This was first published via Bloggersbase and is my original work. 

I heard the statement a couple of times before, that certain “health freaks” had a whole fridge full of organic dietary supplements.    Do you need to consume many dietary supplements in a day?   In this blog entry, I will show you how to identify healthy foods from the unhealthy ones you see in your supermarkets and health shops.

What “Organic” produce/products Really Are
(GM = genetically modified ; GE = genetically-engineered ; GMO = genetically-modified organisms.)

One GMO substance?  It isn’t organic.
Sprayed with preservatives?  It isn’t organic.
Has emulsifiers or acidity-regulator?  Not organic
Has synthetic vitamins and anti-oxidants?  Not organic.
Chemically-extracted?  Not organic!
Stored in such a way that quality of food is compromised?  Not organic.
Something that kills other insects/plants?   Not organic!
Something you won’t even breath in or place on your skin?  Not organic either!

Any foods grown in energy-intensive synthetic chemical nitrogen fertilized soil also cannot be considered organic either.

Products with “totally organic” or “no artificial flavourings or additives” or “all natural” printed on them is NOT the same as “truly organic”. Same for eggs or products labeled “100 percent organic” or “made with organic ingredients”.  These words/terms do not mean a thing without proper accreditation (more on this below).

Microwaved or irradiated food cannot be considered organic because of its messed-up atoms and molecular structure that only decomposing food has.  A woman in her 50s died in a hospital soon after receiving blood microwaved.  This is just one incident that shows the quality of irradiated/microwaved foods.  [ More Info:  Why You Wish to Avoid Microwaving or Microwaved Foods ]

It’s right to say that irradiation or microwaving kills bacteria.  It’s one of the processes that prevents parasitic organisms common in some meat.  In fact irradiation kills almost most living cells – good and bad, regardless if you’re just using a microwave oven to warm milk or salad, or to cook a steak.

Most? Yes, most – the allowed irradiation levels microwaving food approved by the FDA is not “strong” enough to destroy the smallest disease-causing organisms, “pathogens”.

Microwave Alternatives

You can consider other cooking methods like steaming, stir-frying, turbo-broiling, grilling without charcoals.  The good news is, you can consider going raw with most vegetables (except for broccoli, cauliflower while tomatoes are best steamed/stir-fried before eating as heat in tomatoes actually increase anti-oxidants).

Start with one or 2 of your favourite salad dressings before gradually switching to only non-refined raw dressing ingredients.  The common ones are balsamic vinegar, olive oil, ground black pepper, etc

How to Tell if Your Meat or Food has been Microwaved?

Microwaved/Irradiated Foods especially meat, may have the Radura logo on it.  Irradiated foods may also have the words:

• treated with radiation
• treated by irradiation
• cold pasteurized
• electronically pasteurized

And what does this means?  That a lot of milk powder and packet milk are irradiated (pasteurized milk)!

Additionally, herbs or vegetable seasonings that have been irradiated do not need to say so, nor use the Radura logo.  Same for many processed foods that have ingredients that have been irradiated.  This means you never know if the food you are buying is irradiated or not. This is also why it makes better sense to use organic products certified by at least one of the organisations mentioned below, just to be sure you are not eating anything that’s been irradiated or microwaved).

Microwaved/Pasteurized Milk alternatives other than camels’ and goats’ milk (heard it can keep without refrigeration and yes, you can expand on this list as you find more milk alternatives through your own research):

1. almond milk recipe (Almonds are more nutritious than Rice Milk.  However, fermented rice milk can be used as an alternative SK 2 treatment for the skin.)
2. Another alternative is HEMP milk (hemp is a natural seed) and
3. non-dairy milk cold-pressed from whole-grains and snowpeas

So how do you tell if a product is really really ORGANIC?

