151. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Thu, Jul 05, 2007, 3:08 pm PDT

Btw, 100 years ago.. people lived shorter lives, but I'm sure better lives physically. Common sense people. Many were farmers and worked hard and had the energy to do it. How many people today could farm the way they did way back then? Very few. There were other reasons as to why people died younger as well. Diseases, poor sanitation, and other things as well. Today we can combat stuff like that. Back then they didn't know about it. Like I said...it's common sense as to why we all live longer now. We just live miserably in the long years of out lives. Now, I can't speak for everyone obviously, but the problems we face healthwise today make the case rather blatant. Sorry skeptics, but I'd rather live a short quality life than a poor quantity of years.

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152. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Thu, Jul 05, 2007, 3:10 pm PDT

People keep taking about "chemicals" like they are evil and say that things that are "natural" are good. Water is a "chemical" and it has an LD50 (you can die from it). Smallpox is natural and so is AIDS. You get the idea.

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153. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Thu, Jul 05, 2007, 3:10 pm PDT

Your comment "organic foods are no tastier", makes me wonder if you ever tried organic foods. I find organic fruits, vegetables, & chicken a lot more flavorful. Berries are plumper, juicier and tastier. Other fruits are firmer, larger in size and mostly blemish free. Have you ever eaten organic mashed potatoes? Truly scrumptious! Maybe you should sample some organic foods before judging. I try to buy organic foods at all times. It's a shame that you have to pay so much more money to eat healthy. Fast food & junk food is so much cheaper than organic but for a lot of people, that's all they can afford. That's why we have so many overweight and unhealthy people. They can't afford to eat healthy.

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154. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Thu, Jul 05, 2007, 3:13 pm PDT

I am from Montanan, not California and I buy organic when I can. We put growth hormones in our food and it is fact that girls are going through puberty at younger and younger ages. khorne keeps listing off natural things such as e.coli and snake venom. Last year was a record year for food recalls-- none where from organic farms. All of the e.coli contaminations were from conventional farms. So how well are those pesticides working? As for how expensive the pesticides are and they wouldn't be used in a wasteful manner, my husband taught his first year in a high school in the central valley of California. In one class he had 3 students (migrant children) with brain cancer. The crop dusters did not stop dusting just because a building was in the way. There were many times that the planes kept dropping the pesticides even when flying over schools. Granted that was in the late 80's. The government is not always a reliable source on health risks, as a child of a Vietnam vet we were told 35 years ago that my kidney problems were not related to my father agent orange exposure-- currently the government has changed their mind on that issue. We don't know all of the long term ramifications of pesticides and hormones in the food supply, but I am nto willing to risk my children's health. Organic is the safer bet for them and the environment.

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155. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Thu, Jul 05, 2007, 3:30 pm PDT

You may not feel threatened by pesticide ridden foods and food that is sprayed with hormones, but give the rest of us a break...this is still Under God we trust..America. And I don't trust the FDA. We the buying public should be able to purchase without prejuidice the type of food we choose to eat.

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156. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Thu, Jul 05, 2007, 5:00 pm PDT

OK just how many people are aware that ORGANIC FOODS MANUFACTURE THEIR OWN PESTICIDES, AS A SORT OF DARWINIAN METHOD OF KEEPING ONLY THE MOST RESILIENT FRUITS ALIVE; WAKE UP PEOPLE- ORGANIC IS ACTUALLY --MORE HARMFUL-- THAN CONVENTIONALLY GROWN FRUITS!

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157. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Thu, Jul 05, 2007, 6:15 pm PDT

This last comment takes the cake! SO, TO BE CONSISTENT, GEORGEKB2002, YOU EAT PESTICIDES INSTEAD FRUIT? ACTUALLY, SINCE MANY SYNTHETIC PESTICIDES ARE NEUROTOXINS (THEY SCREW UP THE NERVOUS SYSTEM -- WHICH THE BRAIN IS PART OF) THAT MIGHT EXPLAIN YOUR COMMENT.

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158. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Thu, Jul 05, 2007, 6:28 pm PDT

Another thing, if you actually knew what you were talking about, you would realize that many of the natural molecules plants use to ward off pests are profoundly beneficial to humans. Our bodies are designed to eat natural food, not synthetic chemical stew.

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159. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Thu, Jul 05, 2007, 7:28 pm PDT

What if I tell this obviously biased "MD", that I feel measurable difference in my overall health because of growing my own food organically? I guess I will be dismissed as "I feel like its healthier" crowd, right?? My family is full of "MD"s and most of them eat organic food, or at least try to, FYI.

