Organic Foods

The topic I chose to do my search on was Organic Foods. Recently, I've been more interested in the benefits of organic foods and basically, what is qualified as "organic" by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). According to an article on How Stuff Works, foods labeled as organic, defined by how it cannot be made rather than how it can be made, must be produced without the use of sewer-sludge fertilizers, most synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, genetic engineering (biotechnology), growth hormones, irradiation and antibiotics.
Help Guide lists four ways in which organic foods are healthier for our bodies and the environment:

1. Have more nutritional value. Organic foods contain higher levels of vitamin C, calcium, magnesium, iron.
2. Contain more antioxidants. Food scientists at the University of California, Davis, found that organically grown fruits and vegetables show significantly higher levels of cancer-fighting antioxidants than conventionally grown foods. Pesticides and herbicides reduce the production of phenolics—chemicals that act as a plant's natural defense and are also good for human health. Organic fertilizers, however, appear to boost the levels of these anti-cancer compounds.
3. Promote biodiversity. According to a study called The Biodiversity Benefits of Organic Farming, "organic farms had five times as many wild plants and 57% more species." The organic farms also had more birds, spiders, and non-pest butterflies than non-organic farms.
4. Protect the next generation. As explained above, the effects of pesticides and other harmful additives to children are especially acute. Most children today are born with pesticide build-up in their bodies. Feeding your children organic foods and teaching them about the health benefits of organics will promote their good health and well being as well as that of generations to come.

How to read the labels:

• If it is labeled 100% organic, then it must only be made with organic ingredients.
• Foods labeled simply as "organic" must be made with at least 95% organic ingredients.
• Foods grown and processed by the federal standards usually have the label, "USDA Organic" on it. (This label is voluntary)

One thing I was always curious about was why healthy or organic foods cost way more than the conventionally farmed or processed foods. The things the contribute to the higher cost of organic foods are:

• The organic food supply is limited as compared to demand.
• Production costs for organic foods are typically higher because of greater labor input and because farmers don't produce enough of a single product to lower the overall cost.
• Post-harvest handling of relatively small quantities of organic foods results in higher costs because organic and conventional produce must be separated for processing and transportation.
• Marketing and the distribution chain for organic products are relatively inefficient, and costs are higher because of relatively small volumes.

Overall, I think that consuming organic products are worth it. If you think about how preservatives can extend the shelf life of a certain food, think about what it will be doing sitting in your body.

What I've learned about search
I have learned a lot about the search operators. Although it may take some getting use to, I think the operators will help a great deal in future research or in the classroom. What I found most helpful was the + operator, the ~ operator, and the fact that Google will ignore single digit numbers. To prevent google from ignoring single digit numbers, I can use the + operator because that allows me to search the exact word or phrase I am looking for. The ~ operator allows me to to search for synonyms. That would be helpful when I'm searching for something that can be referenced with different names or wording.