What is a natural organic product? These days the answer to that question has become a bit confusing. Although an organic product is "literally" natural, according to regulations on how the food is grown, processed and labeled, the terms, "all-natural" "natural," and "organic" mean three different things.
You, the consumer, should be aware of the differences between products that are labeled as "organic" and others that are labeled "natural." Organic food is obviously the healthiest and purest food for you to eat, but unfortunately many food companies try to fool you by labeling their products with the word(s)natural or all-natural so you think it is as healthy as organic food, when in fact it is not.
I am not saying that natural food is bad for you, it just is not as healthy as certified organic food. Pay attention to the qualifications listed below so you will know what makes a product organic, or natural.
In the production of organic foods:
* Toxic pesticides are not used * Soil fertility is maintained and replenished using natural methods such as crop rotation, fertilizer crops, composting etc. * Regular soil and nutrition analysis are done to test soil fertility and food quality * Natural methods of topsoil management are used to ensure minimal soil erosion * Organic farmers aim to preserve and protect natural wildlife, vegetation and water systems * Organic farmers are concerned about the loss of a variety of species * No genetically modified seeds are used * Organic growers collect seeds from the plants in order to preserve biodiversity
You will notice when you go food shopping that most organic food has a label on it that says it is a "certified organic product." Each state has an agency that monitors and certifies organic food growers and producers.
The organic farm fields and processing facilities are inspected, and detailed records are kept. Also periodic testing of the soil and water takes place to ensure that strict standards are being met.
Don't buy any organic food unless it is certified organic. If it is not certified it is more likely to be unsanitary or carry disease.
Natural products are similar to organic food in that they:
* Use minimally processed and do not contain artificial preservatives or additives * Use natural meats and are not typically given antibiotics, hormones, or any growth promoting products * In most cases do not use genetically modified products
Natural products differ, however, from organic products in that they are not inspected by an independent organization. Although they are usually healthier than regular processed food, there are no guarantees about the health quality of these products. This is the main concern with many natural products.
However, there are some supplement companies that do rigorous testing on their natural products to ensure their quality is equal to that of organic products. They are few and far between, but if it is a reputable natural health company they will usually provide critical information and the results of the independent testing right on the label.
Whatever you do, don't buy into the "all-natural" phrase. It is simply a loop hole the big food companies have found to fool you that their normal (very unhealthy, processed, food) is natural, when it is not. There is hardly anything natural about it and there isn't any regulation as to what that phrase entails so they can put on just about anything.
Pick up a product that claims to be "all-natural." Read the ingredients and see how "all-natural" it really is.
It is shocking that food companies can play with our health like this. The average consumer does not know the difference between "natural," "all-natural," and "organic."
So, as funny as it sounds there is really no such thing as a natural organic product because "natural" and "organic" have taken on two different meanings. If you are wondering why we have so much confusion over this issue, just thank the big food companies that have manipulated phrases and consumers so they can make more money by jumping on the organic bandwagon.
It's not always easy to find natural organic products for the person who has already gone organic, so you can imagine what type of hurdle that might be for those who are still only looking to go organic. Many people, despite their good intentions, will balk at having to buy their weekly grocery supplies from a health food or specialty store.
Over and above the prohibitive cost you would more than likely incur, is the ingrained dislike of anything that is even remotely thought of as good for you. This naturally enough stems for our childhoods when ?good? was almost literally shoved down our throats with the expectation that we would grow to like everything green and nasty tasting.
The funny thing is, that we do (to a very great extent ? there are a few exceptions!), but we would still readily enough cut off our noses to spite our faces and stay from our good resolutions to buy natural organic products if we had to find our way through a health food store.
Buying our natural organic products from our normal grocery store or supermarket almost makes it seem like a natural (if you will excuse the pun) exercise in grocery shopping. Sure our monthly grocery bill would go up, but we would still have the satisfaction of knowing that we purchased our natural organic products not from a health food store!
However, all of that notwithstanding, when you go to buy your natural organic products be it at the health food store, or the grocer's around the corner, there are a few things that you will want to look out for, and these involve the small matter of seals. Not the marine or the army variety, but the variety which involves a stamp or a certification of some sort.
The most commonly recognized of these seals is the USDA seal of organic certification. There are many such different seals for the numerous natural organic products, but it is best if you first learn about them. For instance even though an organic product might be USDA certified, it doesn't necessarily have to have 100% of organic products contained within its packaging.
In fact, unless it specifically states on the packaging that you are buying a 100% Organic product, you will most likely be getting natural organic products which have only 95% of organic produce or even only a minimum of natural organic products contained within it.
As mentioned earlier, the easiest way to tell the difference is by carefully looking at the packaging of the natural organic products that you are buying. ?100% Organic? will give you (not unnaturally enough) a hundred percent of organic produce in your products.
A simple ?Organic?, will yield over 95% of organic products in your foods, and the very misleading ?Made with Organic Products? will be the one to give you a minimum of only 70% of organic products found within the bounds of the packaging.
Both Brue Baker & Shabi are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Brue Baker has sinced written about articles on various topics from Food And Drink, Nutrition and Alternative Medicine. Brue M. Baker, is an expert on natural health and fitness who has helped people from all across the country sky-rocket their health and well-being. Rather than hitting your head against a wall trying every natural nutrition product out there, let Brue int. Brue Baker's top article generates over 49500 views. to your Favourites.
Shabi has sinced written about articles on various topics from Low Carb Diet, Health Insurance and Cure Anxiety. Author's Sites: , and. Shabi's top article generates over 14800 views. to your Favourites.