organic food

[lynx]

Twice in my life, I've spent a period of six months or more in Italy. While living there, I felt very healthy, didn't get fat, and I found it easy to stay in shape despite eating a lot more than I do in the United States. In the US, however, I find that I have to work out extra hard in order not to get fat. Last summer, I spent one month in Eastern Europe and didn't gain any weight despite eating generously. From my conversations with people in Europe, I've found that Europeans are greatly opposed to processed foods. Some of them say that processed foods make you fat whereas natural, non-processed foods keep you healthier. I don't know if that's the whole truth, but I'm going by my experiences, and I know I feel healthier in Europe than I do here. That's why I've been buying organic foods lately, and I truly feel a lot better. Make sure you know where your fruit and other groceries come from.

 

[California Love]

I would have to strongly disagree with you. Organic does not mean natural. There is a ton of "natural" food that is not mechanically processed - fruits, vegetables, meats, etc.


Organic vegetables and fruit suck. Without the usage of pesticides, herbicides, and other forms of bacteria-killing, crops simply come out worse. Organic food has a much higher potential of making you sick because it is much more susceptible to crop-related problems.

Also, if u notice, in many places in europe, the obesity rate is close to (or surpasses, like in italy) that of the US.

 

[xyzzy]

Good to hear lynx; organic foods also pack in more nutrients because of more nutrient rich soils, rather than just leaving all the growing up to the big four (Nitrogen, etc) or Hydroponic like the commercial growers do. Its all about cutting costs, which cuts out the nutrients. Sure Im paying more for organic foods, but at least Im getting what I need out of it.

Also, at a zoo it was discovered that when they put out conventional bananas and organic bananas together, the chimps/apes would pick out the organic bananas by sight and would prefer them over conventional banannas. This wasnt some food study either, this discovery was by accident.

 

[lynx]

Thanks for the info, xyzzy. From my experience, Europeans eat fruits and vegetables with fewer, if any pesticides, and they do look very healthy, including Italians. Having lived in Italy, I can honestly say Italians are rarely fat. I'm talking about not just very young people. I'm talking about people in their thirties and forties. While living there, I never got sick from eating the fruit and vegetables (in fact, I probably felt healthier because of them). Besides fruits and vegetables, other foods such as pasta, tomato sauce, bread, cheese, and grains are less processed and contain organic ingredients, thus making them, in my opinion, healthier than the processed foods you find in supermarkets in the US.