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Food Glorious Food

usda organicGreen made the "A-List"

Fortunately for us, eating healthy and eating organic are mainstream. Scores of restaurants are beginning to offer organic menu items and many grocery store chains now offer their own line of organic products in addition to special sections devoted to "natural" and "organic." Since going organic is profitable, everyone wants to get on the bandwagon.

So, what's the catch? Some restaurants feature organic foods while others might have some organic lettuce on their hamburger. "Natural" doesn't mean anything, but "Certified Organic" means that food producers have gone through a rigorous review process in order to qualify for organic status.

What can you do? You can read restaurant reviews and look at package information when you find a new product in the market. You can also learn about the different types of organic certification labels and follow guidelines for buying sustainable foods so that the environment is protected as well as your body. The sites listed below were provided to get you started:

Search for Restaurants and Markets

Eat Well Guide Eat Well is a comprehensive search engine for healthy and sustainable food in the US and Canada. Just enter a zip code to find food that is healthful, humane, better for the environment, and supports family farmers.

The Green People green peoplewill search for everything green from restaurants and markets to pet food and "Healthy Kosher Food."

 

Local HarvestLocal Harvest lets you search for farmer's markets, restaurants, farms and grocery stores in your area.

AOL Cityguide List of Organic Restaurants in Phoenix

Articles
A Certified Organic Restaurant? Read this CNN article to learn how a new certification for restaurants is on the horizon.

Local or Organic? What is the best choice? John Cloud from Time Magazine discusses this conundrum and provides his insights into shopping for food responsibly.

Why is organic so important?
What are the most critical organic foods for my family?
Consumer Reports presents these in-depth articles about buying organic, and they are based on independent research.


Fish

Fish is supposed to be an important part of a healthy diet. But with news about fish shortages around the world, and mercury threatening the development of our children, it's a challenge to identify what we can eat safely and responsibly. We found a few reputable guides and a mercury counter that lists mercury levels and how much you can consume, based on your weight.

Seafood Choices: Sustainable Rrestaurants
Monterey Bay Sea Food Watch Program
Sea Food Watch: Gulf of Cal. Pocket Guide 2006

Got Mercury? Seafood mercury calculator

Organic? What's Organic?

Wikipedia: What is Organic? Excellent overview of the certification process.

USDA's Certified Organic defined

QAI Certified defined

Oregon Tilth Certified defined

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