202 the rice diet renewal
Consciously Constructing a Game Plan
Although few consumers yet realize that buying organic food is one
of the worthiest investments they can make for their health and the
planet ’ s recovery, the more I learn about our food supply, the more
convinced I am that this is so. We now have decades of good research
showing marked reductions in minerals, protein, and vitamins in
conventionally grown foods. While conventional farming ’ s profi t -
focused, yield - enhancing methods have created signifi cant declines
in the nutritional content of our foods, fortunately organic farmers
and researchers have shown that we can learn from our mistakes,
reverse these trends, and actually increase the nutrient content
of our crops and the health of our soil. In fact, Science magazine
published an article titled “ Soil Quality and Financial Performance
of Biodynamic and Conventional Farms in New Zealand, ” which
showed comparisons of sixteen adjacent farms and proved that
biodynamic farms not only produced superior soil but were also as
fi nancially viable as conventional farms. So it is possible to create
better soil, while being fi nancially rewarded and growing healthier
food. For the best reader - friendly summary of the organic versus
conventional farming research, please visit http://www.organic - center
.org/reportfi les/Yield_Density_Final.pdf.
In the resource section you will fi nd a practical guide on how
to buy and eat the best food possible ( “ Assessing the True Cost of
Your Food ” ), which is based on our program ’ s practices and speaks
louder than words; we believe that organic foods are safer and more
nutritious and worth the price. Serving the healthiest locally grown,
organic food refl ects the nutritional and spiritual truths we espouse.
How else could we teach with integrity than to walk our talk?
For those who are not yet convinced to buy primarily organic at
this time, it is of utmost importance to prioritize buying organic
where it matters most. The higher a food is on the food chain, the
more toxic and potentially unhealthy that food can be. Prioritize
your organic purchases to include meat and dairy and the following
fruits and vegetables. The domestically grown fruits and vegeta-
bles posing the greatest pesticide risk are cranberries, nectarines,