Fine Tuning Food Quality

Today I want to dive into the importance of choosing high-quality food and what to look for. This subject is of the utmost importance, no matter what type of diet you follow! Attention to food quality will save you from exposure to countless antibiotics, pesticides, herbicides, colorings, additives, artificial flavorings, and more. It allows your microbiome to thrive and provides you with more nutrients per bite. By making high-quality food a priority, you are also ‘voting’ with your wallet against additional pesticides, antibiotics, and other chemicals in our environment, which we know are killing off our pollinators. Organic foods have also been shown to be more nutrient and antioxidant-rich, and this is multiplied for fresh, seasonal foods as well!

Going Organic

Because foods grown organically require healthy soil to thrive and keep away pests, they become more nutritious in the process. Recent research has shown higher levels of vitamin C, magnesium, iron, and phosphorus in organic foods. Organic beef and dairy exceed the omega-3 levels of their conventional versions. They are also shown to have more antioxidant phytochemicals and higher antioxidant activity over their conventional counterparts. Lower nutrient content of the modern diet is in part responsible for the microbiome mayhem that is occurring. However, the current health crisis (and I’m not talking about COVID) in America relates to not only nutrients that are dwindling in conventionally produced foods, but also the non-food additions to the modern food supply. 

Plant Foods

The first biome bombs to consider are pesticides, insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides. These are antimicrobial chemicals that are sprayed on foods to prevent them from being eaten by certain insects, weeds, fungi, or another plant pest. Unfortunately, these are also toxic to our microbiome. One of the most common chemicals, glyphosate (aka Roundup) is also patented as an antibiotic. It has recently been shown that bacteria are 100,000 times more likely to develop antibiotic resistance when exposed to common herbicides. These chemicals are sprayed on everything from grains to greens. Many grains and legumes are sprayed heavily directly before harvest so that all of the plants will die off at the same time to make for an easy and efficient harvest. These chemicals are taken up into the plant and do not wash off or wear away in processing. 

To go beyond organic with plant foods, choose seasonal produce from local growers. The fresher a food is, the more nutrients and antioxidants will be intact when you consume it. Biodynamic gardens amend the soil and cultivate an environment where worms and probiotic microorganisms can thrive and cultivate more resilient and nutrient-dense produce. Heirloom varieties of plants may be more nutrient-dense and contain more antioxidants. If you want to geek out on produce varieties, Eating on the Wild Side by Jo Robinson is a great read.

Local Foods

With farmer’s market season upon us, now is a great time to start communicating with local growers and ranchers to learn how to best source your food supply. Local farms may not have an organic certification, because they are expensive and difficult to obtain for small operations. Instead of writing them off, ask them about their practices and if they have considered an organic certification. Some places may use traditional pesticides while others may go above and beyond organic to biodynamic, but you won’t know until you ask! 

Local Foods

With farmer’s market season upon us, now is a great time to start communicating with local growers and ranchers to learn how to best source your food supply. Local farms may not have an organic certification, because they are expensive and difficult to obtain for small operations. Instead of writing them off, ask them about their practices and if they have considered an organic certification. Some places may use traditional pesticides while others may go above and beyond organic to biodynamic, but you won’t know until you ask! 

Local and seasonal food not only provides you with the most nutrient density available, but it also reduces transportation emissions in the environment and supports farmers for practicing sustainable and regenerative agriculture that nourishes our planet.  In addition to buying local produce at our house, we will buy whole or half animals. These are a great value and force you to eat ‘nose to tail’ thereby getting all of the diverse nutrients the animal has to offer and minimizing waste. 

Animal Foods

Antibiotics are a major contributor because of their ability to wipe out the beneficial bugs of our microbiome. Not only do they have a history of being overprescribed, but also they are added to feed of conventional animals as they are weaning. The residues of these antibiotics remain in the animals that we consume and wreak havoc on our microbiome. Did you know that antibiotic-resistant bacteria have been found on the majority of nonorganic turkey and pork at the supermarket?! Over thirty percent of chicken also contained these antibiotic-resistant superbugs. Fortunately, the use of antibiotics for growth promotion in animal feed is no longer allowed, but they are still heavily relied upon in conventional operations. To foster a healthy microbiome, it is imperative to choose quality, organic meats, and animal products.

