Organic Outlet - Organic & Natural Foods

What Dr. Bob Thinks

steve mcguffey — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 14:27:00 GMT

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I'm Dr. Bob and this is my story on Health and Weight Losss.

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The Tremendous Benefits of Organic Gardening

steve mcguffey — Tue, 22 May 2007 15:57:00 GMT

The Tremendous Benefits of Organic Gardening
By Carol Stack

The art of organic gardening is simply growing food in an environmentally and health friendly manner. Because an organic garden is produce without the use of pesticides and commercial fertilizers you are not only providing yourself and your family with healthy foods, you are also helping the air, water, and soil within our environment.

Organic gardening carries many benefits that you may not be aware of. This article will help you identify the benefits of an organic garden and determine whether organic is the way for you to go.

When you produce organic foods, you are producing all natural, safe, and much healthier foods. These foods will have a greater amount of nutrients and minerals within them than those grown with the help of commercial products. You are reducing your family's risk of ingesting harmful additives and pesticides, and increasing their nutrition at the same time.

Let us have a look at some of the other health benefits of organic gardening. One important benefit that research has discovered in organic foods is the fact that by eating foods grown organically, you are building your body's immune system, thus giving it the ability to fight of many different types of diseases, one of which is cancer.

Organic vegetables have been proven to contain a higher concentration of nutrients. A team from Rutgers University did a study comparing produce from a grocery store and the same items grown organically.

While the Rutgers team expected the organic food to show a slight increase in minerals compared to the non-organic, they were astounded by the results of the tests. The organic produce contained much greater amounts of essential minerals such as iron, calcium, magnesium and potassium.

Non-organic spinach had only three percent of the iron contained in organic spinach. Non-organic tomatoes had only a tiny fraction of one percent of the iron found in organic tomatoes. What was more surprising was that many essential elements were completely missing from the non-organic produce.

Not only are organic foods higher in vitamins and minerals but they also lack the harmful chemicals found in non-organic foods. Thanks to the lack of chemicals within organic foods, you are reducing the amounts of toxins such as fertilizers, hormones, and pesticides in your body. Furthermore, while reducing the harmful instances, you are increasing the amounts of healthy minerals within your body such as vitamins, phosphorous, magnesium, and iron.

Another great benefit of organic gardening is that the foods you produce will have a longer shelf life and taste a whole lot better. Research has shown that without additives and other such elements, organic foods can be stored better and longer than foods with chemicals and processes.

Furthermore, without the chemical additives, the foods from your organic garden will simply have a better taste, which is delicious. The taste of a fresh, organic tomato is far superior to a tomato bought at the local grocery store which was probably pulled from the vine weeks earlier when it was still a bit green.

These are some of the great benefits to growing your own organic produce. There is also the benefit you get from working in your garden, out in the sunshine and fresh air, reducing any stress from a day at the office. Organic is simply better for your overall health.

Carol Stack enjoys writing articles. She lives with her husband and three children in the United States. Find more tips about organic gardening by visiting Carol's garden site at http://www.freegardentips.info

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Carol_Stack
http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Tremendous-Benefits-of-Organic-Gardening&id=359712

Organic & Natural Skin Care Products

steve mcguffey — Tue, 22 May 2007 15:47:00 GMT

Organic And Natural Skin Care Products Exposed
By Claudia Budu Ph.D.

Through the years, the use of chemicals and synthetic ingredients in skin care and cosmetics raised serious health concerns in a large percentage of the population.

At the present time, there is an increasing demand for pure, natural and organic products for skin care and cosmetics. This is a beneficial stage of our healthy life style and skin care routine, which can provide long term skin care without side effects.

Many Companies are trying to compete to each, other to fulfill this increasing demand. There is also a high competition between those Companies to be number one concerning the safety of these products. This is a really difficult assignment, which sometimes make them improvise statements regarding the ingredients they are using in the preparation of those products.

For example some companies are listing only active ingredients under the name of ingredients omitting the questionable and chemical parts. In fact, preservatives and “other ingredients” used are the real issue for the safety of skin care products and this information is often omitted.

Because this particular field of skin care is relatively new, customers are not fully informed about what is hidden behind the so called “natural and organic” skin care products.

