By TARA PARKER-POPE
New York Times -
Published: December 1, 2008

Fruits, vegetables and animals can be 100 percent organic. What about
people?
In a fascinating experiment — on himself — Dr. Alan Greene, a
pediatrician and author in Danville, Calif., decided to find out. For
the last three years, Dr. Greene has eaten nothing but organic foods,
whether he’s cooking at home, dining out or snacking on the road.
He chose three years as a goal because that was the amount of time it
took to have a breeding animal certified organic by the Department of
Agriculture. While food growers comply with organic regulations every
day, Dr. Greene wondered whether a person could meet the same
standards.
It hasn’t been easy.

"This isn’t a way of eating I could recommend to anybody else because
it’s so far off the beaten food grid," said Dr. Greene, 49, the
founder of a popular Web site about children’s health, drgreene.com.
"It was much more challenging than I thought it would be, and I
thought it would be tough. There were definitely days where there was
nothing I could find that was organic."
Other writers have ventured off the traditional food grid, notably
Barbara Kingsolver in "Animal, Vegetable, Mineral" and Michael Pollan
in "The Omnivore’s Dilemma." But what makes Dr. Greene’s experiment
remarkable is the length of time he devoted to it, and his effort to
incorporate organic eating into the routines of everyday living. His
findings offer new insight into the challenges facing the organic food
industry and those of us who want to patronize it.
Organic farmers don’t use conventional methods to fertilize the soil,
control weeds and pests, or prevent disease in livestock.

Organic methods often lead to higher costs, and consumers can pay
twice as much for organic foods as for conventional products. Last
week, the financial advice Web site SmartMoney.com reported that to
feed eight people an organic meal of traditional Thanksgiving foods, a
shopper would pay $295.36 — a premium of $126.35, or 75 percent, over
a nonorganic holiday spread.
To cut back on the cost of an organic diet, Dr. Greene said he had to
cut back on meat. "Whenever you go up the food chain, the costs pile
up," he said. "If you don’t eat meat at every meal, if meat becomes
more of a side dish than a centerpiece, you can fill the plate with
healthy organic food for about the same price."

Questions remain about whether organic foods are really better for
you. The data are mixed. This fall, researchers from the University of
Copenhagen reported on a two-year experiment in which they grew
carrots, kale, peas, potatoes and apples using both organic and
conventional growing methods. The researchers found that the growing
methods made no difference in the nutrients in the crops or the levels
of nutrients retained by rats that ate them, according to the study,
published in The Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture.

But other research suggests that organic foods do contain more of
certain nutrients — almost twice as many, in the case of organic
tomatoes studied for a 2007 report in The Journal of Agricultural and
Food Chemistry.

Dr. Greene said he was inspired to go all-organic after talking to a
dairy farmer who noted that livestock got sick less after a switch to
organic practices. He wondered if becoming 100 percent organic might
improve his own health.

Three years later, he says he has more energy and wakes up earlier. As
a pediatrician regularly exposed to sick children, he was accustomed
to several illnesses a year. Now, he says, he is rarely ill. His urine
is a brighter yellow, a sign that he is ingesting more vitamins and
nutrients.
At home, he said, the organic routine was relatively easy. Organic
food is widely available, not just at stores like Whole Foods but at
traditional supermarkets. He also shopped at farmer’s markets and
joined a local community-supported agriculture group, or C.S.A.
Because he bought less meat, the costs tended to balance out. And his
family (two of his four children still live at home) largely went
along with the experiment.

On the road, though, life was more challenging. In corporate
cafeterias and convenience stores, he looked for stickers that began
with the number 9 to signify organic; stickers on conventionally grown
produce begin with 4.

When dining out, he called ahead; high-end restaurants were willing to
accommodate his all-organic request. He also found a few lines of
organic backpacking food that he could carry with him.

Dr. Greene reached the three-year milestone in October, but his diet
is still organic. He hasn’t decided whether to keep going full tilt or
to ease up in the interest of cost and convenience. In his latest
book, "Raising Baby Green: The Earth-Friendly Guide to Pregnancy,
Childbirth and Baby Care" (Jossey-Bass), he advocates a "strategic"
approach, urging parents to insist on organic versions of a few main
foods, like milk, potatoes, apples and baby food.

The biggest surprise of the whole experience, he says, was that many
people still don’t know what "organic" means.

"It’s surprising to me how few people know that organic means without
pesticides, antibiotics or hormones," he said. "In stores or
restaurants around the country, I would ask, ‘Do you have anything
organic?’ Half the time they would say, ‘Do you mean vegetarian?’ "

