Does Going Organic Make You A Jerk? - I'm Just Sayin...

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Does Going Organic Make You A Jerk?

5/26/2012 12:38:03 PM

Have you decided to go organic? A new study indicates that eating organic may make you self righteous, selfish and self-centered. Has your decision to go green and eat organic turned you into a jerk? Find out how organic food might affect behavior.

Posted by: Dr. Dale Archer | Submit comment | Tell a friend

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5/26/2012 5:43:02 PM

I eat Organic as much as possible, and I have never met anyone who became a snob for their eating habits for it. To me Education is imperative for health survival. There is several professional studies that are linking pesticides to ADHD that Dr. Jordan S. Rubin N.M.D. PHD, and his book Patient Heal Thyself did a few years ago, and the Autism Epidemic, there is no clear cause, because of genetic involvement. Our entire environment and surroundings also play a clear role in our health. A few months ago I come across MaNithyaSudevi in facebook, twitter, youtube. Her abilities on education of Enlightenment, Health, Mediitation is phenominal. She speaks on a level for people to understand. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RfjtvT8ePQ&feature=plcp

5/26/2012 5:59:43 PM

Nothing wrong with eating organic, as long as you understand what it means and don't think everything with the words "organic" or "natural" on the label are necessarily good for you. Anything is technically organic if it is derived from elements on the earth, and for decades, the organic food stores have had varying degrees of conscience about buying anything labeled as such and inferring that it was somehow healthier. Same thing with "natural supplements," which aren't necessarily safe just because they have the word "natural" on them.

Of course, when looking for organic, we are hoping for pesticide free and more humane food. You want to shop for specific language, such as "cage free, grain fed," "hormone free" and "no pesticides or preservatives used in growing and processing" to at least be assured the food has some healthier qualities and hopefully was obtained in a more humane way.

A friend of mine worked at a well-known organic food chain at its very first store in Texas, and the amount of brainwashing she had been subjected to was unbelievable. They were touting the benefits of supplements which later proved dangerous and were selling anything with the key words on it with little regard (and probably little understanding) of what it meant or whether it had any health benefit to regular store food or not. I recently bought a bottle of conditioner at that same chain that actually GAVE me dandruff. I just threw it away last week. Natural isn't always better. I prefer my milk ultrapasturized, for example. But as long as one doesn't just read enough to be dangerous and, well, self-righteous, and truly educates themselves about it, certainly there are benefits, and it's nice to see it's a growing trend, which I believe will eventually be incorporated into all food stores and more carefully regulated.

This reminded me of one of my pet peeves. I love animals, and I would like to see the most humane handling of them possible, but I am not a vegetarian, and if my ancestors had been vegetarians, I would not be here. I think some people can be healthy vegetarians, but I'm not one of them. My pet peeve isn't vegetarians but those who think the answer is to stop ranchers from raising cattle for beef (or whatever the livestock is).

I was traveling with a label rep who was a total fanatic about this to Amarillo. He busted out crying as we passed a huge cattle ranch on the way to our client's offices and started going off about it. On the way back to the airport, I asked him what he thought would happen to the cattle if the lobbyists were successful in passing a law saying we were no longer able to slaughter animals for food. Of course, he envisioned a wild herd grazing peacefully on the range. I told him that cattle in the US would eventually become extinct if there was no reason for ranchers to feed them and raise them and that there was no free range left anywhere and that they couldn't make it on their own. I asked him if he'd read any of the articles about what happened to the emus after a bunch of people invested in emu farming and then it didn't take off, and animals were left starving and neglected. I'm not sure which is better, because we can't be sure about the afterlife, but these cattle wouldn't have any life at all if they were not being farmed for meat. They would go the way of the buffalo, with only a few sentimental rich folks keeping them for old time's sake. I am grateful every day that I am living in a time that I do not have to kill my own meat, and I support any regulation to make the farming and slaughter of farm animals as humane as possible. There's no easy answer.

