As studies continue to emerge, the grocery store begins to look like quite a scary place. For the health conscious, conventionally stocked shelves are a minefield full of just about anything and everything that isn't derived from the earth. But thanks to certified organic, sustainable, health-friendly, honest companies like these top ten, there is still hope for those of us who wish to continue to consume nutrient dense, clean, real food.
"Distilled Monoglycerides...mixed tocopherols and BHT....modified corn starch...trisodium phosphate.."
Mmm. Sounds nutritious.
On Cherrios' website, it is noted that Cheerios can "help lower cholesterol" and "help prevent heart disease" due to its "whole grain" components and moderate fiber content. What they fail to mention though is the effects of theother ingredients that you can find inside of its sunny yellow box. The cereal also contains BHT, a known carcinogen, contributor to attention deficit disorder, and tumor inducer(1,2,5). Hidden amidst the refined sugar and grains, you can also find the carcinogenic and undigestable ingredient modified corn starch(3), as well as trisodium phosphate, a chemical used to wash walls before painting(4). Nothing like starting the day with a "nutritious" bowl of cleaning agent.
Though this ingredient list is rather alarming, what may be even scarier is what it isn't telling us. According to Cornucopia Institute's latest report, there are no legal requirements or restrictions set in place for companies who label their products "natural". Officially certified organic products, complete with the USDA approved organic label, abide by a strict set of guidelines and dedicate themselves to producing products without toxic or genetically engineered ingredients. They are held to these standards by federal law. On the other hand, items labeled natural have no requirements to meet and don't have to undergo any sort of assessment to determine if their claims have any merit. Virtually any company may assert that their products is "natural", despite an ingredient list full of substances that can't be found in nature.
Cornucopia Institute set out to compare store-bought organic cereals to store bought "natural" cereals, and their findings were quite disturbing. Popular "natural" brands that seem entirely trustworthy and health conscious, are in fact only 0%-20% organic in ingredients, meaning that their products are primarily made up of chemicals, fillers, genetically engineered organisms, pesticide laden ingredients, solvents, and fumigants. It's frightening when the listing of an ingredient like "rice" doesn't really just mean "rice" anymore. Check out Cornucopia's link to their full report to check out which "natural" companies are the biggest offenders. The end of the report notes which companies tested positive for genetically modified ingredients. Then, take a trip through your pantry and make sure that your products are labeled "organic" and have the little green USDA organic stamp to assure that you aren't consuming any funny business.
This may be an overwhelming discovery for someone who also suffers from food allergies, especially for those with a life-threatening allergy to peanuts or an autoimmune response to gluten. As if worrying about whether or not a company uses genetically modified ingredients isn't enough, an individual with food allergies also must determine whether or not the company uses the same facility and equipment to process their allergen containing foods as their allergen-free products. The act of heading out to grocery shop starts to feel a bit like venturing out to find a needle in a haystack. What is safe to eat anymore?
Luckily, there are still companies out there dedicated to sustainability, nontoxic living, and their consumer's health. I'd like to share with you ten trustworthy companies that deserve a round of applause.
If you doubt of the authenticity of an organic label, go to the USDA website to check the list of their certified organic programs. Similarly, even in some certified organic products, you can find permitted synthetic or non-organic substances in products bearing the USDA Organic Seal, including food coloring, casings from processed animal intestines, hops, fish oil, lemongrass, rice starch, beet juice, and whey protein concentrate. That is why when you buy USDA Organicproducts you must always check and read their composition to be sure they are 100% organic.
1. McEvoy Ranch
In a recent study conducted by UC Davis, it was revealed that most olive oils found in the grocery store labeled "extra virgin" fail to meet USDA and IOC standards, and contain a disturbing level of oxidation, a presence of refined and toxic oil, and were contaminated with an inappropriate level of chemicals. McEvoy Ranch's organic olive oil was one of the few that passed UC Davis' test. They submitted three samples of their cold pressed, certified organic oils and all three were confirmed to be free of any chemical processing, cold pressed at a temperature lower than 27 degrees centigrade, and had an acidity level no greater than .5%. The oil proves its point with its rich, fresh green color and the strong peppery taste it upholds, just as olive should. Their self-sufficient, certified organic, sustainable ranch is home to organic olive oil trees, vegetable gardens, an organic vineyard, free range animals, sixteen beehives and even a new Norwin Windmill that will reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.
2. Navita's Naturals
Navitas Naturals is a certified organic green business based in Marin County, California. They specialize in producing high nutrient foods, or "superfoods", from around the world with minimal processing and without additives and fillers. The company is committed to social and environmental responsibility, and partner with a number of international organic farming communities. Through their efforts, they support native agriculture and hope to help expand global organic farming practices. Their facility is certified organic, kosher and GMP/HACCP certified, and they utilize third party testing for each and every one of their products to ensure that their consumers are receiving products of the utmost quality.
