Can Organic Food Make You Fat?

What is organic? The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has established an organic certification program that requires all organic foods to meet strict government standards. These standards regulate how such foods are grown, handled and processed. Any farmer or food manufacturer who labels and sells a product as organic must be USDA certified as meeting these standards. Only producers who sell less than $5,000 a year in organic foods are exempt from this certification; however, they must follow the same government standards to label their foods as organic. If a food bears a USDA Organic label, it means it's produced and processed according to the USDA standards and that at least 95 percent of the food's ingredients are organically produced. The seal is voluntary, but many organic producers use it.

Products that are completely organic — such as fruits, vegetables, eggs or other single-ingredient foods — are labeled 100 percent organic and can carry a small USDA seal. Foods that have more than one ingredient, such as breakfast cereal, can use the USDA organic seal or the following wording on their package labels, depending on the number of organic ingredients: 100 percent organic. Products that are completely organic or made of all organic ingredients. Organic. Products that are at least 95 percent organic. Made with organic ingredients. These are products that contain at least 70 percent organic ingredients. The organic seal can't be used on these packages.

Foods containing less than 70 percent organic ingredients can't use the organic seal or the word "organic" on their product label. They can include the organic items in their ingredient list, however. You may see other terms on food labels, such as "all-natural," "free-range" or "hormone-free." These descriptions may be important to you, but don't confuse them with the term "organic." Only those foods that are grown and processed according to USDA organic standards can be labeled organic.

Eating organic is a popular topic in the health and fitness circles. Eating organic is touted to be the way to go. I advocate eating organic whenever possible. But does eating organic promise to keep you lean? The answer is no! If you eat improperly, it doesn't matter how organic the food is. You will get fat regardless. There is a misconception that if it's organic, it's good for you and you won't gain weight. If you make a cake with all organic ingredients- you are still eating a cake and you will still become a Jabba The Hut look-a-like. So it's about eating the right types of food in the right amount at the right times.

And yes, when you eat right, you want to have as much of your food organic as possible. But make no mistake about it, organic carbs are still carbs, organic sugar is still sugar and whether you eat organic or not, you can and will get fat doing the wrong thing and eating the wrong stuff. So keep it real and use organic foods when you can but make the right choices and follow the basic nutrition principles. Don't let the term organic let you become fat.

Eric
Dempsey's Resolution Fitness