Organic Vs. Natural

Good morning! Thanks so much for all of your positive wishes and messages regarding my thesis. Good news, I have officially been granted an extension for my thesis! I don't have to be finished until September 22nd (according to the University), but I still have a personal goal of finishing by the end of August so I can start looking for a job. I am officially much less stressed.

Ok, now for today's blog post!

Organic Vs. Natural
I'll admit it, I sometimes get confused when I see the word "Natural" written on a food or food product. For example, these frozen strawberries from Whole Foods claim to be "Natural". I know enough to know that "Natural" isn't synonymous with "Organic", but I never know what makes products "Natural".

The other day I read an article about "natural vs. organic foods". I really appreciated the article because as an RD I often get asked about the difference between these two "food terms", and I always feel like my answer isn't always accurate.

Here is a segment of the article:
"Certified organic food products are regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and produced by farmers and manufacturers under a strict set of rules. But the agency defines the term "natural" only for meat and poultry. In the rest of the food industry, the meaning is largely up to the producer."

When I first started buying these strawberries at Whole Foods I asked the cashier what Whole Foods considered to be "Natural", her answer was, "Uhh, maybe it means low sodium"? I almost laughed out loud.

** The following passage is from the same article and is related to the results of a consumer survey regarding organic vs. natural foods:
"They (consumers) felt organic was just a fancy way of saying expensive," said Suzanne Shelton, president and CEO of the Shelton Group "They think 'natural' is regulated by the government but that organic isn't, and of course it's just the opposite."

Horizon (Dean's Foods milk company) has created its own definition for "natural." Loveday, who works for Horizon, says "To us, it means it's produced without added hormones, artificial sweeteners, artificial colors, flavors, preservatives or high fructose corn syrup,".

"But Dean Foods will not be able to say their "natural" products are produced without pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics and other drugs or genetically modified feed crops, or that the cows are required to graze in pastures rather than being confined to factory farm feedlots," he said. "These are all factors that truly differentiate organic production from natural/conventional agricultural and livestock production."
SOURCE: ChicagoTribune.com

Bottom Line: When you are purchasing a product that claims to be "Natural", unless the company explains why, or what makes it natural, you have no idea what you are buying. Some companies, like Horizon, have a definition for "Natural" that I would consider beneficial. Other companies may use "natural" simply to entice the consumers, YOU! Does this mean "natural" products are bad? NO. All this means is that you should be aware of what you are paying for, it may not be exactly what you think.

Fun in the Kitchen
No Bake Cookies
What do you do when you are bored at night, and have extra peanut butter to get rid of? Make no bake cookies!

Click here for the recipe

These are easy to make, delicious, filling, and they even provide some great health benefits (fiber from the oats, and omega-3 from the Smart Balance margarine and the Naturally More Peanut Butter I used) can you ask for anything more?


A Trip to India!
On Monday I was on a plane to India (aka, Clintonville, Ohio) to visit my good friend Smita who happens to be an amazing Indian cook. The theme of her delicious meal was "Indian street food". She created foods for us that would typically be sold on the street by street vendors and which are always made quickly in front of the customers. Everything was amazing.

Greek Salad
Yeah, we had some Greek food too. My friend Nancy just arrived home from Greece and brought home ingredients to make a Greek salad. This salad contained Greek spices, kalamata olives, feta, EVOO, cucumber, and tomato. It was fantastic.


Bhelpuri
Bhelpuri is a a puffed rice dish with potatoes and a tangy tamarind sauce. It is a type of chaat or small plates of savory snacks, particularly identified with the beaches of Mumbai (Bombay), such as Chowpatty. SOURCE: Wikepedia

Step by Step:

The final product looked like this. It was my favorite dish of the evening! It was so light and fluffy. The ingredients all blended together perfectly, and each of ingredient complimented the other. I told her I would eat this everyday!


I can't remember the name of this dish, but it consisted of crispy crackers, homemade full fat yogurt, cilantro, and other Indian spices. It was also very tasty.

This was the main dish of the night, and again I am unsure of the name. The bottom layer was a thick chickpea concoction, which almost looked like refried beans. The chickpeas were topped with a shredded potato patty with peanuts and other great Indian spices. This was another favorite of mine. I think I ate it in 30 seconds!

I absolutely love Indian food, and if these pictures have enticed you (which they should!) check out Smita's blog Good Things Lover. Thanks Smita!

Coming Up
When I arrived home from Florida I had this "WONDERFUL" package of POM Wonderful waiting for me. I've already begun creating some interesting things with this juice, which I'll be posting about soon!

Until then, have a great week! Thanks for reading.