Photo 2014 copyright by Rochelle Lesser.
Boy was I taken back by a recently published article at Slate, "Organic Shmorganic", written by Melinda Wenner Moyer. Of course, why should I be surprised? No one wants to do the research and present all the facts. Just more journamalism.
But, what a great teaching moment for me since I run a foundation that funds research in comparative oncology (aids both people & companion animals) and cancer treatment for working dogs. I am all about health, of course, and constantly on the lookout for ways to educate.
The school psychologist in me knows that it is those irresistible photos of kittehs and puppies that draws folks in, so come past the orange doodad and meet my new Golden pupper sweetie, named for angel Gabriel, but really a devil in disguise. I just used this cutie to get my point across, posting the following to mine and my foundation's Facebook page.
My Gabriel is so predictable. He has way too much to say when he is hungry or over-tired and cranky ... just like a baby. That is when the bitey behavior comes out, the paper shredding, the attempted soft crate & cushioned mat destruction. Then he gets relegated to the metal crate with a bully stick & antler ... and nothing that can easily be destroyed. Yet, first a handful of tiny treats are thrown in so that he still thinks the crate is the cat's meow. It was just definitely one of "those" mornings lol.
I get the most wonderful behavior, though, whenever food is involved ... which has the bonus of making training so much fun. At mealtime, his West Coast Canine Life muffins (whole food home baked diet) are cut up into cubes and are used to work on fast recalls, sit, down, stay, wait, and for fun, give paw. For variety, I have bonus dessert sessions with some unique treats that I make as fun Hors d'oeuvres. It sure makes me feel good to provide The Kid with healthy, raw, grain-free, nutricious whole foods as treats.
My latest fun Hors d'oeuvres:
1. I buy organic strawberries for myself but cut off the top 1/3 of them which includes the greens to use for Gabriel. I cut them into smaller pieces and they are fabulous as treats.
2. I take a stalk of organic celery and spread either a little organic creamy peanut butter (peanuts only for ingredients) or mild creamy goat cheese (merely goat cheese as ingredient). According to Suzi Beber, goat cheese is so much easier on the digestive system (for both us and our dogs). Amazing how many treats you can make from one stalk of celery lol.
IMPORTANT NOTE: I use organic whenever I am dealing with the Environmental Working Group's "Dirty Dozen Plus", and yet am pleased that sometimes it is okay to go with conventionally grown produce, seen in the "Clean Fifteen". You can learn more about the Environmental Working Group's research here.
It was disturbing recently when I read an article online that claimed that there wasn't any discernable difference between organic and conventional foods (titled "Organic Shmorganic").
Are these pesticides harmful to your kids? As any toxicologist will tell you, it’s the dose that makes the poison. In other words, just because both conventional and organic produce are sometimes laced with pesticides doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re doing anyone any harm.
But, the Environmental Working Group was right on it,
providing this excellent response.
Moyer featured EWG’s “Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce” in her Slate piece, including critiques of it by pesticide industry consultants, but she didn’t bother to ask us for our take on the issue, or to speak to any scientists who do have serious concerns about the risks pesticides can pose to children.
In light of her omissions, mistakes and general lack of curiosity, Melinda Wenner Moyer’s article has to be seen for what it is – a cautionary example of a writer who dove headlong into an important and complicated subject without much effort to gather all the facts.