Real (not fake) Organics & Naturals

This just goes to show you... never believe everything you read on the front of your products.  For those of you seeking to choose organic or natural products for you and your family, you will want to read this.  I just stumbled upon an article posted by Organic Gal on Nesting.com about body care products that use the label "organic" or "natural" without really being so.  (She didn't actually write it, either; she got it from another site.)  Apparently, you can put anything on the front of your package, so be sure to read your ingredient lists!  If you want to see the article, it's at nesting.com.  The article is a little hard to read, because it's in one continuous paragraph instead of a list, so here's a list of the brands that are true to their organic or natural label.  *Disclaimer: I have not personally checked any of these yet, but as some of the fakers are in my home, I will be making some personal adjustments.*

The following paragraph is taking directly from the Organic Gal posting:
Body care is not a regulated industry.  The USDA Organic regulations/laws only extend to food items or body care items that are food grade.  Because of lax regulations a body care company can use the word "Natural" any way they want, regardless of if they threw in chemicals and synthetics to the final product. A company can only use the word Organic (as in the product name, etc) on the front of their packaging if the product contains at least 70% organic ingredients.  For a company to display a label that reads "Made with Organic ingredients" the product must carry 70% or more organics with no restrictions on the other ingredients.  For a company to display the USDA organic label, it must have 95% or higher organic ingredients with the other 5% being from an approved list.  To carry the new Natural Products Association Label the natural product must only contain pre-approved naturally derived ingredients.  The Eco-Cert label has fallen under scrutiny lately, for allowing synthetics in products (which is against its own rules) with many interest groups now not trusting the integrity of the EcoCert logo.

Real Organic: no synthetics, never ever
Badger Balm
Bottled Earth Company
Dr. Bronners
Earth Mama
Angel Baby
Eco-Beauty Organics
Eminence
Essensa
Gratefulbody Organics
iLike
Intelligent Nutrients Le FP
Green body Care
Miessence Organics (food grade, carries USDA label)
Nature's Baby Organics
Nourish (food grade, carries USDA label)
Oracle Organics
Organic Essence
Pangea Organics
Perfect Organics
Sun Dog
Trillium

Real Natural: Though they might not use all organic ingredients, their finished product has NO added synthetics.
Alaffia (*Fair Trade)
Aubrey Organics, (they are not on the organic list because not all products are fully organic, though they never use chemicals or synthetics in finished product)
Bon Vital's natural line
Devita
Dr. Bronners
Earth Mama
Angel Baby
Mexitan
Mychelle
Rare 2 B
Suki
Weleda
Zum

Organic Gal posts a lengthy list of fakers, as well as a list of companies who are "hit or miss."  The "hit or miss" companies have some great products that would be considered true to their labels, but they also have some products that use synthetics.  If you want me to post the list of fakers here, I will, but I figured the list of real companies made this post long enough.  :)

Another great website to check this stuff out at is that of the Organic Consumers Association.  I highly recommend checking out your products.  This site also includes a spreadsheet that gives the Skin Deep hazard rankings to each brand's products.  You definitely want to look at this!

Green Diet

Eat locally. You don't have to be a vegetarian, but be aware of how your meats are raised. Buy your food directly from the local farmer whenever possible. The food is fresher and of higher quality, and all your money is going directly to supporting the farmer, rather than to grocery store overhead.

Eat produce that is in season (it's cheaper anyway). Here are some general guidelines for the best produce each month:

• JANUARY: oranges, grapefruit, tangerines, tangelos, lemons, papayas, cabbages: red, white, and green, leeks, broccoli, cauliflower
• FEBRUARY: oranges, grapefruit, tangelos, lemons, papayas, broccoli, cauliflower
• MARCH: pineapples, mangoes, broccoli, lettuce
• APRIL: pineapples, mangoes, zucchini, rhubarb, artichokes, asparagus, spring peas, broccoli, lettuce
• MAY: cherries, pineapples, apricots, okra, zucchini, rhubarb, artichokes, spring peas, broccoli, lettuce
• JUNE: watermelon, strawberries, cantaloupe, cherries, blueberries, peaches, apricots, corn, lettuce
• JULY: watermelon, strawberries, cantaloupe, blueberries, peaches, apricots, kiwi, raspberries, plums, cucumbers, tomatoes, summer squash, corn, green beans, lettuce
• AUGUST: watermelon, strawberries, cantaloupe, blueberries, peaches, apricots, kiwi, raspberries, plums, cucumbers, corn, eggplant, tomatoes, summer squash, green beans, lettuce
• SEPTEMBER: grapes, pomegranates, persimmons, eggplants, pumpkins, tomatoes, spinach, lettuce
• OCTOBER: cranberries, apples, pomegranates, grapes, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, winter squash, broccoli, spinach, lettuce
• NOVEMBER: cranberries, oranges, tangerines, pears, pomegranates, persimmons, pumpkins, winter squash, sweet potatoes, broccoli, mushrooms, spinach
• DECEMBER: pears, oranges, tangelos, grapefruit, tangerines, papayas, pomegranates, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower
• ALWAYS A GOOD DEAL: bananas, potatoes, celery

Choose organic foods (check the Dirty Dozen lists). I also prefer organic dairy products and meats without added hormones for my family. All-natural is not the same as organic. Something can be all-natural and still have ingredients that were sprayed with chemical pesticides, etc.

The Dirty Dozen (foods that are most contaminated)
Peaches
Apples
Sweet Bell Peppers
Celery
Nectarines
Cherries
Pears
Grapes (imported)
Spinach
Lettuce
Potatoes

Twelve Least-Contaminated Foods
Onions
Avocado
Sweet Corn (frozen)
Pineapples
Mango
Asparagus
Sweet Peas (frozen)
Kiwi
Bananas
Cabbage
Broccoli
Papaya


Resources:



Buy Fresh Buy Local
www.buylocalpa.org/






Local Harvest www.localharvest.org/



Environmental Working Group http://www.ewg.org/
Food News http://www.foodnews.org/ -- check this out for a wallet guide to the Dirty Dozen