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The Power of One

ORGANIC: FOR YOUR HEALTH

AND THE HEALTH OF THE PLANET

horse drawn bailerOnce upon a time, family farms were sprinkled across the rural landscape amongst wild, open spaces and thriving small towns that served the needs of farm families. This warmly appealing image still defines the American psyche and our vision of ourselves. However, this bucolic landscape has all but disappeared. In an alarmingly short period of time, chemical agriculture — and the factory farms it spawned — has almost obliterated the family farms that nourished our culture and has rendered them into nothing more than a sweet memory. We have all lost something very precious as a result — not only a way of life that defined us, but also a safe and healthy food supply, biological diversity, undisturbed wildlife and aquatic habitats, clean air, and safe drinking water.

Farming practices are some of the most significant influences on our health and the natural environment. In fact, the simple choice to eat certified organic food and food supplements might be more important to your health, your family’s health, and the health of the planet than any other lifestyle choice you make. While there are numerous reasons for this, they can be sorted into two primary categories: the toxic trail and the vanishing nutrients. Both have enormous implications for your health and the health of the planet.

Following the toxic trail

Until the 1940s, the form of farming we now call organic was actually the norm. This all changed at the end of World War II, when a problem had to be resolved: what to do with all the toxic chemicals leftover from warfare? A market was created to disperse these chemicals, in the form of pesticides, to farmers. Spurred on by promises of greater yields due to less insect damage, farmers eagerly embraced the new technologies. Chemical manufacturers were heartened by the ease with which farmers accepted chemical pesticides. In fact, the farmers’ acceptance of chemical pesticides was so overwhelming that manufacturers continued the trend and successfully introduced chemical fertilizers in the 1950s. Today, the use of chemicals is so rampant that as many as 16 different chemicals might be applied to a single crop during one growing season! That means consumption of the beautiful, shiny, conventionally grown fruits and veggies on the grocery shelves contributes significantly to the two pounds of toxic chemicals — in the form of trace residues found on our food — the average person ingests each year. Scientists and medical professionals theorize that many modern-day diseases stem from these toxins and other chemical exposures.

Have the benefits of pesticide use been worth the risk? Absolutely not! The USDA reports that in 1915 the percentage of crops damaged by insects was actually less than in 1988 to 1989. Typically, farmers lost one-third of their crops to insect damage before the introduction of chemical pesticides, and they still lose an average of one-third of their crops to insect damage today. This is because insects are extremely adaptable. Unlike humans, insects have brief life spans and reproduce prolifically, allowing them to quickly accommodate changes in their external environment through genetic mutations. As a result, insects have successfully survived numerous catastrophic planetary changes that wiped out other species. We have also inadvertently given them the competitive edge. Agricultural chemicals kill not only humans and the insects that we regard as a nuisance, but also the beneficial insects that eat crop-destroying insects, as well as insect-eating birds and fish. Additionally, they destroy the beneficial bacteria, insects, and worms that live in soil. These important organisms keep the soil vibrant and alive and allow strong, healthy plants to grow and flourish. Compromised soil leads to weak, unhealthy plants that have poor resistance to insects and diseases. The 1992 Earth Summit reported that the United States now has the worst soil on the planet. Eighty-five percent of our soil has been depleted to the point that it can no longer nourish healthy plants, and this has led to the problem of vanishing nutrients.

Nutrients are vanishing

Plants draw minerals and other nourishment from the soil up through their roots, and the minerals are deposited in the body, fruit, and seeds of the plant. Plants then use these nutrients to manufacture the vitamins and phytonutrients we consume when eating a plant. Historically, farmers carefully tended and fed the soil, through a variety of natural methods, to keep it vital and healthy and replace the nutrients used by each crop. The rich soil, in turn, produced vital, healthy, nutrient-rich plants. With the advent of chemical fertilizers, natural soil feeding and tending declined markedly, and, as a result, there is little nourishment left in soil for plants to draw from. This has led to a marked reduction in the nutrient content of our food.

