Reader Question: "What foods are the most important to eat organic?"

An excellent question and let me say, you aren't the only one confused about this! First let’s clear up some misconceptions about what organic is and isn’t. What exactly does “organic” mean anyway? According to the USDA National Organic Program website, “organically grown” means the food was grown and processed without any synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. However, this doesn’t exclude fertilizers or pesticides that are naturally derived, so, this doesn’t mean the foods were never sprayed with anything. Currently “organic” also means no sewage sludge, irradiation or genetic modification can be used in the production of the food or ingredient (whew!).

As of 2002 there are three sub-designations that are important to know about: “100% organic”, “organic” and “made with organic ingredients”. The “100% organic” designation is the only one that is just that. All the ingredients must be certified organic. In the case of “organic”, all agricultural ingredients must be certified organic except where a special “National List” allows them not to be. These non-organic ingredients can’t make up more than 5% of the total (not counting water and salt). In the case of “made with organic ingredients”, at least 70% of the finished product has to be certified organic (not counting water and salt). Any other ingredients that are not required to be organic on the National List can’t be produced but “excluded methods” (another special list).

Tricky? You bet! Political? Absolutely! Consumer friendly? Nope. That said, it’s still a good idea to eat as organically as you can afford to for your long-term health and the overall health of our interlinked ecosystems. But, what do you do when you can’t afford to eat all organically all the time? Here are a few simple things to keep in mind. First, the lower on the food chain you eat, the less intensely concentrated these toxins become before you consume them. As you move farther away from the original interaction between dirt, seed, sun and rain (ex: chard > beetle > chicken > egg; or grass > cow > milk > butter) the more the toxic residues from fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, hormones, antibiotics, and more become, so as the human at the top, you ingest much higher quantities via eggs or butter than you do via chard or oats. Spend your hard earned cash on organic butter (and other dairy), meats, poultry, and eggs. Breathe a little easier about whole grains, most veggies and most fruits. For a really good list of the top most contaminated and the top cleanest conventionally grown fruits and veggies, get the Environmental Working Group’s “Dirty Dozen” and “Clean 15” lists. They even have an ap for your phone so you have it with you when you grocery shop. For starters, only buy organic apples and spinach, but don’t worry so much about broccoli or avocados.

Lastly, when you start reducing "food products" with lots of ingredients on the labels and start eating more whole foods, you eliminate places where toxins can easily get hidden. Keep it REAL! Bon appetite!

(also published on the Patch.com)

Sleepless in Southern Oregon

Every now and then I am hit with a night where sleep is beyond elusive, it's playing hookie somewhere and hasn't even bothered to text. This seems to happen when there is a perfect storm of triggers that let sleep off the hook for a night. For me these elements often include: a new or unfamiliar place (can even be a different room in a familiar house); new or unfamiliar sounds in the environment; too much caffeine after 3pm; getting really physically exhausted and then getting the mind engaged in something fascinating right before normal bed time; having a meal out that has MSG in it and finding out after it's too late; being on my cycle; and full moons. All but the last applied last night. Once the cycle of non-sleep begins, there seems to be little I can do to stop it without a little help, so I got up after tossing and turning until 2am and worked until about 4am and finally dozed off somewhere around 4:30. I would have tried my battery of sleep aids if I had been at home. These helpers don't include any pharmaceuticals and can work miracles. Since this issue is something a good number of my clients experience, I thought I'd post some ideas here that you my not have thought of or tried before.

Melatonin: Many of you have probably heard of or even tried melatonin which is a naturally occurring hormone that is in charge of inducing normal sleep. It works wonders for me especially when changing time zones. The best thing to do in that instance is to take 3mg (+/-) about 20 minutes before you would like to be asleep in the new time zone, and then go to bed as if you are there. I do this when I'm on the plane unless I have to change planes in the middle of the night somewhere.

Wood Betony: A simple tincture of this herb is used for other things more often, but a little known use that works for me is to get "the list maker" to be quite. You know the one, that little voice that pops into your head and says "oh, and when you wake up, don't forget to put that bill to be mailed in your briefcase" and then just as you're about to slide into blissful unconsciousness, "oh, and remember that tomorrow is Aunt Susie's birthday"... About 30 drops of Wood Betony can help get the volume turned down.

Chamomile (and/or Valerian) and Oat Bath: Get some cheese cloth and make a simple mesh bag about 6"x6". Fill it with chamomile flowers and rolled oats. Bring about a quart of water to a boil and pour over the bag and steep while drawing a hot bath. Pour the "tea" and the "tea bag" straight into the tub. Climb in and soak until you are really toasty. You can use the "tea bag" as a scrubby if you like. Towel off but be sure to stay warm and dive under the covers.

Turkey: If you find you are a wee bit hungry, have a slice or two of uncured turkey meat (dark is better). Turkey is high in the amino acid tryptophan which is the precursor to the neurotransmitter serotonin. This neurotransmitter is responsible for that "ahhh" feeling of relaxation. It is one of the main reasons why people go into a dozy food coma after Thanksgiving!

Reduce Exposure to Glowing Screens: It has been shown recently that the screens that shine light at you like TVs, computers, and hand helds, have the power to reset your internal clock. Reflected light, like that bouncing off a page in a book, doesn't have the same effect. If you have trouble on a regular basis getting to sleep, try turning off all glowing screens at least one hour before you want to be asleep. You can read, or do laundry or play cards, but don't stare at something that glows back at you.

And a little note about alcohol and caffeine: Although alcohol can cause someone to "pass out" it's not really healthy sleep that you get in that instance. What ends up happening is you will bounce back awake again in about 3 hours and then have a really hard time getting back to sleep (not to mention you probably won't feel very well). Minimize alcohol in the evening and caffeine throughout the day. Caffeine clearance can take 5-8 hours for women especially, so be sure to stop ingestion by about 3pm to be safe getting to sleep at night.

Hope this helps! When all else fails, don't stress about not sleeping because the stressing will prolong the sleeplessness. Just get up and do something soothing (without adding in any glowing screens). You can't make up lost sleep, but you can take a nap later in the day which will help.