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Living Maxwell

Better Choices

Study: Organic Ketchup Has Higher Levels of Antioxidants than Conventional Ketchup

Last year, I wrote about a groundbreaking study from Washington State University that said that organic strawberries have higher antioxidant activity and concentrations of ascorbic acid than conventional strawberries.

This research was the subject of much conversation in the organic industry because now we could point to objective, independent research that validated the superiority of organic.

Well, for those who still don’t believe that organic is a better option, maybe a recently released report from Spain will make them think differently.

In a study performed at the University of Barcelona Science and Technology Centres and reported in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, ketchup made from organic tomatoes proved to have higher levels of polyphenols than ketchup made from conventional tomatoes. (Polyphenols are biomolecules with antioxidant properties and protective effects in the human body.)

Researchers focused on the biochemical and metabolomic analysis of a range of branded ketchups and studied the environment in which tomatoes are grown.

Needless to say, their conclusion should not surprise any organic food advocate in the least.

The different agricultural management models, comprising a range of cultivation and fertilization techniques that vary between organic and conventional crops, impact the nutrient content of agricultural and commercial products.

The way in which organic tomatoes are grown results in a greater level of bioactive compounds and other metabolites. Like I say all of the time, it’s all about the soil.

If you nurture, nourish and treat farmland with respect and care, you get a very rich soil.

If you spray farmland with toxic chemicals and never rotate crops, you get a very poor soil.

It’s no real big mystery here, and this Barcelona study is empirically proving this to be the case. Again.

MY TAKE

Here we have another university research report declaring organic to be superior than conventionally-grown.

While organic may be slightly more expensive, largely because it is does not receive the same level of subsidies as conventional, consumers who continue to purchase non-organic will be paying more in the end. Why?

Because what they get does not have the same level of nutrition. And what good is eating food that is devoid of nutritional content?

I never eat food with the objective of simply trying to fill my stomach. My objective is to eat food that is going to support and strengthen my body.

As a result, I eat organic.

It’s not only a safer option, but it’s a more nutritious one as well.

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Organic Insider

Better Choices

USDA Approves Genetically-Engineered Apples that Don’t Turn Brown

It seems like every day that passes, the USDA approves another very risky GMO crop, all to the benefit of biotech/chemical companies and to ZERO benefit for consumers.

This time, the USDA has approved a first-of-its-kind genetically-engineered (GE) apple that doesn’t turn brown after bruising or slicing.

The apple, developed by the company Okanagan Specialty Fruits, uses a relatively new form of genetic engineering called RNA interference, or gene silencing, which has raised numerous concerns from consumer groups, environmentalists, and the apple industry.

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Living Maxwell

Better Choices

The Risk of Buying Conventional Honey

For many of us who understand the importance of organic, we eat and buy organic food without thinking about it.

We know that we don’t want to consume food that contains artificial growth hormones, synthetic pesticides or genetically-modified organisms (GMOs).

We know that it is essential for us to purchase the highest quality food possible.

We know that food is medicine.

Yet, there are too many people out there who are just not that concerned about the food that goes into their bodies. They largely assume that since our government allows it on the shelf, it is safe.

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Living Maxwell

Better Choices

What is Cold-Brew Coffee and Why You Should Know About it

Despite the fact that it has become a burgeoning trend in the beverage world, cold-brew coffee is still a relatively unknown quantity to the average person on the street.

In a very unscientific poll that I conducted, the majority of people that I talked to had heard of cold-brew coffee but couldn’t give me a good answer as to what it is and why people should be drinking it. And to be perfectly honest, I was pretty in the dark about cold-brew as well.

While I know that choosing organic coffee is a must, because coffee is one of the most chemically-treated crops in the world, I, too, had many questions about this increasingly popular drink.

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livingmaxwell: a guide to organic food & drink
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