Here’s the good news

Various VeggiesScientific studies are showing that there are more phytonutrients in organic produce than in nonorganic — because organic farms operate very differently. Organic farmers continue to focus on feeding and tending their soil. Through the use of crop rotation, cover crops, biological inoculants, and compost and other organic soil amendments, organic farmers are constantly revitalizing and enriching the soil in which their crops grow. This allows organic farmers to raise plants that are not only healthy and disease- and pest-resistant, but also rich in the vital nutrients and phytonutrients necessary for our good health.

While we have always intuitively known that healthy soil produces healthy, nutrient-rich plants, scientists have recently become interested in confirming this. Research at Truman State University, in Missouri, found that organically grown oranges contained up to 30% more vitamin C than those grown with conventional chemical methods. The Doctors’ Data study suggests there are significant differences between organic and conventional food. This study found organic pears, apples, potatoes, and wheat had, on average, over 90% more mineral content than similar conventionally grown food. After reviewing 41 published studies, certified nutrition specialist Virginia Worthington concluded that organic crops contain substantially more of several nutrients: 27% more vitamin C, 21.5% more iron, 29.3% more magnesium, and 13.6% more phosphorous.

More recently, a study in the January 2003 Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry found 52% more ascorbic acid, or vitamin C, in frozen organic corn than in conventionally grown corn. Polyphenols were significantly higher in organic marionberries compared to conventionally farmed ones. And a three-year study in Italy, reported in the August 2002 issue of the same journal, found higher levels of polyphenols in organic peaches and pears, and about 8% more ascorbic acid in organic peaches.

The organic industry is growing

According to a recent article in Time magazine (”A New Cash Cow,” July 8, 2003), the number of conventional dairy farms in Vermont has decreased by one-third since 1990. Over the same period, the number of organic dairy farms increased by 20 fold. Nationally, the number of organic dairy cows increased by four fold between 1997 to 2001 (the latest year for which figures are available). Retail sales of organic dairy products are growing about 20% a year, even though a gallon of organic milk typically costs more than twice as much as regular milk. Why? Because consumers are demanding wholesome organic foods and supplements that are processed without artificial ingredients.

Red CabbageThe Synergy Company™ is also growing, and we’re especially proud of the work we’ve done in helping to spearhead the organic movement by building relationships with farmers and supporting organizations that administer organic regulations. We do everything we can to make sure our ingredients are 100% natural and organic. It is important to realize that not all herbs and other foods are available as certified organic. Some of our special ingredients are sustainably harvested by a method called ethical wildcrafting. Ethical wildcrafting employs a code of very stringent rules. Wildcrafting practiced according to these rules enhances the ecosystem, protects the environment, and ensures the purity of ingredients. For example, seaweed can’t be cultivated in an organic manner, so we use seaweed from pristine waters, wildcrafted by families who have protected and enhanced precious coastal areas for many years. Our camu camu is another ingredient that can be obtained only in its wild form, from deep within the Amazon Rainforest. Our use of wildcrafted camu camu supports local communities in Brazil and helps prevent clear-cutting of the rainforest in those regions.

Make the world a better place

By their very nature, organic (and ethically wildcrafted) products are powerfully life affirming. When we choose them, we embrace the value, beauty, safety, and regenerative practices of a way of life that successfully nourished the human family for thousands of years, in harmony with the surrounding environment. In doing so, we provide an opportunity for family farmers to once again thrive and work in an environment that does not threaten their health. We restore farms and their surrounding environments to thriving ecosystems that nourish dozens of wildlife species and coexist with natural spaces. We ensure the pristine quality of groundwater, streams, rivers, estuaries, and coastal areas, thus preserving safe drinking water and habitats for aquatic species. We ensure a food supply that is free of dangerous, cancer-causing poisons. We, once again, consume foods and supplements that truly nourish and sustain us.

www.thesynergycompany.com

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