Just because it's organic, doesn't mean it's healthy!

As marketing intelligence increases, consumers have to wade through a jungle of confusing messages to navigate the aisles of the grocery store. We go there in search of food, and many of us return with 'products'. Yes, that's right, 'products' ... albeit for our stomach and digestive system, and carrying the widely flaunted label of 'food' ... but these are often far-flung from the simple nutrients on which our ancestors thrived.

Aside from the extravagant labeling of health benefits that adorn these packaged foods (this topic is worthy of a whole new blog), something which confounds many of my friends and clients alike is the connotation of the term 'organic'. To start at the basics, here in the States, there products can be labeled as 'Organic' and '100% Organic':

- Products labeled as 'Organic' must contain at least 95% of organic ingredients (excluding water or salt), and any remaining ingredients must consist of 'approved nonagricultural substances and specific non-organically produced agricultural products that are not commercially available in organic form'.
- Products labeled as '100% Organic' must contain ingredients which are only organically produced and processed (excluding water and salt).

The general consensus is that 'organic is good', right? I mean, when we talk about single-ingredient items such as meat, fish, dairy and fresh produce, 'organic' means less human interference - whether that be added hormones and antibiotics, or toxic pesticides ... and the less of those the better. The confusion comes when we move away from simple foods, and into the packaged 'products' the food industry works so hard to sell us. I'm talking about cookies, breads, jellies/jams, cereals, frozen dinners, foot-long sandwiches ... and the list continues. These are the 'foods' which are not produced by nature, but by factories, and in today's world they fill an increasingly large portion of the average family's shopping cart. These are the foods which are packaged in pretty colors, and on which the 'organic' labels tend to deflect us from the true ingredients.

A case in point - I was talking to a friend of mine here in Vegas about bread, and she mentioned that she always chose a certain brand because it was organic. And yes, it was organic, but when I looked closer, I realized that the 'organic' label acted as a great camouflage for the fact that it contained less that half the fiber of most whole-grain breads, and almost double the amount of added sugar (for those of you reading this outside the US, it is normal for bread here to have some added sugars). So really, although the ingredients were organic, it wasn't the healthiest choice?!

Now, I'm not proposing that we spend our days baking our own bread, nor making our cereals from scratch (however wonderful both of those options would be!), but it's important not to be too easily persuaded when you are shopping those 'inner' aisles of the grocery store. While the word ‘organic’ is a great help in determining which peach you choose, it is important to ask yourself whether your 'organic' dollars are best spent on flour and sugar?! Possibly not?

So, I hear you ask, if you can't just assume that the labels will point you in the right direction, what the hell should you look for when buying food? The answer to this question is worthy of more than this blog, but in short, here are my tips:

- When buying baked goods and cereals, try to make sure the fiber content is high (usually whole-grains are a good start), there are no trans-fats, and that the added sugars are not too high.

- When buying frozen meals (I shudder at the thought!) - and yes, this includes pizza and pasta dishes - again look for whole-grains to increase the fiber content, low amounts of added sugars, absolutely no listing of 'partially hydrogenated oils' (aka trans fats) in the ingredients, and if possible, organic sources of dairy and protein.

- When buying fresh produce, consult the list of 'dirtiest' produce created and updated by the Environmental Working Group at http://www.foodnews.org/walletguide.php and try to buy these fresh fruits and vegetables organic whenever possible.

- When buying single-ingredient animal products such as dairy, meat and fish, I recommend organic wherever possible to avoid the added antibiotics and hormones commonly found in their conventionally-reared counterparts.

- When buying foods which contain commonly genetically modified ingredients, such as corn, soybeans, cotton and rapeseed oil, I recommend searching to find the brands which contain 'no GMO ingredients'. (As a side-note, 60-70% of processed foods in the US contain genetically modified ingredients, including most breakfast cereals, most foods containing soy, many baby foods, snack foods and sodas ... while the government deems GMO foods safe to eat, I try and avoid them where possible, my reasons are once again worthy of another blog!).

In short, I guess my main message is this: start with real, whole foods, and try and buy these in as pure a form as possible (here, I think the organic label is worthy of its perceived high status). When pretty packages start seducing you (and we're all guilty of that!), don't be misled by them flaunting that their ingredients are organic. It doesn't sanction them as 'healthy'!

Embrace your inner-detective ... apparently your health depends on it!