Organic foods are a great way to avoid pesticides and receive good healthy nutrients. Learn about organic foods and what they can do for you in this video.
Organic animals are not treated with antibiotics
Organic animals are given organic feed
Organic foods are important developmental life stages
Alice Merritt is currently the Campus Dietitian at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. She has a masters degree from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in public health with a concentration on nutrition. Alice has worked as a registered dietician for four years, and believes that helping people reach their nutritional goals will lead to a long and healthy life.
ALICE MERRITT: Now I am going to talk to you about organic foods. A lot of people are going towards more--buying more organic foods. And a lot of the reason is, things like fruits and vegetables when they are organic, they are exposed to lower levels of harmful pesticides. Things like meats, dairy products, the animals are not treated with antibiotics. There are also no growth hormone added. And things like fish and salmon and eggs typically are free range and then they're in their wild habitat making them at less risk for being exposed to harmful pollutants in water. And they are also typically fed, animals in general, all organic feed which is a little bit healthier for the animal than some of the conventional grain fed nonorganic meats. When you are thinking about buying organic, it is a really good idea if you are a child or if you are in your pregnancy. A lot of the reason for that is because--stages of growth, such as childhood and pregnancy, are at a higher risk of pesticide residues and building them up in our system. So important things to remember about organic foods, if you are a child or have a child or you are pregnant it is a good idea to think about buying some organic foods. Another good source for organic foods is visiting local farmers markets. You can find things there that you know a lot of farmers, they do not have to travel very far distances so they do not have to use as many pesticides and things to keep the foods fresh. It is also a good idea if you are buying organic fruits to think about buying ones that you are eating the skin off because a lot of the pesticides stay in the skin. Same thing with the vegetables, if you are peeling the vegetable it is not as important to buy organic but if you are eating the skin such as things with bell peppers, it is a good idea to look for organic things. So remember when buying organic foods, you want to always look for the USDA symbol for organic foods. That ensures that it was actually a very good organic food and that they followed the practices that are set forth by the government. Some organic farms may call themselves organic but you are not ensure that they are following the organic practices. And those are things to remember when buying organic foods.
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