Due to my experience and expertise I found some very misleading information or lack of information regarding natural and organic skin care products. I believe that the consumer of natural and organic skin care and cosmetic products has the right to be informed.

The following are some of the important information which is not widely available to the public:

You cannot provide an organic or natural product made with oils and herbal extracts unless you are using an emulsifying agent. Oils and aqueous (H2O) solutions do not blend with each other.

You cannot use bees wax as an emulsifier unless you use borax, which is a chemical. These ingredients are usually omitted on labels.

You cannot preserve natural or organic skin care products with only Grapefruit seed extract, because this is appropriate for fungi and possible yeast and doesn’t work for gram positive and gram negative bacteria.

You cannot preserve natural or organic skin care products only with citric acid or citric like ingredients unless pH (the acidic or base capability of a solution) falls below 5 (acidic), which is not recommended for the skin.

You cannot preserve the natural and organic skin care products with only Rosemary oleoresin extract, which is widely used in formulations due to its appealing natural name.

Companies which make those statements regarding the preservation of their natural skin care or cosmetic products may have difficulties with the self life of their products or they are deliberately omitting ingredients from their ingredients list.

Some companies advertise under organic or natural, skin care products, which contain only a low percentage of plant extracts or natural oils. In fact, the products are chemical and synthetic with one or few natural active ingredients.

It is not in the benefit of the consumer to be uninformed. Most consumers have chosen natural skin care alternatives due to sensitive skin, allergies to various chemicals or are cancer patients, which exclude all the chemicals from their every day life for their own benefit. In addition, there are many people who have chosen organic skin care products for their pure and non harmful content.

An organic and natural skin care Company has to be loyal to consumers and be trustworthy. Sooner or later consumers will find what is hiding under an “appealing” list of ingredients or a nice advertising campaign.

Conclusion: You as a consumer have the right to ask as many questions as you consider necessary to make sure that nothing is hidden from you under the so called ingredients list.

If you decide to try an organic or natural skin care product do your home work. Look beyond the fancy advertising and be aware of any company which is listing only herbs and oils for your convenience.

Most important get to know what you are buying!
Ask Questions, Get Informed !

C.E. Budu has two postdoctoral trainings in pharmacology and microbiology, a Ph.D. in Cell Biology and a Master in Biochemistry. She is the Founder of Active Herbal Cosmetics and Skin Therapeutics (http://www.telbari.com and www.herbalskincure.com ). Her line of skin care products created only of Certified Organic herbs and genuine oils represents her continue dedication to satisfy the customer needs for healthy and radiant skin. Her innovative herbal treatments are meant to help people with skin problems all over the world.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Claudia_Budu_Ph.D.
http://EzineArticles.com/?Organic-And-Natural-Skin-Care-Products-Exposed&id=561646

Organic Foods - What Does Organic Mean and What are the Benefits?

steve mcguffey — Tue, 22 May 2007 15:46:00 GMT

Organic Foods - What Does Organic Mean and What are the Benefits?
By Paul Crantz

"Organic" is a labeling term that denotes products produced under the authority of the Organic Foods Production Act.Guidelines for organic production are to use materials and practices that enhance the ecological balance of natural systems and that the farming system techniques fall into into an ecological whole.

Organic agriculture methods are used to minimize pollution from air, soil and water. Organic food handlers, processors and retailers adhere to standards that maintain the integrity of organic agricultural products. The primary goal of organic agriculture is to optimize the health and productivity of interdependent communities of soil life, plants, animals and people.

In order to become Organically Certified, in this case, Organic Produce, growers must grow their produce for a minimum of three years, without artificial pesticides or synthetic fertilizers. Since growth chemicals are not allowed, this means that organic crop yields may often be smaller, resulting in considerably higher prices for end consumers.

So, are organically foods healthier than other foods? According to some scientists, the short answer may be no because plants retain just so much vitamins through the growth process. However, in an earlier article, I pointed out the facts on soil nutrient depletion, drastically down from 100 years ago, giving empirical proof that plants grown in the mainstream of farming today have only a fraction of the vitamins and nutrients, simply because these ingredients have been depleted from our soil.