Nowadays a vitamin or dietary supplement that’s certified by WHO [Hazards and Critical Control Points (HACCP^)] is not enough.  In November 2003, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in conjunction with the World Health Organization declared that GMed foods can be used with safety, adding that no GMed animals will be allowed to reproduce (sterile) in case they escaped. – http://www.who.int/foodsafety/biotech/meetings/ec_nov2003/en  Recent and older scientific studies showed a vast difference to what WHO cared to demonstrate.  (Without dangerous GMed food, there’s mercury-contaminated salmon and fish to “worry” about.)

Since 2000, foods labeled “organic” cannot include GMed (genetically engineered/modified) ingredients.  Organic foods cannot be irradiated/microwaved even if it’s to kill bacteria or to lengthen shelf life. Meats sold as organic cannot be produced from animals that receive antibiotics or force-fed corn.  Products labeled “organic” must consist of at least 95% organically-produced ingredients. Foods labeled with “made with organic ingredients” or less organic as such foods contain at least 70 percent organic ingredients.There are also many organic health foods that may not be healthy at all. Take for example certain honey or nectar – they’re really high fructose although they’re not High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS).  Soy Milk no matter how organic it is may be more harmful.    [ Why Soy may not mean Healthier ::  Dr. Mercola:  Dangers of Soy ::  Kaayla Daniel, PhD, author of "The Whole Soy Story: The Dark Side of America's Favorite Health Food" ]

If you wish to take your health a step further and consider yourself ready for a “health challenge”, why not become an organic (partially or totally) vegetarian?  You won’t only be kind to yourself, you will also be compassionate to animals.

Regardless of whether you intend to remain a meat-eater or not, you may want to learn how to pick out organic fruits from the non-organic ones. [ Why you would want non-GM foods ::  Why some Health Foods aren't What they seem to be ]

In Singapore if you shop at the Market Place (Tanglin Mall), Carrefour (Suntec City) or several other supermarkets, you’ll find some numerical stickers on apples and oranges.  These numbers are PLU codes telling you if a fruit was organically grown or GMed (genetically modified/engineered).

4 means “conventionally grown and possibly treated with pesticides or preservatives” (4 digits), 8 means “genetically-modified” (5 digits), 9 means “organic” (5 digits). For example 4173 means Royal Gala apples, 4174 means Royal Gala apples from New Zealand.  4173 and 4174 means these apples are “conventionally grown and possibly treated with pesticides or preservatives”.

Worldwide, Carrefour, M&S, Effelungs, SuperQuinn, Migros and Delhaiz have pledged to offer non-GM vegetables and fruits in their outlets.  (Please comment if you know of any other supermarkets who’ve pledged to only distribute non-genetically modified fruits and vegetables!)

Another way to tell if a fruit has been genetically-modified is to see if it has seeds.   Seedless grapes, apples and oranges (or any other fruits) ARE genetically-modified fruits. (In one research, rats fed with junk food (think potato chips etc) made them more anti-social and aggressive.  The rats were then given their normal staple diet for a month and when again fed with junk food the second time round, they avoided it and just drank water!)

Fact:  Many consumers view GM labels and Radura logos as a “safety warning” but after reading about what GMed food did to the animals who ate them, they changed their minds.

The key to taking dietary supplements is identifying what you really need (you don’t need to stock your fridge with 1,001 supplements!)  For example, in winter children and adults may need more Vitamin D, so it may make sense to supplement your diet with natural edible products that is rich in Vitamin D.  Google for “Baby D Drops” and “Mercola Vitamin D”.  (No, I do not earn anything from recommending you these products.)

So…are we health freaks to go for organic products?  I think the answer is obvious: going organic is a necessity unless you do not value your health.  Happy shopping and eating!

Related Info:
Food Labels can fool even the Smartest People
Some baby foods are worse than junk food
26 Common Food Labels Explained
Mangosteen Juice Label Scam

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• Disclaimer: This blog entry is NOT a source of medical advice. Any and all suggestions stem from personal opinion and experience. Any and all information you deem important should be presented to your TRUSTED medical practitioner/vet for evaluation and incorporation into YOUR personal situation.