5/27/2012 4:43:15 PM

What if someone is self centered and snob, without eating organic? Sounds exactly like me! :-)

6/4/2012 11:26:49 AM

How do you have the audacity to perpetuate such illiterate nonsense as to say that eating organic food is no better for the planet than eating McDonald's!?? That is the most twisted, commercially and economically corrupt lie I have ever heard.

McDonald's buys its meat from Tyson and Keystone Foods, which buys animals for brutal slaughter from the factory farm industry. Factory farms are responsible for the death of more than 58 BILLION animals per year, as well as more pollution than all of the world's transportation COMBINED!!! Not to mention the fact that toxic waste runoff from these facilities is one of the major contributors to water pollution, as well as food born illnesses like E. coli.

Even McDonald's admits on their own website that their beef "comes from cattle corn-fed". In case you didn't know, cattle are not meant to eat corn... they CANNOT digest it! These animals are forced to eat an unnatural and unhealthy diet because it's CHEAPER than what would be healthy for them, as well as the American public.

According to Science Daily, and based off the scientific research of 53 scholars, when cows are fed corn in the place of grass, "acid buildup can cause ulcers in animals consuming too much grain...Then what happens is that infectious bacteria come from the rumen through the ulcers, into blood, and finally into the liver, where they cause abscesses... Feed additives such as antibiotics can counteract such ailments, but they further alter the ruminal microbial ecosystem...Grains can accumulate in an animal's intestines
because they lack starch-digesting enzymes. Thus, a high-grain diet can promote an overgrowth of Clostridium perfringens, a bacterium associated with sudden death in feedlot cattle...Finally, grain-based diets can promote Escherichia coli (E. coli) within the digestive tract of cattle, and these E. coli are more likely to survive acid shocks that mimic the human gastric stomach. This discovery, first reported by Russell and colleagues in 1998 (Science, 11 September), has now been confirmed. Other USDA scientists have
likewise shown that cattle switched from grain-based diets to hay were less likely to shed harmful E. coli 0157:H7 in feces."

How is eating McDonald's no better for the environment than buying organic, grass-fed beef with no harmful antibiotics, pesticides, additives, hormones, chemicals, pain, etc??? NON-organically raised cattle in the US consume more antibiotics than humans do... and yet, because we're eating their flesh, our bodies (as well as our children's bodies) are subsequently building up resistances to antibiotics because they are being constantly ingested through animal flesh. If America switched to an organic diet, disease rates in humans, animals and plants would drop dramatically, and the environment would have a chance to heal!

I have spent YEARS researching the benefits on an organic diet over a conventional one. I am only 23, and I work at a minimum wage job and barely scrape by each month... and yet, I actually SAVE money by eating organic food because I NEVER get sick. I haven't had to take any antibiotics in over a decade.

Do the research before you make yourself look like a fool, or you're going to start losing listeners. Sorry for caring about the environment, the youth of America, and animals... I guess I'm just a "jerk".

6/4/2012 11:28:07 AM

Thank you for weighing in and giving credence to the study's results, Moon. In your zeal to attack anyone who disagrees with you, you’ve completely missed my point……or maybe you’ve proven it? I’ll agree with your last sentence. I open further discussion to the readers.

6/4/2012 11:29:16 AM

What kind of ridiculous news is People who eat Organic Food are bullies. Where did you get your degree? Who paid you to promote food with chemical films on them? Just be honest, what is the kickback for promoting that kind of crap? If you are so sure that chemical farming is so good for you then I would like to see you take a glass full of each and every chemical applied to our food source on live TV and prove to us that there is no harm done. I will bet my house that you would never do such a thing. People who are careful with their diet and food source do so because they not only care about themselves, but also about those around them. We are by no means bullies. We are caring, nurturing, progressive folks who care about the environment they live in. want to see this beautiful earth that we have been blessed with stay as pure and clean as the good Lord originallly gave it to us. Clean water is the very essense of life. The very first cells in the body are mostly water. The lovely home that a fetus is carried in throughout it's first 9 months is mostly water. Water is the root of all things good. If it is poisoned and polluted, it is harmful to the very life we are to preserve so preciously. Same with the soil we grow our food in. And food grown from a local source is far more nutritious and supports the local economy and small business people who farm. So get on board, if you care about your friends and loved ones, quit spouting such crap! You apparently don't care about folks around and close to you, but we do!