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160. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Fri, Jul 06, 2007, 9:28 am PDT

As a Registered Dietitian working in Oncology, I would like to point out that there are studies showing that organic foods are more nutritious than conventional, and that organic diets may lower exposure to pesticides. Studies tell us that organic produce has higher levels of vitamins C and E, iron, magnesium, carotenes, and some polyphenols. (J Agric Food Chem. 2002-2004 or J Altern Complement Med. 2001;7(2):161-73.) In addition, another study in which researchers collected urine samples and diet info on preschool age children found that those eating a more organic diet had significantly lower exposure to some pesticides (Curl CL, Fenske RA, Elgethun K. Environ Health Perspect. 2003;111(3):377-82.) I do, however, agree with your final statement - that the focus should lie on eating healthier and eating less, rather than "should I buy organic?" Hundreds of studies show that the more fruit and vegetables a person eats, the lower his or her risk of cancer (World Cancer Research Fund. Food, Nutrition and the Prevention of Cancer: a global perspective. Washington, DC: American Institute for Cancer Research; 1997 -Please note the updated version is due out this year). These studies have been done on the general population (who eat conventional produce). If the harm of the pesticides outweighed the benefits, we would not see the consistent protective effects of eating fruits & vegetables. My bottom line to my patients? Focus on reaching a healthy weight (research well supports the link b/t obesity and diabetes, cancer and heart disease), get active 30 minutes or more daily (again, studies show this protects against diabetes, cancer and heart disease), eat 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables daily, THEN worry about how to incorporate organic if available and affordable for you.

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161. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Fri, Jul 06, 2007, 9:30 am PDT

As a Registered Dietitian working in Oncology, I would like to point out that there are studies showing that organic foods are more nutritious than conventional, and that organic diets may lower exposure to pesticides. Studies tell us that organic produce has higher levels of vitamins C and E, iron, magnesium, carotenes, and some polyphenols. (J Agric Food Chem. 2002-2004 or J Altern Complement Med. 2001;7(2):161-73.) In addition, another study in which researchers collected urine samples and diet info on preschool age children found that those eating a more organic diet had significantly lower exposure to some pesticides (Curl CL, Fenske RA, Elgethun K. Environ Health Perspect. 2003;111(3):377-82.) I do, however, agree with your final statement - that the focus should lie on eating healthier and eating less, rather than "should I buy organic?" Hundreds of studies show that the more fruit and vegetables a person eats, the lower his or her risk of cancer (World Cancer Research Fund. Food, Nutrition and the Prevention of Cancer: a global perspective. Washington, DC: American Institute for Cancer Research; 1997 -Please note the updated version is due out this year). These studies have been done on the general population (who eat conventional produce). If the harm of the pesticides outweighed the benefits, we would not see the consistent protective effects of eating fruits & vegetables. My bottom line to my patients? Focus on reaching a healthy weight (research well supports the link b/t obesity and diabetes, cancer and heart disease), get active 30 minutes or more daily (again, studies show this protects against diabetes, cancer and heart disease), eat 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables daily, THEN worry about how to incorporate organic if available and affordable for you.

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162. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Sat, Jul 07, 2007, 12:04 pm PDT

The issue is not about EPA standards, since much of what they call safe levels has nothing to do with how a human body breaks down these chemicals, how they are stored in the body's fat and at what point a human body becomes toxic and results in diseases, since that is largely an individual thing. Why push the limits at all, when organic foods are coming into availability which is driving the cost down? Pay the farmer now, or the doctor later...

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163. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Sun, Oct 21, 2007, 9:18 am PDT

khorne55: Yes, E. coli is natural, and so is drug-resistant staph aures, which is a prime example of what happens when you use too many pesticides and anti-biotics..they will grow back more resistant. And your comment to "I would gladly buy soda with sugar BUT not organic foods..." (paraphrased); You can buy these in the United States...as organic sodas, because this is the point of buying foods that do not have lab-altered ingredients. In regards to meat, have you ever eaten wild game? Organic meat will generally have a stronger flavor, but at the same time it is more tender and most meat lovers prefer this to the bland products sold in the market. If the flavor is too strong, a citric based marinade works to break down the NATURALLY occuring hormones, but the flavor is generally determined by what the animal ate prior to slaughter. With your history of girlfriends buying organic (and you equating them with having less intelligence,) it sounds to me you just choose women poorly.

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164. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Mon, Mar 03, 2008, 9:29 am PST

Everyone should think about going organic. It really is better for both you and the environment. Today the FDA is allowing crops (both produce and animals) to be altered with many things that are not good for you like hormones. Eating organic makes you feel better all around. Look at animals...they eat mostly organic foods (minus what we as a population mess up) and you don't see them limping with arthritis or dying of a heart attack. It makes sense. Really.

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165. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Mon, Mar 03, 2008, 2:28 pm PST

Be A Vegetarian. Not Only for U buy Also for Your Life.

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