Organic Foods and Allergic Diseases

I believe in the value of organic foods, because you are what you eat. I understand that the food that I eat has been processed in some way. I would just prefer the food to have as little unnecessary chemicals in it as possible. If I had my choice, I'd eat 100% organic foods. For currently approved pesticides, I can't offer scientific evidence that they are bad. Evidence may become available as it did for DDT. I do support the stance in the USA of being innocent until proven guilty. Thus I can't outright recommend organic foods. This is simply my personal opinion. This is what I tell people who ask me about whether or not I think organic foods are worth paying for. My goal is to increase the chances of a long and healthy life.

More and more studies show people have greater life expectancies with: modest-sized portions of meals, Mediterranean diet (raw & unsalted nuts, olive oil, lots of fruits and vegetables, fish, no red meat, red wine in moderation, whole grains), regular exercise, no smoking, maintaining social connections, ideal body weight, no drug abuse, avoiding occupations where there is uncontrolled exposure to chemicals, and higher education. So I advocate these to my patients.

Back to the main thread. Places in Greenville that you might shop for organic food include: your local grocery store (I know for sure Publix has an aisle set aside), Garner's, Earth Fare, and Whole Foods. I know there are other stores. I'm not trying to bias my report.

I had lunch at Earth Fare off Pelham Road today as a regular consumer. Service was average. Food was tasty and very fresh. The bread I selected was not available, so the chef opened a loaf of bread that I got to select. I drank some acai juice (more on this in a future blog entry). Compared to the prices I might have paid in a regular store, I estimated they were about 25% higher. In these times, that could be an issue. But it is for your health and that's what money is for, not IPODS or Blackberrys.

Back again to the main thread. Can organic foods decrease the chance of developing allergic diseases or help one gain control of allergic diseases? No to both.

Please feel free to make a comment or suggest other stores.