6/4/2012 11:35:41 AM

Patricia, you're missing the point of the article. Your response actually adds more weight to the study that provoked the discussion in the first place. My article has nothing to do with my feelings on organic foods, or the validity or health benefits of anyone who chooses to go organic. You are, like Moon, proving the point of the study, as you're both acting like jerks with your vehemence on full display. Wow!

6/4/2012 11:37:33 AM

On CNN you posted a story about buying Organic as being a snob. I can't really believe you think this. It's about doing right by our kids. Its about telling the food companies they do not control what we eat, we do. We will not buy Xanthan Gum fillers, we will not buy flouride water treated junk. They don't even make Ice Cream any more, it's all about what it takes to produce just enough to get us not to complain. It's a war and the food companies have more money. We will only win by not buying garbage. Get with the correct side is all I can say.

6/4/2012 11:39:48 AM

You're also missing the point, Greg -- don’t shoot the messanger. It's not about what you choose to eat or not eat. It's about how the choice adversely affects how you treat others. Like the way you are treating me right now. Take a deep breath -- it will be okay. And, by the way, the article is located on FOX, not CNN.

6/4/2012 11:42:15 AM

Don't really have a story but a big "thank you" for the piece on the "superior" organic, green, self-righteous folks that do let their (imagined) moral superiority spill over into their every day life...and look down their nose at us folks that just really don't like much that is green. I'm 71. What I eat isn't likely to increase or decrease my longevity a whole lot. But if you are around these folks they are always telling you how you are killing yourself with your processed foods. The latest craze is "Gluton-Free". I have one relative that has been advised by his doctor to eat gluton free food. His girlfriends daughter has a similar condition. But all of a sudden everyone is searching the aisles for foods with no glutons...yet we all lived a pretty long time eating them. I feel like walking into the supermarket that has gluton free foods in every department and saying I want to order a crate of glutons. There must be a lot of them around since they are taking all of them out of our food.

I intend to forward your comments to a number of friends that are "health-happy" and a pain in the ass.

6/4/2012 11:44:10 AM

Thanks, Larry. See the comments above for more input from “superior, self-righteous, organic, green folks”.

6/4/2012 11:46:33 AM

I just read your article, "Does eating organic food make you a jerk?" And I have to tell y ou, I *never* write anybody about anything I read on the Internet. But, boy, oh, boy, did it hit home with me!

I'm a cashier at a Publix supermarket in Gainesville, Florida, home of greenie tree-huggers galore. And, I have to tell you, your artile, and the study on which it was based, could not be closer to the truth.

Don't get me wrong. I care about my city, my planet. I recycle my paper, plastic, etc. I am conscious of my water and electricity useage. But you would not BELIEVE how arrogant, holier-than-thou, and self-righteous many of our "organic" customers are. We cashiers talk about them in the break room. People with their own reusable bags (which are often as filthy as their owners who, in the extra expense incurred in purchasing organic lettuce, apparently cannot afford soap) are far more likely to be uncivil and rude than the guy with a buggy full of frozen pizza, Pop Tarts, and beer.

I'd love to be able to afford organic food. I really would. There's no question that a glass of organic milk tastes better than the store brand. I'm not sure that mass-produced food is as bad as the greenies would have you believe, but I like the idea of organics. I like the idea of supporting a family farm. Unfortunately, I don't have that costly luxury. But the whole green/organic/I-drive-a-Prius-so-I-am-better-than-you thing is nothing short of a self-righteous cult.

