Is there any nutrition in non-organic chicken?

amother

Sun, Dec 04 2011, 3:31 pm

We do not do the whole organic thing, on the other hand a little part of me says that it has no real nutrition, is that really true?

Another thing, what vitamins and minerals do vegetables and fruits have and what are they good for the body?

Thanks so much!

ra_mom

Sun, Dec 04 2011, 4:04 pm

Of course there is.
There is protein, good fats, vitamins and minerals.
http://nutritiondata.self.com/.....703/2
Non organic chickens are also treated with antibiotics and aren't fed very well. So they come along with some issues.
But we have the same issue with the fruits and vegetables we buy. And store bought food. Etc.
We still have to eat. The food we eat is still providing us with nutrition.
We just have to make choices and see where we can afford to be extra careful help our bodies.

ora_43

Sun, Dec 04 2011, 4:23 pm

What ra_mom said.
AFAIK, the main issues with non-organic chickens are the hormones and antibiotics, not a lack of nutrition. They still have protein, they just also have whatever they were injected with to make them grow faster and fatter than they would naturally.

MrsDuby

Sun, Dec 04 2011, 4:49 pm

well another thing to consider is that the level of nutrition DOES go down. My zeidy worked in shechting for years and would tell us that chickens (non-organic) are on a "schedule" to be shechted... so they have to do certain things to fatten tehm up, such as not letting them get enough exercise, feeding them certain foods.... chickens like this have higher cholesterol and other health issues. So while yes, we still get good protein, we're also eating high cholsterol and **** like that.

the problem with hormones injected is quite simple. We get those hormones in our body and it screws us up....

ok those are my 2 cents for now Smile

ra_mom

Sun, Dec 04 2011, 5:09 pm

amother wrote:

So, how terrible are those hormones and antibiotics?

In my opinion, hormone free dairy and poultry is most important.
The dairy is taken care of here, because I did extensive research into Golden Flow and I am comfortable with the fact that they are hormone free.
If I had the money and time, I would buy organic poultry and chicken as well. But I am not up to there yet.
Produce is on the bottom of my ladder. Simply because even the organic produce is questionable. So I feel the other products are more important to work on.

amother

Sun, Dec 04 2011, 5:20 pm

I see some brands kosher chicken that are not officially organic (meaning the chickens do not eat an organic diet so they are pretty much being fed GMO corn for sure which doesn't thrill me) but still advertise as being natural - so at least no hormones or antibiotics. That's at least an improvement. But they cost more too. Not so much as the Wise chickens (are there other organic brands?) but not cheap.

In any case, all chicken is protein, organic, natural or whatever kind you might buy.

MiracleMama

Sun, Dec 04 2011, 5:22 pm

ra_mom wrote:

amother wrote:

So, how terrible are those hormones and antibiotics?

Since I spend a lot of money each week buying organic produce, would you please explain this statement. If I'm wasting my money, I want to know about it.

tikva18

Sun, Dec 04 2011, 6:35 pm

chocolate moose wrote:

Organic isn't a governmental standard. It's whatever the company wants it to be.

That's not true, at least in America: http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal.....CATIO

To answer the above question about what vitamins and minerals are in produce - is a long answer. The poster may find faster answers by googling the particular item she's questioning. Just google "nutrition facts for" and name the item.

MrsDuby

Sun, Dec 04 2011, 6:38 pm

well, heres the thing with organic.
if it just says "organic" or "natural" - it means bupkiss (is that a word ? Smile

If it says USDA ORGANIC then you know it has high standards. Now, even the USDA label can be suspect, especially since frankly, I dont really trust government regulations of food (for example - the gov. now believes Pizza is a veggie...) But no question that the certfied organic label carries weight and is a million times better than no label at all.

Another excellent option - is eating local by going to Farmers Markets.... you get to know farmers PERSONALLY - and more often than not, these farmers dont use pesticides, and if they do its minimal since they dont need shipping (which means more toxins to keep the veggies alive for the shipping) and when you get to know the farmers, you have a better idea of where the food is coming from... etc.

hope this helps.

tikva18

Sun, Dec 04 2011, 6:39 pm

MrsDuby wrote:

well, heres the thing with organic.
if it just says "organic" or "natural" - it means bupkiss (is that a word ? Smile

agreed

ra_mom

Sun, Dec 04 2011, 7:09 pm

MiracleMama wrote:

ra_mom wrote:

amother wrote:

So, how terrible are those hormones and antibiotics?

Since I spend a lot of money each week buying organic produce, would you please explain this statement. If I'm wasting my money, I want to know about it.

I've spoken to our very natural pediatrician about this at length.
What I got out of the conversation was that it's not so clear cut and you could be paying extra for nothing.
Buy organic for these 12 vegetables only.
http://www.naturalhomeandgarde......aspx
And don't waste your money on organic for the rest.
And from what I understand, vegetables from the farmer's market do not have less pesticides. They are fresher. In season. But the small farms sometimes need more pesticides not less.

MrsDuby

Sun, Dec 04 2011, 9:19 pm

while it may be possible that farmer's might need more pesticides, at least they can tell you what their story is because youre actually meeting and doing business with them. in my experience very often tehy're pretty much organic, they just cant shell out the money for the certification of being organic.

The "clean list" or whatever its called - is an excellent place to start.

in my experience, once you taste a fresh organic strawberry in season, you'll NEVER eat the conventional stuff again. You cant compare !!!! Smile

nylon

Sun, Dec 04 2011, 11:16 pm

I disagree--the best tasting produce is that which is local and fresh. I would rather buy non-organic strawberries from the farm down the road than organic ones in a supermarket clamshell. There is "industrial organic" out there. Also, organic does not mean pesticide free! It simply restricts the range of pesticides that can be used. There are organic pesticides.

The FDA bans the use of hormones in chicken, so "hormone free" doesn't mean much.

Smaller farmers do use pesticides but often don't douse their fields like factory farms.

Non-organic chicken still has the same protein in it. It's just not as nice for the chickens and their corn and soy feed has been sprayed. The problem is that only certified organic has set regulations for animal welfare--"free range" isn't well defined. Even within conventional poultry there is variation. Empire does not permit access to the outdoors, but I am reliably informed that conditions in their barns are superior to the huge treif producers. (I will also say that the chickens are noticeably different. Empire still uses modern, fast growing breeds with a relatively high proportion of breast meat and slaughters them young, but they do not resemble the giant 6 lb roasters the treif producers sell. I suspect the Empire chickens can still walk.)

tikva18

Sun, Dec 04 2011, 11:46 pm

nylon wrote:

Halachically, all animals must be able to walk before they can be shechted.