Have you thought about it?
I have! In fact, I find that when I eat organic and hormone-free foods, I actually feel better.

It’s not surprising, if you consider that recumbent bovine growth hormone (rBGH) actually makes the animals themselves sick. The company that makes the hormone even has to make warnings saying that on its bottles. It is a common thought that since rBGH is a synthetic hormone that the cows produce naturally, somehow it’s safe. If you consider that even among human prescriptions, our drugs carry major health warnings and some natural herbals have even caused heart attacks, it’s no big surprise, is it? Naturally occurring, never equates to safe. It’s why, unless you know what you are doing, you also never go pick mushrooms and just eat them or you could die.
There have been instances where cows gets mastitis (an infection of the breast/utters) and the infection gets in the milk and we consume the pasteurized substance. Even the nutrient content of the milk has been said to be differently produced by these poor cows. The substance, that we do ingest in the rBGH made milk, can cause immunological disturbances and suppression. We already have immunological issues!!!
Also consider that 40% (approx) of ground beef are milk cows past their prime! I always knew that when I drank organic milk (Horizon is the best in my opinion after taste testing many brands), I felt much better and had less
flares. Also, I had cut beef out of my diet for 5 years and during that time had drastically less illness, until I had to take it up because of low iron levels. I now buy organic ground beef whenever possible. In my experiences, the ground beef is not really much more costly than the regular beef and again, tastes better, too! The same goes for organic yogurts and other dairy products, including butters! Horizon and Stonybrook Farms make excellent varieties!
Let’s think about chicken eggs. Thoughts on their treatment and humanitarian issues aside, caged chickens are fed genetically engineered feed in a lot of commercially made eggs. Their diets are corn and other grains, when half of
their nutrition comes from omega-3’s, other fatty vitamins (i.e.- vitamin E), and protein! Free-range and semi-free range chickens get to eat bugs and worms, as they would in a natural setting and it produces a more
nutritious egg. You can even see the difference if you crack them open and see that deep orange free-range egg yolk next to the pale yellow ones many of us grew up with. We sometimes have issues eating as it is, and it’s
important to consider these things, to make every bite count!
Speaking of genetically engineered feeds, what about your produce? Did you know many substances used to control pests on your food are very hard to wash off, unless you use a produce specific wash or some sort of mild
food-safe soap? A lot of them are applied in soaps and waxes of their own. Even minor amounts of these pesticides have caused flu-like illnesses in perfectly healthy adults! Wash, wash, wash, wash! Or better yet, buy
pesticide-free and organic produce!
Where can you find a lot of these things? Where I grew up, they always had these things in our local supermarkets and the selections are getting better all the time. If you look in your supermarket, you are likely to find an
organic section in both the produce and dry-goods sections. There are also “green markets” that offer a good variety of organic, pesticide-free, and other health foods. They can be a bit more pricey for their specialty, but
also can give you new options like baby fiddlehead ferns. (Which are a great veggie if you nuke or steam them till tender and use a little butter spray and lemon on them! They are a lot like asparagus!) My favorite option
though, is supporting smaller family farms and buying through your farmer’s markets!! Many cities all over the country have them on the weekends. I know in the area where I grew up, they had one Friday afternoons and all day Saturday. When I’m home I still buy my free-range eggs and organic meats from a great seller who has a farm dedicated to such. (I even get organic dog treats made from her high-quality meats and wool from her lambs!!!)
Another option is growing some of your own food. Too much work you say? If you get help to set up some large pots near your house and grab some nursery raised plants, a pot garden is easy to maintain and may prove to provide your moments of Zen. There is something wholly satisfying in raising shoots and producing your own food. This also helps ensure freshness and peak nutrient content! Start with a small herb garden pot, then maybe move up to tomatoes and summer squash and go from there. See what you end up with! It’s a hobby you can do sitting down! Not to mention if you have a nice porch, the big terra cotta pots can look really nice!
Should you run out and buy a new kitchen’s worth of food?? No. Maybe try drinking nothing but organic, hormone-free milk for a month and see if you feel different. Small changes sometimes make the biggest impact. A lot of
hype goes around on both sides of this issue and people tend to get ambivalent in the crossfire, but with such sensitive bodies (and many with multiple chemical sensitivities, too), it’s an issue we need to research and
take seriously. Just because I notice an improvement may not mean you see one, but it’s worth having an open mind and giving it a try! (Cutting out white flour, for instance, didn’t help me one bit, where the organic dairy
did, but I seriously tried it!) At the very least, I hope I’ve convinced you to take a look and consider the
options for yourself or maybe just check out a few farmer’s markets. You never know what you may find.
Here are a few sites for research on both sides of the issue:
http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/bgh.htm
http://www.idfa.org/reg/index.cfm
http://www.motherearthnews.com/eggs
http://www.motherearthnews.com/eggs
Article submitted by: Jennifer Altherr, Butyoudontlooksick.com, © 2006