Organic+Article

[|When Children Go Organic] Written for the New York Times **
 * By CAROL KAESUK YOON

=What did you learn from the article "When Young Children Go Organic" ? =

We learned that it is almost impossible to avoid pesticides entirely. It is impossible because we rely on mass production of our food supply. Factory farms use fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides to make sure their crops are growing without any problems and make it safely to the supermarkets without too much loss. Also, plants produce some pesticides themselves to protect themselves from attack of pests and fungi. So, even if we eat organic fruits and vegetables we will ingest some traces of natural pesticides. I still think those natural pesticides are better and less harmful than chemicals like organophosphate which is really bad for you.**
 * The University of Washington did a study on children eating and drinking either conventional or organic produce and juice. Researchers recruited families after they left a Seattle food cooperative or retail chain supermarket. Families with children between the ages of 2-5 were selected and asked to keep diaries of foods their children were eating and also provide researchers with urine samples. By examining urine samples of the children only one sixth the level of pesticide byproducts were found in the urine of children who ate organically farmed foods compared to the urine samples from children eating conventional food treated with pesticides.

=**Food Without Fear** = [|by Dan Barber]
 * Staff writer for the New York Times **

After reading this article I sincerely believe that pasturing animals, fruits and vegetables may seem unhealthy but it's good for you in the long run. According to the article when you pasture chickens, they have 21% less fat, 20% less saturated fat, 50% more vitamin A and 34% less cholesterol. If you eat meat I feel that this is healthy for you because the chicken you eat has less harmful products and healthier vitamins. While reading about free range chickens I found out that their meat can inhibit heart disease and cancer. “Did you eat your fruits and vegetables?” is a famous phrase we usually hear out of our parent’s mouth. Me, being a child, I never stopped to think why eating those things would be beneficial towards my health. After reading this article I want to know why fruits and vegetable eating is healthy because if they are filled with chemicals how will they help me to be healthy. If my vegetables are not grown organically I refuse to eat them because I learned that harmful pesticides go into conventionally farmed vegetables.**
 * Response to Food Without Fear