Because of Organic methods, such as crop rotation, rotational grazing, planting of cover crops, animal and plant waste recycling, tilling, and adding minerals to crops, there is much more nutrient material in these soils available to the plants. So it would stand to reason that if a maximum level of nutrients are available to the plants, the maximum amount of natural nutrition is obtainable in our foods.

Since artificial pesticides and chemicals are absent from the Organic food chain, these foods are definitely safer to consume, and given the above argument, healthier also. Their is no doubt that the food that our ancestors ate, generations ago, had a higher nutritional value. But as agriculture progressed and techniques were improved for much greater crop yields, something had to give. In many places, farm soil is literally little more than dirty sand, with nearly all of the valuable original nutrients leached out.

Artificial fertilizers will produce huge crops of nutrient deficient plants that leave human consumers critically deprived of the natural vitamins and minerals so much needed to maintain good health. Their is no question in many scientists minds that organic foods Do contain a much higher nutrient content. The good news is that demand for organics is soaring, which will lead, hopefully, to a renaissance in how our food is grown as well as a huge public awareness level which will benefit everybody up and down the supply cycle. Just think about it, healthy natural food that mother nature engineered our bodies to use without breaking the bank. Oh, one other thing. If you haven't tried Organically Certified eggs, you don't know what you've been missing. They taste so much better that I think that they're worth the nearly the double in price that you'll pay. Enjoy!

I specialize in general interest short article content, especially for my own content sites. I love to write and I look forward to contributing many many more submissions, hoping people will find some useful or entertaining info. www.healthcontentsite.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paul_Crantz
http://EzineArticles.com/?Organic-Foods---What-Does-Organic-Mean-and-What-are-the-Benefits?&id=555677

Too much Organic?

steve mcguffey — Tue, 22 May 2007 15:41:00 GMT

Introducing the Organic Mattress
By Scott Nichols

Have you heard of or joined in with the new wave of organic products? Well, with all the craze of organic products getting more and more popular, an organic mattress was all but inevitable. If you have never heard of an organic mattress, it is a product made purely of organic materials and contains no synthetic materials.

A synthetic mattress is often made largely of polyurethane foam. This has been shown to cause severe allergies in many instances. If you are an allergy sufferer, an organic mattress may just be able to provide you with the relief you are looking for. Allergy relief is simply one way that organic mattresses are superior to synthetic mattresses. There are many reasons an organic mattress is favored over a standard synthetic mattress.

An organic mattress is made from 100% natural materials. The natural materials that usually make up an organic mattress include wool (from France and New Zealand), natural latex and occasionally cotton. Natural wool has proven to be a dust mite repellant that will help allergy sufferers who are allergic to dust. A true organic mattress is free of chemicals and environmentally friendly, as well as safe for both adults and children to sleep on.

In addition to organic mattresses being safe for the entire family and for the environment, they have the ability to breathe. Latex is often uncomfortable in hot and humid weather because the material cannot breathe and causes the sleeper to sweat. Organic mattresses will help you remain comfortable regardless of the weather because the material can breathe and not cause you to become too hot or too sticky.

There are many mattresses that proudly display the organic label, but beware, as not all of them may truly be organic. A truly organic mattress contains only natural materials and no chemicals. Some organic mattresses can be found that contain formaldehyde in order to make them fire retardant. Also, plastic coated organic mattresses are available to render the mattress waterproof or coated with polyester to make surface washing easier. These are not true organic mattresses. When you go shopping for an organic mattress, don’t settle for synthetic materials or added chemicals. Be sure you find a truly organic mattress made of only 100% natural materials.

Find more Helpful Mattress tips, advice (and Resources) Click Here: www.mattressesonsalenow.com A Popular website that specializes in Sources of Mattresses to include King Size Mattress, Queen Size Mattress and Latex Mattress

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Scott_Nichols
http://EzineArticles.com/?Introducing-the-Organic-Mattress&id=567106

Welcome to the Organic Outlet

steve mcguffey — Tue, 22 May 2007 15:30:00 GMT

Welcome to the Organic Outlet blog, discussion and review of topics including products, what organic really, or anything related or Organic and/or Natural food is welcome for discussion here.