I'd rather wait on the guy with the beer and Pop Tarts, thank you very much. At least he's not a militant phony.

6/4/2012 11:47:22 AM

BRAVO, Heather! You understood the message perfectly. I also, care about the planet, but the study is what it is…..though apparently many don’t like it.

6/4/2012 11:52:51 AM

I was introduced to The Rodale Institute in 1970. I have Organic Gardening and Farming magazines dating back to the 50's. I started composting and planting vegetables in 1974 when I bought my first house. I scour the net for heirloom seeds and save as I harvest. Home grown tomatoes, for instance, taste better than those red plastic balls sold at the grocery store. I have discovered that "organic" is the latest elitist snob buzz-word. Many products are advertised as "organic" when in fact they aren't. I avoid commercial organic products and don't advertise my preferences. People who know me have sampled my produce and are amazed at the difference. There are millions of us out there who live quietly and happily in our own little organic worlds and don't have to flaunt anything. Once the "organic fad" fades, again, we will still be here enjoying ourselves. In the meantime, the snobs are all yours.

6/4/2012 11:53:49 AM

Thank you for your insightful comments, David. You, also, get the message of my article and are part of the minority who have gone organic without losing understanding and decency.

Dennis Houseknecht

6/4/2012 11:55:55 AM

I loved the story about the study on organic food snobs. You confirmed something I long believed. I just kind of chuckle at them and let them pay the inflated prices for their "organic" this and that and let their heads swell as their wallets get thinner.

6/4/2012 11:56:09 AM

Thanks, Dennis.

Stuart Van Tine

6/4/2012 1:42:13 PM

Organic farming (according to reports) produces about 1/3 the harvest per acre than conventional farming. One could argue that for every organic consumer, two poor people must starve. Simplistic, but it's hard to refute. Also, with millions starving every year, and gasohol using 1/3 of our corn crop, US Govt forcing us to burn food in our cars is obscene. I drive a Lexus 400h hybrid SUV. Why? Because, with AWD, the two 700+ volt DC electric traction motors working along with the V6 allow me to walk away from Corvettes and 5-liter Mustangs at stop lights. My inner teenager lives. In that respect, I'm a jerk, I guess.

6/4/2012 1:42:45 PM

Leaving others behind at the stop light? I don't think that's being a jerk. Sometimes it's just fun to let the inner teenager come out. Mine is alive and well, also.

6/4/2012 1:50:45 PM

I just read your article about how buying organic can turn you into a jerk. I must say, I appreciate the article, as I'm sure you're getting flamed, probably by those who, well, buy organic. I wanted to compliment you.

I really liked the article. I think it was well written and interesting, and touched on something that I noticed but kind of put to the back of my mind -- that people who buy organic tend to, well, be jerks. Not only about food, but in other areas as well. I have found it doesn't seem to be just the buyers, either. Some magazines and other media are jumping on the bandwagon, implying if you don't buy organic, it's no good.

I consider myself a Christian, and it's nice to see this happens even from a secular point of view, i.e., not someone from a church or religious organization, and not a specifically Christian article. It certainly says something about human nature -- something I and many have noticed for years, but can't talk about because it makes us look like the jerks.

It's also nice to se a doctor writing this article and not a pundit or talking head. Not that they're wrong, but it just seems to have more push, like a scientist who believes in intelligent design. Thank you, and keep up the good work!

6/4/2012 1:51:44 PM

Thank you for your supportive words. I sincerely appreciate you taking time out to write. I also consider it an interesting concept.

Who would have thought that buying groceries by the way it's grown or raised could demonstrate a better-than-you status? How was anyone to guess that by buying pesticide free produce people would become self righteous? I'm all for eating healthy and wanting animals to be treated well and humanely, but that doesn't mean we have to become haughty and look down on everyone else.

