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Home › Articles › Feeding Baby › Organic Options

Organic Options

Natural Alternatives for Baby

By Nancy Vondrak

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It seems like every year, we vow to begin living a healthier lifestyle. Buying organic products for our children, as well as for ourselves, can be a first step toward making that healthy lifestyle a reality. Parents need to be educated consumers to know what organic baby products are available and where to purchase them.

Buying Organic – What and Why
Organic products have been around long enough to make the term "organic" more than just a trendy buzzword. In the simplest sense, organic refers to products made with crops that are grown without using chemicals on the soil, on plants or on the harvested products.

The federal government set out to create a national standard for organic food certification in 1990 with the Organic Food Production Act. Though the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) was established as a result, there is still no single industry-wide standard for organic production. Today, more than 6,000 farmers and 800 handlers are certified by one of 33 private or 11 state agencies, and more than 2.5 million American families regularly choose to buy organic products.

Experts see organic farming as a health, social and environmental issue. The absence of agricultural chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and fertilizers makes organically-grown crops healthier for those who use them as well as for those who grow them – and also for our planet.

"Standard farming methods deplete the soil of nutrients. Organic methods build nutrients in the soil," says Jim Toth, president of Northern Ohio Windstar, a non-profit organization that promotes holistic health and environmental awareness.

The World of Organic Foods
Because of the health and environmental benefits, Toth and his wife, Dr. Ana Hirsch, consume only organic produce. "We want the optimum nutrition and the minimum amount of toxins so we choose organic foods," Toth says.

In addition to increased nutritional value, organic foods and juices tend to be more flavorful and can prevent health problems caused by toxic chemicals. "Parents should be aware that children are much more susceptible to toxins than adults are," says Toth. "Because they are growing they are at greater risk that these toxins can disrupt their hormone and endocrine systems."


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