Lydia's Organics is a smaller, independent company located in Northern California. Lydia uses entirely certified organic ingredients, and in most products utilizes specialized cooking methods such as sprouting or dehydrating to ensure that the provided nutrients are readily available and easy to digest with all of their essential enzymes intact. Lydia's Organics supports local certified organic farmers whenever they can, and founder Lydia Kindheart has personally voiced a commitment to "healing to planet and to providing food that is truly healthy". Her company makes each and every product by hand, conserving energy and ensuring quality as they do so. They even print their labels on Post Consumer recycled paper.
Laughing Giraffe makes a great point: real food has real calories. Laughing Giraffe provides consumers with real food comprised entirely of certified organic, unprocessed, unrefined ingredients with the purpose to provide our body with the nutrition it requires. You won't find any fillers, chemicals, genetically modified ingredients or "empty calories" in any of their products. They operate a certified organic, raw, vegan and gluten free facility where they handcraft each and every product that they sell.
7. Real Pickles
Real Pickles is a unique independent business that produces raw fermented products through the traditional pickling process. Unlike conventional large corporations that mass produce "pickles", Real Pickles ferment their vegetables traditionally without the use of vinegar or genetically modified ingredients, which provides consumers with fermented vegetables that contain health promoting active cultures, enzymes and anti-cancer nutrients. Real Pickles solely purchases their vegetables from local Northeast family farms, and every product that they produce is certified organic and fermented in their admirable 100% solar powered facility.
"Distilled Monoglycerides...mixed tocopherols and BHT....modified corn starch...trisodium phosphate.."
Mmm. Sounds nutritious.
On Cherrios' website, it is noted that Cheerios can "help lower cholesterol" and "help prevent heart disease" due to its "whole grain" components and moderate fiber content. What they fail to mention though is the effects of theother ingredients that you can find inside of its sunny yellow box. The cereal also contains BHT, a known carcinogen, contributor to attention deficit disorder, and tumor inducer(1,2,5). Hidden amidst the refined sugar and grains, you can also find the carcinogenic and undigestable ingredient modified corn starch(3), as well as trisodium phosphate, a chemical used to wash walls before painting(4). Nothing like starting the day with a "nutritious" bowl of cleaning agent.
Though this ingredient list is rather alarming, what may be even scarier is what it isn't telling us. According to Cornucopia Institute's latest report, there are no legal requirements or restrictions set in place for companies who label their products "natural". Officially certified organic products, complete with the USDA approved organic label, abide by a strict set of guidelines and dedicate themselves to producing products without toxic or genetically engineered ingredients. They are held to these standards by federal law. On the other hand, items labeled natural have no requirements to meet and don't have to undergo any sort of assessment to determine if their claims have any merit. Virtually any company may assert that their products is "natural", despite an ingredient list full of substances that can't be found in nature.
Cornucopia Institute set out to compare store-bought organic cereals to store bought "natural" cereals, and their findings were quite disturbing. Popular "natural" brands that seem entirely trustworthy and health conscious, are in fact only 0%-20% organic in ingredients, meaning that their products are primarily made up of chemicals, fillers, genetically engineered organisms, pesticide laden ingredients, solvents, and fumigants. It's frightening when the listing of an ingredient like "rice" doesn't really just mean "rice" anymore. Check out Cornucopia's link to their full report to check out which "natural" companies are the biggest offenders. The end of the report notes which companies tested positive for genetically modified ingredients. Then, take a trip through your pantry and make sure that your products are labeled "organic" and have the little green USDA organic stamp to assure that you aren't consuming any funny business.
This may be an overwhelming discovery for someone who also suffers from food allergies, especially for those with a life-threatening allergy to peanuts or an autoimmune response to gluten. As if worrying about whether or not a company uses genetically modified ingredients isn't enough, an individual with food allergies also must determine whether or not the company uses the same facility and equipment to process their allergen containing foods as their allergen-free products. The act of heading out to grocery shop starts to feel a bit like venturing out to find a needle in a haystack. What is safe to eat anymore?
Luckily, there are still companies out there dedicated to sustainability, nontoxic living, and their consumer's health. I'd like to share with you ten trustworthy companies that deserve a round of applause.
If you doubt of the authenticity of an organic label, go to the USDA website to check the list of their certified organic programs. Similarly, even in some certified organic products, you can find permitted synthetic or non-organic substances in products bearing the USDA Organic Seal, including food coloring, casings from processed animal intestines, hops, fish oil, lemongrass, rice starch, beet juice, and whey protein concentrate. That is why when you buy USDA Organicproducts you must always check and read their composition to be sure they are 100% organic.
1. McEvoy Ranch
2. Navita's Naturals
3. Blue Mountain Organics
Blue Mountain Organics deserves a round of applause. Not only does the company dedicate itself to supporting local agriculture and providing top quality organic and raw ingredients, but they also focus on crafting their products in a way that maximizes the nutrient content and bioavailability of essential vitamins and minerals. Their most admirable line of products, "Better Than Roasted" nut and seed butters, is comprised of certified organic nuts and seeds acquired from fair trade suppliers. They hand sort, soak and then rinse their nuts and seeds, and dry them at a low temperature that never exceeds 108 degrees. Blue Mountain Organics is a certified organic company that originated in a small agricultural community in Virginia and grew into a sustainable enterprise with a commitment to both our environment and our health.
