Organic” versus “All Natural” Food Explained

Advancements in food production and processing technologies over the last half of the twentieth century were designed to maximize crop yields, improve the quality of food and extend the shelf life of various foods. It is only over the past few decades that the long term negative impact of certain fertilizers, pesticides, and food preservatives and additives have had on health and diet has come to light.

As a result of these revelations consumers have been demanding foods which are grown or produced free of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and free of added preservatives and other harmful additives. This has given rise to two new categories of food which are rapidly rising in popularity – “Organic” and “All Natural”.

Consumers looking for these categories of food should keep in mind the distinction between these two “labels”:

Organic

Organic relates most specifically to how the food is grown or produced. It means that the organic food is farmed, grown, or otherwise produced in a way that encourages soil and water conservation, reduces pollution, and uses non-chemical fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides.

The FDA has created a system for identifying foods which are able to carry the USDA  “organic” label. When you see the “Organic” label it means that it is 100% organic and is made with 100% organic ingredients. When organic foods are identified as just “organic”  it means that the product is at least 95% organic ingredients and may carry the USDA label. If a product says it is “Made with organic ingredients” it must contain at least 70% organic ingredients and may not use the organic label.

All Natural

The labeling of any product as “all natural” should convey that the product does not contain any added color, artificial flavors, or synthetic substances. Also referred to as “lightly” processed food, these foods should contain natural sugars, minimal salt, and no preservatives.

There is currently no government designation or label which designates food as “natural” or “all natural”. Food labels, however, are required to list the ingredients of each food item in descending order of percentage of the ingredient in the food. Be sure to review food labels if you have any questions.

Sugars: Breaking Down the Good from the Bad

From the dawn of mankind on planet earth, human beings have had a natural need and attraction to foods with either a natural or added sweetness. And for many generations, that sweet quality was mostly derived from sugars inherent in such foods sources as fruit and vegetables. It is only in the past century that sugar, and its derivatives, have been showing up in many of the processed foods we have added to our diets in significant enough quantities to directly impact the quality of life for many in the developed world.

Glucose

Glucose occurs naturally in many of the carbohydrates we consume. Our digestive system breaks down the glucose from the longer chain of molecules before we can use it in our bodies. Once it is broken down, glucose enters the blood stream and insulin transports it to all the cells in the body in need of immediate energy. Excess glucose is stored in the liver and muscles in the form of glycogen which acts to sustain energy needs between meals and over night. Any excess glucose left in the body after glycogen formation is converted to fat and stored in fat cells in your body.

Fructose

Fructose is essentially fruit sugar which occurs naturally in foods in lower amounts.  Because fructose occurs in smaller amounts, the human body did not develop a system to harness its energy efficiently. As a result, excess fructose which has been added to the modern diet in many processed foods is converted by the liver into fat and stored in your liver. If there is a consistent enough excess of table sugar or high fructose corn syrup in sodas and other artificially sweetened processed food the fat that accumulates in the liver and overtakes it, making it the primary contributor to fatty liver disease. Some high fructose corn syrups have been shown to contain 56% to 92% fructose.

The key point of this comparison is that too much fructose is not desirable. Too much sugar in the blood is toxic to the human body. The insulin in our body is designed to avoid hypoglycemia (high blood sugar) by rapidly transforming excess sugar into fat. Looking at the rise of obesity and diabetes cases in our society it’s not hard to see the connection that unbridled consumption of sugars is having on the quality of life for more and more people.

O’Meagher Farms promotes healthier eating by offering a variety of tasty, all natural foods (which are plant-based) on its website. Please visit us at http://www.omeagherfarms.com.