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It all comes down to your diet
By Randy Buhler
Colorado State University Cooperative Extension
Logan County Agent (Agronomy)
We are at increasing risk for overall illness because of our diet. Our diet has a strong correlation to the development of degenerative diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, osteoarthritis and cancers. Masking this dietary induced health problem are the effective medical interventions developed during the last two decades. The result is a costly medical system necessary to sustain quality lives. This situation is now subject to political battles.
Diet means the total consumption of all food products over time. The selection and quantity of food products determines a diet's value for nutrition needs. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has developed and published on the Internet several food and nutrient databases that provide information about the quality of our food products.
The current concern is that our national diet is primarily composed of highly processed foods and additives. Over consumption of these food products can result in nutritionally deficit diets and excess caloric intake. A diet consisting of an abundance of raw and minimally processed food products can result in better nutritional value.
Enter the organic food concept into the discussion and it becomes overwhelmingly confusing. Claims of nutritionally superior food produced by organic methods versus conventional methods is a basic tenet of organic proponents. Because a price differential exists between the two methods, some unethical producers tried to cash in on a good thing. This resulted in the National Organic Program developed by the USDA. Food must meet the stringent requirements in order to get an organic label.
Be aware that organic pertains to how a food is grown or processed and does not say nor guarantee that the product is nutritionally superior (healthier) than conventional produced food. Organic production touts to produce food with lower levels of pesticide residue; lower levels of nitrate nitrogen; more beneficial phytochemicals such as carotenoids, vitamins, fatty acids, proanthocyanidins; and increased mineral content. Testing organic and conventional foods for these qualities results in finding a range of values that are not consistent and that overlap. This means finding the proof that organic food is better for you has not been accomplished, so far.
It seems as though the diet experts are always changing their minds about healthy eating.
The main messages about healthy eating are consistent. For example, the message to reduce the amount of fat we eat has been the same for more than 15 years. The message about the importance of eating plenty of fruit and vegetables is over 50 years old. When we hear contradictory messages about healthy eating, it is because the mass media report new scientific findings, often before verification of the research, and out of context with the purpose of the research.
We can evaluate claims of diet or food products being healthier by being skeptical. Ask if the diet has verified research published after peer review, or are the claims anecdotal. Be careful of obscure but official sounding publications. Some publications exist only to publish, without any peer review, whatever the author submits.
The Food and Nutrition Information Center (FNIC) of the National Agricultural Library is available on the Internet at Consider the FNIC as the reliable source of nutrition information. The new version of the national dietary guidelines will be available after January of 2005. It will provide the latest conventions for healthy food consumption for the next five years.
No doubt the organic versus conventional food arguments will continue. Because of the enormous natural variability in soil, plants, weather, and pests, finding consistent data from samples of either organic or conventional food products is difficult if not impossible.
Organic production methods do provide benefits by conserving natural resources and reducing environmental problems by reducing pollution of air, water, soil, and food. Agriculture is not a fixed process. Both organic and conventional production will undergo change and modification as research, government, environment, and business forces affect our current means of producing food.
Date: 10/20/04
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