these types of things.

Why do you think I brought up the issue with the Inuit? Why do you think that the fat has high levels of these pesticides in the first place? It shows that fat stores these types of lipophilic pesticides. If you don't think this happens in humans as well, well good for you I guess.

I don't think that anyone has ever studied what happens when an overweight person loses a lot of weight which would release these stored chemicals. I would love to see what the levels actually are.

You continue to claim that these acceptable levels of pesticides are "bad for you" without providing a single shred of evidence. You could literally have 10x the average amount of PCBs and still be ten-fold under the FDA maximum intake. You state the premise, "PCBs and/or environmental toxins accumulate in your body", but never provide evidence for the conclusion.

Well you can search for yourself if you really want to. I don't really have a chance right now to go through it all. There're enough articles on toxicity of pesticides, after all they kill things. And you are also forgetting about the other source of pesticides which you can not simply wash off. That is what is inside the food itself since plants update these chemicals from the soil they're grown in.

It's funny that you trust the FDA with providing you accurate limits for intake of toxic chemicals, yet frown on the FDA meddling in the supplement industry due to their clear inadequacies.

FDA maximums are limits they set figured out by fairly short term studies. They kill off animals by giving them big doses, and extrapolate to humans. There are no long term studies over a human's life time of these chemicals, period. That is my whole point and I don't see any reason to keep repeating that. If there is a way to try and reduce my exposure these chemicals then I will try my best to do it.

I'm not saying organic food is perfect but you should accept that some people don't want to be exposed to chemicals if they can avoid it. I don't see what the big deal about that is.
 
If you think that a build up means nothing then why do you constantly refer to exposure levels being below FDA limits

No matter how you divert the argument, you are still not providing anything to substantiate your position, which is at base flawed. Anyway, the FDA "tolerances", as they are called, are most often established from the laboratory settings I mentioned earlier. Hence the practical build-up you are speaking of being innumerably less than what lab tests establish as being 'carcinogenic' in an acute fashion. The implications of this are something you are continually choosing to ignore, whether deliberately or via ignorance.

You know exposure numbers are there for what you are currently eating, not what is collecting in your body.

This is incorrect. While the FDA's 'nPPM' tolerance sets the amount of contaminant allowed in the food at the time, the 'nPPM' itself is established using toxicological build-up data - i.e., the 'nPPM' tolerance is set a limit that reflects the ability for consistent consumption. Now, this 'maximum build-up level' is still often leagues below what was established in the laboratory setting. Meaning, as I said before, you could consume the food for a life-time and still be ten-fold below what was shown to proliferate cancer cells and/or cancer gene promoters in a laboratory setting. Your argument is similar to saying: "I take 'Supplement X' because animal models showed it increased Testosterone by 'n amount' when taken at 1000mg/kg - it must work!"

Why do you think I brought up the issue with the Inuit? Why do you think that the fat has high levels of these pesticides in the first place? It shows that fat stores these types of lipophilic pesticides. If you don't think this happens in humans as well, well good for you I guess.

Your view is still at odds with how these tolerances are set, what the health implications of these tolerances are, and how your body metabolizes these environmental contaminants. Yes, the compounds build-up, but to what end? No matter how you re-word and re-hash the same argument, this is what your argument boils down to. The fact is I am well aware of how and why fat stores these compounds, and never disputed that. It's nothing more than a diversion that you bring that up as a point of contention.

And you are also forgetting about the other source of pesticides which you can not simply wash off. That is what is inside the food itself since plants update these chemicals from the soil they're grown in

Nope, not forgetting this either. Your organic foods still contain PCBs and the like, as does your air, your water and so forth. However, as I have said a few times now: even if your blood contamination levels were 10x above average, they would still be innumerably below FDA tolerances - tolerances that are themselves innumerably below dangerous levels. You continuing to dispute this intuitive and simple point is tedious!

FDA maximums are limits they set figured out by fairly short term studies. They kill off animals by giving them big doses, and extrapolate to humans. That is my whole point and I don't see any reason to keep repeating that

We are making the same point, which is the portion you do not understand. That and what makes these studies effective or ineffective in their relevancy to humans. Mostly, that the acute dosages achieved in the laboratory setting are nearly impossible to come into contact with via daily activities. As well, you need to understand how these contaminants operate: a contaminant, say, PCB, usually must reach a certain level of PPM before it can exert tangible health consequences - i.e., long-term, low-level exposure is of negligible consequence.

Back to the supplement example: constantly exposing yourself to Tribulus Terrestris will never increase your Testosterone, despite it evidencing a proandrogenic effect in vitro, and animal model in vivo. Why? Because blood levels will never reach the mg/kg equivalency that established its proandrogenic effect in the first place, because it is practically impossible to come into contact with these levels of the compound. You seem to ignore this basic tenet of physiology and study design.

There are no long term studies over a human's life time of these chemicals, period.

This is highly misleading as well. Both the FDA and Health Canada have conducted blood contaminant and concurrent medical history exams and found negligible health consequences to long-term, low-level exposure of environmental contaminants. (For reference, the average PCB amount in a Canadian or American's daily intake is less than 1/2 mcg. The acute exposure level found to cause transient effects in animals is in the mg/kg range. 1mcg = 0.001 mg.) The only human studies on long-term exposure were conducted in workplace settings, which reflect chronic, high-level exposure; even then, dozens of studies have had inconclusive results at best. Most health professionals, health organizations, and governmental bodies have a consensus that low-level, long-term exposure to PCBs is not dangerous, even over a life-time. Proof positive against this would be exponentially higher Lymphoma/reproductive cancer rates correlating with higher PCB amounts in the patients. And, while blood contaminant data is performed on cancer patients in certain areas, this link has never been made. (Except in chronic, high-level, workplace exposures.)

If there is a way to try and reduce my exposure these chemicals then I will try my best to do it.

Unless you cease breathing and touching your environment, there is no way. The only reason the FDA sets a tolerance to begin with is if the contaminant is deemed "environmentally unavoidable". Which means you could consume organic for the rest of your life and barely limit your exposure.

I'm not saying organic food is perfect but you should accept that some people don't want to be exposed to chemicals if they can avoid it. I don't see what the big deal about that is.

I could care less how you exercise your liberty. However, I will exercise mine when I see somebody saying, more or less, bull****. You continuing to say anything regarding the health consequences of organic food is disingenuous. Your original argument was that you avoid conventional foods where possible due to health consequences. But, you have not provided anything to show:

a) That synthetic pesticides are encountered and/or ingested in dosages, through conventional food, that mirror lab settings; and/or that these levels would cause even transient health consequences.
b) That organic foods avoid these same scenarios.

This is all becoming a bit repetitive, so I will leave you to your organic foods. The best you can hope for is to outlive me, and prove yourself right!
 
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