4. Artisana Organic
Artisana handcrafts nut and seed butter and oils in small batches at their facility in Oakland, California. They are both certified organic and certified kosher, and pride themselves on providing consumers with products that are entirely comprised of certified organic ingredients, and have no hidden "extras". They use no coloring, preservatives, sugar or binders when crafting their healthful products. The company supports small, organic farms and have made a strong commitment to the health of the earth and of their consumers. They have a passion for producing foods that have all of their vitamins, minerals and nutrients whole, intact, and in their natural state. This is why their ingredient labels never span beyond just two or three ingredients.
5. Lydia's Organic
6. Laughing Giraffe Organics
Laughing Giraffe makes a great point: real food has real calories. Laughing Giraffe provides consumers with real food comprised entirely of certified organic, unprocessed, unrefined ingredients with the purpose to provide our body with the nutrition it requires. You won't find any fillers, chemicals, genetically modified ingredients or "empty calories" in any of their products. They operate a certified organic, raw, vegan and gluten free facility where they handcraft each and every product that they sell.7. Real PicklesReal Pickles is a unique independent business that produces raw fermented products through the traditional pickling process. Unlike conventional large corporations that mass produce "pickles", Real Pickles ferment their vegetables traditionally without the use of vinegar or genetically modified ingredients, which provides consumers with fermented vegetables that contain health promoting active cultures, enzymes and anti-cancer nutrients. Real Pickles solely purchases their vegetables from local Northeast family farms, and every product that they produce is certified organic and fermented in their admirable 100% solar powered facility.
8. Ancient Harvest Quinoa
Ancient Harvest Quinoa, or "The Quinoa Corporation", was the first company to bring Quinoa to the United States. The company grows their quinoa in the high Andean Altiplano regions of Bolivia at an elevation of over 12,000 feet, an environment that does not support the growth of gluten containing grains. This process, along with their gluten free facilities here in the United States, eliminates the issue of gluten and grain cross contamination. The company is now certified organic as well, which means that none of the ingredients used in their factory are genetically modified or engineered. Additionally, their quinoa has not been subjected to irradiation or ethylene oxide gas.
Ancient Harvest Quinoa, or "The Quinoa Corporation", was the first company to bring Quinoa to the United States. The company grows their quinoa in the high Andean Altiplano regions of Bolivia at an elevation of over 12,000 feet, an environment that does not support the growth of gluten containing grains. This process, along with their gluten free facilities here in the United States, eliminates the issue of gluten and grain cross contamination. The company is now certified organic as well, which means that none of the ingredients used in their factory are genetically modified or engineered. Additionally, their quinoa has not been subjected to irradiation or ethylene oxide gas.
9. Rejuvenative Foods
Rejuvenative Foods is a company uniquely dedicated to providing foods that "rejuvenate" their consumer's bodies. Each of their products is crafted in a way that provides potent essential nutrients and unique health benefits. Their raw cultured vegetables are a natural, organic, non-dairy source of lactobacilli or "probiotics". Their nut and seed butters are unheated and therefore still contain what they deem "life energy", or in other words enzymes, vitamins, and minerals that would have otherwise been killed in the conventional roasting process. Their oils are entirely cold pressed and use no chemicals in the extraction process unlike most conventional store-bought oils that are highly processed, refined, and treated with acid and chemicals in the production process. Founder Evan Richards truly keeps consumer's health in mind in the production of his company's products.
10. Freeland Food's Go Raw
Freeland Foods began their raw ventures in 2002. Since the beginning, they have prided themselves on the organic ingredients they utilize and the nutritional integrity of their products. Each product begins with certified organic seeds, which are tested, inspected, soaked in filtered water, then rinsed and cleaned. Freeland Foods then sprout their seeds for optimal nutritional benefit, creating a flavorful end result full of crucial enzymes and beneficial vitamins and minerals. Their products are produced entirely "in house", in their facility that is moving toward solar powered production and biodegradable packaging methods.
Rejuvenative Foods is a company uniquely dedicated to providing foods that "rejuvenate" their consumer's bodies. Each of their products is crafted in a way that provides potent essential nutrients and unique health benefits. Their raw cultured vegetables are a natural, organic, non-dairy source of lactobacilli or "probiotics". Their nut and seed butters are unheated and therefore still contain what they deem "life energy", or in other words enzymes, vitamins, and minerals that would have otherwise been killed in the conventional roasting process. Their oils are entirely cold pressed and use no chemicals in the extraction process unlike most conventional store-bought oils that are highly processed, refined, and treated with acid and chemicals in the production process. Founder Evan Richards truly keeps consumer's health in mind in the production of his company's products.
10. Freeland Food's Go RawFreeland Foods began their raw ventures in 2002. Since the beginning, they have prided themselves on the organic ingredients they utilize and the nutritional integrity of their products. Each product begins with certified organic seeds, which are tested, inspected, soaked in filtered water, then rinsed and cleaned. Freeland Foods then sprout their seeds for optimal nutritional benefit, creating a flavorful end result full of crucial enzymes and beneficial vitamins and minerals. Their products are produced entirely "in house", in their facility that is moving toward solar powered production and biodegradable packaging methods.
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