Human nature is very interesting, and while I think we should care about our planet and the foods we eat, I also think attitudes should be checked at the door. The foods we purchase don't mean we care more or less, and it does not give us the right to become judgmental. Let's hope people come to their senses and realize consumers who promote a healthy environment and humane farming do so because it's the right thing to do, and doesn't give them a license to become snobs.

6/4/2012 3:00:30 PM

And yet, are we really sure if it says organic, that it really is? When I was a student I lived with a very snob landlady. She was 90 (yes 90) years old! Yet she wanted to eat organic every day. In order to live longer I guess! She would send me to the supermarket. But the one with organic was far away and I didnt want to lose time. Plus, we had a deal that we would share the cost of shopping, but I ended up as usual, out of kindness, paying for everything. So I thought, I have no obligation to buy the organic stuff. I went to the normal supermarket. Bought veg etc and emptied it all into my school bag. She never understood a thing! :-) And P.S. Please mind how you speak to dr. Archer. He has a brilliant mind. So brilliant, that it may be out of reach for some :-) Otherwise I can give you the address of my ex landlady. If she is still alive, she would still love to buy organic foods and would offer nice accomodation for a student :-)

6/5/2012 11:40:55 AM

Why, Marcia! Lying to a 90 year old little lady about her vegetables!?! One good thing: she kept her nice disposition and helped out a student in need.

6/5/2012 5:13:18 PM

Moon is just wrong about cows not liking corn. Corn is in nearly all grain feeds, and cows would eat as much of it as you'd let them. Can they digest it? To the same extent that you can digest the fiber from celery. You can't, and it just comes out the other end, but that doesn't mean it's not nutritious.

6/8/2012 5:54:28 PM

To be honest, I wanted to leave but out of courtesy I stayed one whole year.. And when I left, she could not find any other student to take my place.. Her daughter had dropped her and tried to load her onto a student. What will I do when I become an old lady? I wont even have kids who would be kind enough to throw me onto a student! :-)

6/9/2012 10:58:53 PM

Nope, she's right, Lola. Cow do not digest corn. Corn bulks up cattle quickly because their stomaches are built to ferment grass, not grain. Giving cattle corn instead of letting them graze on grass exposes them to countless illnesses, and this includes E. coli. Pumping the cattle with antibiotics will get rid of the E. coli. Return the cattle to pasture to eat grass, and antibiotics are no longer necessary.

6/10/2012 8:15:12 AM

This lovely little old lady always remembered her husband and cried when she remembered him.. Here is one good reason not to ever get married..

6/10/2012 1:31:51 PM

I am writing in regards to your recent article regarding eating organic and becoming a jerk. I am displeased at the lack of real research featured in the article. For health reasons, my family and I have recently started to eat only organic food. My husband has a condition that has baffled his doctors, and the only thing that seems to make a difference is to eat cleaner, healthier food and increase his vitamin intake.

During this journey, I have done my fair share of research into eating organic, even venturing to area farms to talk about the organic process. My first objection is to the nature of the study, which I realize was not in the hands of Dr. Archer. Only illustrating organic produce is to give a false idea of the wide variety of organic food.

I would argue that if a person were shown a piece of lettuce, a brownie and a bowl of rice, regardless of any of them being organic, the outcome could be similar. Brownies make people happy. Happier people will be more forgiving and more giving. But that's true across the board regardless of food choices. Here's the kicker; a person can have organic comfort food. In this study, where would food like that fall?

I'm not attempting to attack the study done by Dr. Erskine. I am happy that studies are done worldwide in human behavior and human nature; it will help us all to understand each other a bit more. However, I disagree with those who would take this study and make huge claims with it.

To generalize about people who make certain life choices is a dangerous thing. People simply can't be lumped together! To do so is to be ignorant of the diverse nature and journeys of mankind. I feel you this in your article. Firstly, you take Dr. Erskine's study and translate observed behaviors into a harsh and demeaning word -- jerk.