While buying organic plant foods is pretty easy to understand, food quality enters more grey territory with animal products. Organic is a great start, you will be avoiding antibiotics, growth hormones, and pesticides, but it may not always be enough. For example, organic beef can still be fed grains, which increases the inflammatory fats found in the animal, and organic chickens are fattened up on grains without access to the outdoors. Read on for specifics below

Eggs

Look for eggs from hens that are raised on pasture. Organic laying hens are often cooped up in confined chicken houses and not able to roam and forage for diverse bugs and seeds. While technically they are required to have access to the outdoors, this is often a small square of dirt that they rarely access. Many cartons are now advertising the square footage per hen if you look carefully. Ideally this is greater than 50sf. Generally these are much more expensive than traditional eggs, but still an affordable animal protein. Once you crack one in the pan you will know the difference! Seek out the brightest orange-gold yolks that you can find. This is an indicator of vitamin A and carotenoids, and typically means that the hens were foraging for their food and ate a varied and nutritious diet.

Dairy

Ideally, dairy cows are pasture raised. That holds true for dairy goats and sheep as well. These ruminant animals are meant to graze on grasses, rather than eating seeds and grains. When cows, goats, and sheep are able to eat their natural diet, their milk is nutritious and high in anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids as well as heart health conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). However, when the same animals are fed a diet rich in grains, their milk becomes higher in omega-6 proinflammatory fatty acids as the cows become more inflamed from this diet. Organic dairy cows must have access to pasture to provide at least 30% of their diet, but the rest can be supplemented with grains. This is far from ideal so look for products committed to 100% grass-fed cheese. Look for certified grass-fed by AGW (A Greener World), AGA (American Grass-fed Association), USDA, or checkout www.eatwild.com to get connected to local farms in your area.

Fish

Fish is very nuanced because it is important to balance both the nutrition and the sustainability of the fish populations. In general, most farmed fish and seafood is less nutritious than wild caught. Large fish such as tuna and swordfish are best avoided or eaten only occasionally as they are high in heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants. Wild caught Alaskan salmon is a great choice, and any U.S. Pacific salmon is a good option according to the Seafood Watch. Unfortunately farmed salmon is not as nutritious because the ratio of pro-inflammatory omega-6 fats overwhelms the anti-inflammatory omega-3 fats. There is currently no ‘organic’ certification for farmed fish in the United States, though other countries do have organic shrimp, cod, and tilapia. You can also look for seafood that is certified by the Marine Stewardship Council. In addition to salmon, healthy and sustainable wild fish options include sole, U.S. sablefish, U.S snapper (other than from the Gulf of Mexico). 

If you want to dive deeper into sustainability checkout www.SeafoodWatch.org a sustainable seafood resource put together by the Monterey Bay Aquarium. 

Cow, Sheep, & Goat

These ruminant animals have four stomach chambers! This special digestive system is meant to slowly ferment grasses that are consumed on pasture. We think of these foods as unhealthy in our culture but it is because of how our animal rearing has evolved. It is true that when they are fed grains in feedlots, they become very inflamed and contain high levels of pro-inflammatory omega-6 fats. But when properly reared, these animals are all an excellent source of zinc, iron, B vitamins, and anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids. This is why it is important to seek out red meat from 100% grass-fed animals. 

Organic certification requirements for beef have been expanded to include access to pasture. However, grazing can be supplemented with grain and this is seasonal so animals may eat grains during the winter. Animals raised on pasture are much more sustainable for our ecosystem, and when pastures are rotated appropriately, the animals increase the health of the land. To look for local, pastured meats in your area visit www.eatwild.com and view farms in your area. 

Poultry and Pork

Nutritional intake for these animals isn’t as clear cut. They are both omnivores and thrive on a varied diet including foraging for plants and bugs. While they may occasionally chew on grasses, they don’t extract nutrients from them the way ruminant animals do. Organic is a good start, because conventional rearing of these animals includes frequent antibiotic use (conventional turkey has been shown to have the highest contamination of antibiotic resistant superbugs).  Animals raised on pasture and allowed to forage for food will be the most nutritious, and the most sustainable for our ecosystem, www.eatwild.com is a good resource for local farms and high quality animals. 

Wild Game

Wild game can be a great option if you are a hunter, or have one in the family. Of course you want to have your meat tested for any potential diseases wild animals may carry. For example my dad deer hunts in Minnesota, where he needs to have the animal tested from chronic wasting disease. Be sure to check out any potential issues with game and hunting in your area. Also, know that buffalo and elk are often farmed and sold to restaurants, so just because an animal breed seems wild in your mind, doesn’t mean the meat that the particular animal was raised that way.

Thank you so much for reading thus far, I know this information can seem tedious, but these are very important distinctions. Plants and animals that are raised in harmony with their evolution and natural tendencies are nourishing for our bodies, and for our environment. However, when we continue to consume conventionally produced foods, we are supporting this persistent pollution that permeates the entire planet. For example, toxic PCBs are found in our water table even though these chemicals were banned in the 1970’s. By choosing high quality, local, organic foods, you will increase your nutrient intake, reduce your exposure to noxious chemicals, and be making more conscious choices for the environment.