Health Benefits of Eating Organic Foods

Ever since I started being more discerning about what I put in my mouth, I have been reading food and nutrition labels. I am amazed at all of the added fat, salt and sugar that is added to processed foods. Two phrases that you need to watch out for are: Natural Flavors and High Fructose Corn Syrup. Processed foods are found in boxes, cans, and plastic wrappers. How can we avoid eating processed foods and keep ourselves from gaining weight?

When you walk into most grocery stores here in Santa Barbara, California, the store has a fresh fruit and vegetable section on one side of the store. Most stores have a baked goods section on the opposite end of the store from the produce section. The bakery is where you find your breads and cakes, pies, and donuts.

The middle section of the store is where you will find most of the processed foods. You will see aisles of boxed, canned and packaged foods in the middle of the store. Not all of the packaged foods are processed foods. Case in point is if you are just buying a bag of brown rice or black beans in a plastic wrapper. These foods are healthy for you as there is no added fat, sugar or salt.

Store layouts also have refrigerated sections that contain frozen foods. Many frozen foods are processed. The exception would be fruits and vegetables that are frozen at harvest time by the growers.

Have you ever noticed that the foods in the produce section have no nutritional labels on them? If we eat foods as grown, we will be healthier. Our body is not designed for all of the added flavors, fat, salt and sugars that food manufacturers add to the processed foods.

Genetically modified foods ( GMO ) have become a serious problem in our world. In an attempt to feed the exploding population, agricultural conglomerates have been experimenting with genetically modifying food for decades now. The health problems that result from eating GMO foods is that nutrients are no longer in many of our foods. Our bodies are starving for nutrition and the food is not supplying the required nutrients.

I buy organic produce as much as I can. The reason is that most organic food is not GMO food. I grew a large garden of organic fruits and vegetables every year in my backyard in Washington State when I lived there. Now that I live in Southern California and no longer grow a garden, I shop for organic foods from my local farmers markets and through a company that is based in Dufur, Oregon. I am going to share with you the statements that are made on a 5 pound package of their Organic Steel Cut Oats so you to can also learn about eating from healthy sources.

Azure Farm: Healthy Food from Healthy Soil

Why Organic?

Organic farming protects the water supply, enriches the soil, encourages biodiversity & helps reduce the toxic burden on our bodies and our planet.

Azure farm is located in the foothills east of Mt. Hood, Oregon. This dry-land wheat-farming country produces an abundance of soft white wheat and other grains. Azure Farm has been growing organically for over 40 years, and we use organic soil amendments that will actually improve our soil, and consequently improve the food itself. Organic foods are not genetically modified.

The Story of Azure Farm

In 1971, we changed from commercial farming practices to organic methods on our 2,000 acre dry-land wheat & cattle ranch. We then noticed an improvement in our family’s health.

For years, we sold our organic crops in bulk. Our contacts with other organic farmers have made it possible for us to offer many more organically grown products under the Azure Farm brand. ~The Stelzer Family~

The Unifine Process

In our special unifine mill the grain enters a high speed rotor and is instantly shattered into fine flour. Air goes through the rotor with the grain. This keeps the flour cool through the process, thereby retaining many nutrients destroyed by traditional milling methods.

Unifine flours also stay fresh longer because the oils are kept intact. Use unifine flours for exquisite, fine textured breads, and special treats!

Azure Farm All Organic Products Include:

• Beans
• Cereals
• Dry Milk Products
• Flours
• Grains
• Pancake & Baking Mixes
• Seeds
• Soup Mixes
• Sweeteners

You can check the Azure Farm website to see if you live near a drop point of their delivery trucks that make monthly deliveries to the Western part of the United States. The company also offers UPS shipping for other customers that may live outside of the companies scheduled delivery trips.