On Dec 2, 1:25*pm, Tim Campbell > wrote:
> By TARA PARKER-POPE
> New York Times -
> Published: December 1, 2008
>
> Fruits, vegetables and animals can be 100 percent organic. What about
> people?
> In a fascinating experiment — on himself — Dr. Alan Greene, a
> pediatrician and author in Danville, Calif., decided to find out. For
> the last three years, Dr. Greene has eaten nothing but organic foods,
> whether he’s cooking at home, dining out or snacking on the road.
> He chose three years as a goal because that was the amount of time it
> took to have a breeding animal certified organic by the Department of
> Agriculture. While food growers comply with organic regulations every
> day, Dr. Greene wondered whether a person could meet the same
> standards.
> It hasn’t been easy.
>
> "This isn’t a way of eating I could recommend to anybody else because
> it’s so far off the beaten food grid," said Dr. Greene, 49, the
> founder of a popular Web site about children’s health, drgreene.com.
> "It was much more challenging than I thought it would be, and I
> thought it would be tough. There were definitely days where there was
> nothing I could find that was organic."
> Other writers have ventured off the traditional food grid, notably
> Barbara Kingsolver in "Animal, Vegetable, Mineral" and Michael Pollan
> in "The Omnivore’s Dilemma." But what makes Dr. Greene’s experiment
> remarkable is the length of time he devoted to it, and his effort to
> incorporate organic eating into the routines of everyday living. His
> findings offer new insight into the challenges facing the organic food
> industry and those of us who want to patronize it.
> Organic farmers don’t use conventional methods to fertilize the soil,
> control weeds and pests, or prevent disease in livestock.
>
> Organic methods often lead to higher costs, and consumers can pay
> twice as much for organic foods as for conventional products. Last
> week, the financial advice Web site SmartMoney.com reported that to
> feed eight people an organic meal of traditional Thanksgiving foods, a
> shopper would pay $295.36 — a premium of $126.35, or 75 percent, over
> a nonorganic holiday spread.
> To cut back on the cost of an organic diet, Dr. Greene said he had to
> cut back on meat. "Whenever you go up the food chain, the costs pile
> up," he said. "If you don’t eat meat at every meal, if meat becomes
> more of a side dish than a centerpiece, you can fill the plate with
> healthy organic food for about the same price."
>
> Questions remain about whether organic foods are really better for
> you. The data are mixed. This fall, researchers from the University of
> Copenhagen reported on a two-year experiment in which they grew
> carrots, kale, peas, potatoes and apples using both organic and
> conventional growing methods. The researchers found that the growing
> methods made no difference in the nutrients in the crops or the levels
> of nutrients retained by rats that ate them, according to the study,
> published in The Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture.
>
> But other research suggests that organic foods do contain more of
> certain nutrients — almost twice as many, in the case of organic
> tomatoes studied for a 2007 report in The Journal of Agricultural and
> Food Chemistry.
>
> Dr. Greene said he was inspired to go all-organic after talking to a
> dairy farmer who noted that livestock got sick less after a switch to
> organic practices. He wondered if becoming 100 percent organic might
> improve his own health.
>
> Three years later, he says he has more energy and wakes up earlier. As
> a pediatrician regularly exposed to sick children, he was accustomed
> to several illnesses a year. Now, he says, he is rarely ill. His urine
> is a brighter yellow, a sign that he is ingesting more vitamins and
> nutrients.
> At home, he said, the organic routine was relatively easy. Organic
> food is widely available, not just at stores like Whole Foods but at
> traditional supermarkets. He also shopped at farmer’s markets and
> joined a local community-supported agriculture group, or C.S.A.
> Because he bought less meat, the costs tended to balance out. And his
> family (two of his four children still live at home) largely went
> along with the experiment.
>
> On the road, though, life was more challenging. In corporate
> cafeterias and convenience stores, he looked for stickers that began
> with the number 9 to signify organic; stickers on conventionally grown
> produce begin with 4.
>
> When dining out, he called ahead; high-end restaurants were willing to
> accommodate his all-organic request. He also found a few lines of
> organic backpacking food that he could carry with him.
>
> Dr. Greene reached the three-year milestone in October, but his diet
> is still organic. He hasn’t decided whether to keep going full tilt or
> to ease up in the interest of cost and convenience. In his latest
> book, "Raising Baby Green: The Earth-Friendly Guide to Pregnancy,
> Childbirth and Baby Care" (Jossey-Bass), he advocates a "strategic"
> approach, urging parents to insist on organic versions of a few main
> foods, like milk, potatoes, apples and baby food.
>
> The biggest surprise of the whole experience, he says, was that many
> people still don’t know what "organic" means.
>
> "It’s surprising to me how few people know that organic means without
> pesticides, antibiotics or hormones," he said. "In stores or
> restaurants around the country, I would ask, ‘Do you have anything
> organic?’ Half the time they would say, ‘Do you mean vegetarian?’ "
>

Yes. I am sure a pediatrician can afford to eat organic for three
years. And to eat in high end restaurants. I usually buy organic
carrots because I eat them raw and I can tell the difference in
taste. But I am not feeding a family. There is a book out there
whose name escapes me. It was written by a guy who inherited a farm
( he's a writer). His avocation is growing tomatoes and a few other
vegetables for restaurant customers. In his book he describes his
desire to grow 100% organic but the difficulties to him were
insurmountable. He tries his best to keep things as "green" as
possible but sometimes the weeds and critters just win unless he takes
ungreen measures.

I don't even like to eat waxed fruit and vegetables but I do not know
where to go in my area for unwaxed produce. It is better that the
population be fed than that prohibitive prices for organic food
prevent people from getting enough calories for a healthy life. Money
isn't everything but it sure comes in handy if you want to eat the
best diet.

Dolores