Food•O•Pedia: Darby Smith of Sydney’s

By Dan Nygard
Staff Writer

This is the first in what I hope to be a long series of informative articles involving local food experts. You can participate by sending any food-related questions you may have (via email). For this first installment, all of the questions are mine, they involve getting started thinking about the foods we eat, and they will be anwered by Darby Smith of Sydney’s Health Market in Moorhead.

High Plains Reader: I’d like to start buying organic foods, but I don’t know where to begin. Should I just clean out my fridge and cupboards and start fresh? I’m not sure I can afford that.

Darby Smith: A person can always make small steps in a positive direction. Many products contain ingredients or contaminants that people should at least be aware of, including the threat they pose to us as individuals, and to our society.

Just to name a few: pesticides and fertilizers, white flours, white sugars, trans fats, fried foods, high fructose corn syrup, artificial food coloring, nitrates/nitrites, monosodium glutamate (msg). Some of these ingredients are neurotoxins(excitotoxins), carcinogenic, possess bioacculative toxicity, or at the very least can significantly suppress our immune system.

This may sound intimidating….but learning one thing at a time, understanding it, and making informed decisions is very empowering to all of us as individuals.
“Let food be your medicine, and medicine be your food…” -Hippocrates

HPR: Is organic food really better than the “normal” stuff? Why should I pay $4 for a gallon of milk when I can get one for $2.30?

DS: I think everyone should take the “Pepsi Challenge”!...can I say that on here?! When a people try it for themselves they will see the difference; just make sure the food is fresh.

There are tons of organic and natural foods that are very inexpensive and lower-priced than conventional. We offer many locally grown organic products. This keeps the price down, supports our local economy, supports sustainability, reduces the footprint, and also ensures the freshest, highest quality foods available to our community, from our community.

There are many resources available that provide the information for us to make an informed decision. If we eat the right calories, we don’t need as many. Healthy, nutrient-dense foods nourish you and support energy, strength, and vitality. Eating better foods can improve everyone’s health.

Organic foods help to minimize our exposure to toxins. There is no question that harmful pesticides are dangerous, not only to an adult, but especially to a developing child. Organic foods might taste better also, but when I know I’m feeding my family safer and healthier food, it sure tastes better to me! There are studies that show, in many cases, organic fruits and vegetables provide substantially more vitamins and other nutrients, but even more importantly aren’t covered in carcinogenic residues.

Genetically modified foods are foods that have been altered on the genetic level, in some cases where animal genes have been added to vegetables (example: pork/porcine genes in soy!). E. coli is used to break the cell walls down to introduce “new” genetic material. There are no studies to ensure that this is a safe practice.

There are on the other hand, many studies showing the significant risks, including how our bodies will metabolize the food, what new unexpected chemicals may be produced, and the threat to the sustainability of a diverse food supply. Genetically modified seeds are patented and in some cases have taken over a neighbor’s field.

Ironically this is a liability to the farmer and not the patent holder! There is a very good reason many countries will not accept genetically modified foods from the U.S…including many African countries. The E.U. does require all genetically modified foods to be labeled as such, but there are no gmo products on their shelves…why? Because no one there will buy them! Labeling of gmo food is not required in the U.S.

Another reason why organic food is better than conventional food is that if a product is organic, it is NOT genetically modified.

HPR: I can’t afford to change my whole diet. What foods are the most important to buy organically?

DS: This is a question that a person should address on an individual basis but I think any step in the right direction is a good start.

It seems that nothing is safe from being sprayed, processed, refined, sterilized, gassed, or modified into a shadow of its original/organic state. Our bodies were created or have evolved to utilize nutrients from the living things around us. Our bodies are not intended to and are not able to metabolize something (non-end product metabolites) that is synthetic, like trans fats (hydrogenated oils) for example. This leads to varying levels of toxicity, supporting the development of a disease.
There is a better option for every food under the sun. Everything from grass-fed, hormone-free, antibiotic-free, non-homogenized, organic glass-bottled milks, raw cheeses and diabetic-safe natural sweeteners, to chemical-free shampoos, lotions, and fluoride-free toothpastes.

HPR: Anything else you would like to add?

DS: Every time we make a purchase, we are voting. If we always vote for products that aren’t safe or healthy, then what future will we have left? The direction that our society goes in and the foods that are made available to us, is OUR CHOICE.

“Believe nothing merely because you have been told it. Do not believe what your teacher tells you merely out of respect for the teacher. But whatsoever, after due examination and analysis, you find to be kind, conducive to the good, the benefit, the welfare of all beings—that doctrine believe and cling to, and take it as your guide.” -Buddha

All of these statements are my opinion, and therefore I encourage all of you to do research and ask questions.

Looking forward to your questions and comments: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

If You Go

What: Sydney’s Health Market
Where: 810 30th Ave S, Moorhead
When: M-F 9-7; Sat 9-5; Sun 10-4
Info: 218.233.3310, 218.233.3378