Secondly, you state people are buying organic food to be a part of the "in" thing. Granted, many people are doing it for that exact reason. However, many others are doing it for reasons which are important and legitimate. You state organic farmers don't use conventional methods, and that is correct. To be certified organic, farms have to adhere to strict rules and seemingly never ending paper work. They are not subsidized by the government, hence the inflated prices.

Finally, this sentence. "when folks start shopping and eating organic, a self-righteous change begins", is the exact kind of generalization I mentioned above. There are no words such as "some" or "many" to acknowledge that not all people start to become self-righteous, only a blanket statement to cover many people based on...what, exactly? Surely this claim and the sentences following it can't be made based solely on the study.

As I was only able to read the abstract due to the fact that the full study was only available if I paid for it, I realize Dr. Erskine could very well have given you these statements in the paper itself. However, the nature of the abstract and Dr. Erskine's usage of words such as "may" and "suggest" lead me to believe that you have made claims he did all on his own.

No person is better or smarter than any other person. Everyone has something to offer in some way. However, it is indeed smart to eat organic. It is smart because it is healthier, the proof is in the pudding, be it organic or otherwise. Also, it does help the planet. And if you are doing your part in whatever way you can to improve the lives of those around you by trying to make better choices for the earth as a whole, then yes, you are making a difference.

If you would have done more research on this topic, you would have found the passion organic farmers have for producing the best product they can for their customers is one that can't be matched and certainly does not arise from a feeling of superiority. The overall feeling of this article is arrogant and self-righteous. It's poorly researched and I feel you might have been attacked by an angry mob of organic celery due to the tone. It's as if you, yourself, look down on those who are trying to make a healthier lifestyle choice. Interesting. Isn't that what you are accusing the organic shoppers of doing? Isn't that what you claim makes them a jerk?

6/10/2012 1:41:00 PM

You're right, Sarah--studies like this help us understand each other, but also ourselves. This study is a hot topic with behaviorists and it is what it is. It's not to question the health benefits of going organic or the passion organic farmers have for their product. It's to challenge the consumer who chooses to go organic -- are they still polite and respectful, or rude and demeaning with those who disagree with them?

Bottom line: do what's right for you. Eat as healthy as possible, but remain kind, nonjudgmental and respectful to others. I don't believe that's asking too much.

6/10/2012 1:46:21 PM

But think of all the wonderful memories she would have missed out on, Marcia. Life will always come with ups and downs; that can never be escaped.

6/10/2012 4:19:51 PM

I'm sure you'll have many students who enjoy your winning, positive personality, Marcia. You tend to see the goodness in everyone.

6/11/2012 5:12:35 PM

Grain typically comes with a lot of different ingredients, like oats, and also has corn, but grain is only used when there's no grass or rich enough hay, or as a supplement to hay in winter. I live in Texas and grew up in Oklahoma, and never heard of any rancher force-feeding corn or any other grain, so it's certainly not common practice! All you have to do is get in the car and drive around here, and it's cows grazing on grass in every pasture. If cows couldn't graze on grass and always had to be grain-fed, it wouldn't even be practical to raise them for profit.

6/17/2012 5:06:42 AM

Goodness is all I want to see. Because sooner or later, everyone will have a soothing side in their character. And this is the reason and end of why we are made (at all). God out of goodness, created us all.. And what can we offer back in exchange?

7/20/2012 1:42:37 PM

I can't help to stop thinking about the memories of that 'little old lady'.. As you said, although she cried often, remembering her husband, at least she had something to remember, what she lived for. I suddenly realised, the last 2 years that I have (probably intentionally) been alone, I dont know where they went. I have nothing to remember in the last 2 years. Like, they passed in an instant! But I remember vividly the year I was with my ex fiance, as if it was 5 years. Seeing 2 whole years being 'missing' from my memory, is astonishing. What do you think? That could be a seperate blog..

8/14/2012 2:14:49 PM

Or is it that I remember strongly 'that' year, so any further years will have to go unnoticed? That will be sad!

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