Can eating organic make you thin? Apparently, yes.
We’re not just talking collard and broccoli and sprouts and squash. There’s organic chocolate, beef, spaghetti, cereal, the works. Intuitively, I can understand why organic is healthier. No pesticides, no hormones, no genetically modified goodness knows what. There’s nothing in there that will hurt us. Nutrition-wise, people seem to have been on the fence. An organic tomato probably has the same amount of calories as a regular tomato, right? I’ve not done the research, so don’t hold this all over my head. But vitamin and mineral-wise – I mean, come on, folks, look at the organic tomato! Compared to the waxy colorless lifeless orbs piled high at the super, how can it not have a gazillion percent more good stuff in it?
Check out this wonderful and surprising video by Mary Schook (visit her blog FoodIncAvenue). Tell your friends. This is awesome.
Very cool, but the problem for most of us eating organic is still money.
I know it’s expensive. But I really want to be eating more organic, so perhaps these ideas may work:
-start a veg garden, however small, to supplement
-farmers markets – get to know what the prices really mean, who is overselling, etc.
-coops – I know it wasn’t cheap-cheap, but for most of the winter I pay about 22 dollars for a delivered box of organic veg. There are other coops that allow you to buy a share of the business, and you go and volunteer for a certain amount of time per month – then you get your veg for free.
Not very scientific her video Irene. One example only. The weight loss could have resulted just from being conscious about what she was eating. In any case it was going too fast for me. I can’t read that fast. But your tomatoe picture is amazing. I thought you would Also show the paciflora you grew yourself.
Mom, watch the video again. What kind of comment is that? And you should read Mary’s comments, too, below.
Irene,
Thank you for your interest. As a little background after calorie restriction and daily rigorous exercise (7days a wk) without losing weight going organic or rather eating the way I was originally raised (no GMO’s, pesticides, or hormones) I decided that was my last resort before caving into taking synthroid for a slow thyroid. In only two weeks I began to drop weight and blisters began to form and ooze (detox bumps). I was detoxing from my food! And nutrition? Industrial farming has stripped our topsoil which means that we are starting to lose minerals in our food. That translates into deprivation of the nutrients necessary to make our cells function properly. Organic farming requires farmers to add back to the soil which makes the food richer in nutrients. Maybe that’s why the food has a fuller taste? All in all I had no idea what to expect and had someone told me I could lose 70 lbs without trying I would have told them they were nuts. What I may start to do is take the final 4 months and actually try to see what would happen if I really worked at losing the weight. I’m glad the first part wasn’t too fast. I don’t want the problem of too much excess flesh!!! I’m giving myself a month to decide. And who said I’m going to lose anymore weight anyway? I never like to assume. P.S. Many people have written me to tell me that they have also lost weight on organic (not vegetarian) diets. They also said they no longer have the sensitivity to food that they had before. Guess you’ll have to watch and see! Thanks again for watching! Mary Schook
Mary, your experiment is inspiring. Your video is really well made – hope it goes mega-viral – and I wish you the best of luck. I would love to change my diet and do what you’re doing. Perhaps then I will go back to meat. Having just read Jonathan Safran Foer’s “Eating Animals,” I have not been eating meat for a few months now. I don’t want to hormones, antibiotics, or the knowledge that I’m eating diseased flesh. The problem with going organic with meat is that although the meat is much much healthier, living conditions aren’t. Free range often means that there’s a “window” open somewhere where a bird could get out. I love meat and I miss it. Perhaps you have recommendations in this area? Again, thank you so much for sharing your journey with the world.
P.S. Farmers have said if more people ask for organic prices will go down! Basic supply and demand. Just try one meal a week. See how you feel! Good luck! MS
I hear you. It’s important to support the little guys, too, and I try to go to a few local farmers markets when I can.
Nice tomato picture!
I eat organic (mostly veggies and fruit;I don’t eat meat)whenever I can and when it is affordable. Just today I got a bunch of organic lettuce at the Eden Organic market for 3 sheqels!
Organic tomatoes certainly taste better than the non-organic ones..
Tomatoes, I think, are the most obvious example of taste being better in organic. The regular tomatoes are flavorless. Maybe I’ll over to Eden Market today! Sounds like a brilliant deal. Thanks, Yael.
Nice tomato! But it still ain’t a Jersey…
I don’t think that organic food, in itself, will lead you to consume less. Deliciousness and satisfaction will, which good organic stuff is…
Hi Bruce!
I don’t think this has anything to do with consuming less. I think that it has to do with eating the same amount and seeing the results. Do you feel better. Are there more vitamins. In the case of Mary (in the video), I think she’s trying to eat the same foods, including meat, butter, chocolate, etc. That said, my mother does have a point – when you’re conscious of every meal, every bite, the shopping and finding specific foods (and goodness knows, having to budget for them), makes you much more aware of what you put in your mouth to begin with. You might think you’re eating the same, but it could be ever so slightly less, or every so slightly healthier, without you “noticing.”
Hey Bruce and Irene,
Actually I am eating 3-4 times what I used to eat. Some think that may be increasing my metabolism. There are a lot of theories in regards to my weight, but no matter how you slice it I did everything I could to lose weight before I started the organic project and I couldn’t. They wanted to put me on drugs to regulate my thyroid, but I just knew there had to be some other way I hadn’t discovered yet.
This way seems to be working.
In fact others are writing in to me to tell me that they know someone or personally have lost weight off of changing the source of their foods.
In fact next week I’m going to see what happens when I actually try to lose weight by controlling my portions (1 serving of mashed potatoes with my steak instead of 4) and not eating after 7pm. What’s funny is now I eat things that would be considered worse for me than I used to. Before the organic I was just eating tons of salads with avocado, chicken, and an egg.
Guess you’ll have to keep watching to find out.
p.s. One other thing that might even throw most people for a loop is my food is mostly from restaurants, never at home. Most would think that eating out would cause me to gain weight, not lose. My favorite is http://www.gustorganics.com I also drink more often whereas before I didn’t really drink, but once a month. Go figure……