Organic vs Organic vs Organic

We, "health" conscious consumers, should be ecstatic because of the recent emergence of the healthier options available when we shop at various establishments. Salads are popping up on fast food menus along side grilled chicken sandwiches; natural soaps and shampoos with kiwi and shea butter as main ingredients line store shelves...this is the life! ...Even more promising is the organic label we see plastered on items in the greenwise aisle when we head to the supermarket. Each day, there is a growing stampede headed to the "organic" labeled products because we are increasingly aware of what goes in our bodies is what we get out of them... We now want "natural" "unsynthesized" products. In colloquial terms "natural" and "unsynthesized" equates to "organic."

What does "organic" really mean? Who makes the final distinction of whether something is organic vs inorganic? Are there degrees of organicness? Society uses the term so loosely, I'm often skeptical if what I'm buying is organic. On trips to my local grocer, I find myself holding two food items both claiming to be organic yet displaying different labels i.e. USDA Organic and 100% Organic. Is that the same thing? Apparently not...

The US Department of Agriculture is responsible for identifying and regulating "organic" foods and thirdly, making the varying "organic" food labels we see at the grocery store. Still, what do each of them mean? Fortunately, the awesome people at AllYou have made a little cheat list for quick reference. It makes life a lot easier when comparing how "organic" certain foods claim to be in the stores. Check it out!

• USDA Organic: Single-ingredient foods (fruits and vegetables, meat, milk, eggs or cheese) certified under USDA rules and multi-ingredient products made with at least 95 percent organic ingredients earn this label.
• 100 percent Organic: All the ingredients in multi-ingredient foods with this label are organic. There is no qualitative difference between this and the USDA organic label.
• Organic: Products bearing this label contain at least 95 percent organic ingredients. The remaining ingredients are not available organically but have been approved by the USDA’s National Organic Program.
• Made With Organic Ingredients: Products that have this phrase on their label must contain at least 70 percent organic ingredients.

However, it still remains to be seen whether these foods are truly organic. My general rule of thumb is the less processed, the less ingredients listed and those that will spoil the quickest are the best to choose- these are the most natural foods.

Then there is the question of whether there is any health benefit of eating "organic" foods vs "inorganic" foods....in my "expert" opinion, when you introduce foreign substances into your body, there is an increased probability that your body could negatively react or negatively be altered. For me, I'd rather decrease my chances of an adverse reaction that could have been prevented by eating "organic" foods. Wouldn't you?

http://www.allyou.com/food/family-meals/understand-what-organic-really-means-00400000047128/