The Goodness of Organic
Simply Organic
Some researchers believe that antibiotic use in healthy cows may impact the effectiveness of those same antibiotics on our own bodies.
Rather than using preventive antibiotics, our farmers keep their cows healthy the organic way: holistic and homeopathic animal care.
Conventional dairy farmers routinely treat healthy cows with antibiotics to stimulate growth and prevent infection. Unfortunately, this widespread use of preventive antibiotics may contribute to drug resistance in bacteria that cause animal disease.1 Many researchers believe that this can also lead to higher levels of resistance in bacteria that cause human disease, and as a result, may lower the effectiveness of the same antibiotics on our own bodies.
Some scientists consider the practice of increasing milk production unhealthy both for cows and the people who drink their milk.
The cows that produce Horizon® organic milk are never treated with artificial growth hormones. Instead, they produce milk according to their natural cycles.
While growth hormones occur naturally in all milk, conventional dairy cows are sometimes treated with additional growth hormones (known as rBST or rBGH) to increase milk production; a practice that some scientists consider unhealthy both for the cows and for the people who drink their milk.2
Studies have shown that children who eat predominantly organic diets have far lower levels of pesticide residues in their bodies than children who eat mostly non-organic foods.3
Our dairy cows eat only fresh, organic pasture and certified organic feed, and are raised on farms where no toxic or persistent pesticides are used. Conventional dairy farms often treat the crops they use to feed their cows with pesticides, which can make their way into the animals’ systems.
Pesticide levels in food have also been suggested to increase children’s risk of behavioral problems such as ADHD.4
Both cloning and genetic modification are prohibited under organic regulations – so you can be sure that the milk you enjoy from Horizon® is never associated with these practices.
Choosing organic is one simple way to be sure you’re bringing wholesome foods to your family. But for most of us, keeping a 100% organic grocery list isn’t a practical option.
To make shopping organic a little easier, Horizon’s® consulting pediatrician Dr. Alan Greene, has outlined his top 10 organic choices and ranked them in order of importance. Number one? A glass of organic milk. Watch Dr. Greene’s video to learn more.
- Tikofsky L, et al., Microbial Drug Resistance 2003{9(S1):39-45
- Yu, Herbert, Rohan, Thomas. Journal of the National Cancer institute, v, 92, September 20, 2000
- Lu et al. Environmental Health Perspectives 114-260-263, 2006
- Bouchard MF, Bellinger DC, Wright RO, Weisskopf MG. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and urinary metabolites of organophosphate pesticides. Pediatrics 2010;125:e1270–e1277
