n honor of September being Organic Harvest month, I'm going to tell you about some important organic grocery and perishable items that we carry at Gelson's and explain their health advantages.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has recently established standards that must be met by all foods that are sold as organic, no matter what country they come from. Organically grown foods are produced without the use of conventional pesticides (including herbicides and fungicides), synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, genetic engineering, irradiation, antibiotics, or growth hormones.

Instead of these potentially harmful toxins, organic farmers use earth-friendly techniques to manage pests and weeds and build natural nutrients in the soil. These practices help conserve water, protect soil and air, and promote biological diversity.

Check out these excellent organic items that should be a part of your pantry staples:

Organic Olive Oil

Organic olive oil is made from olives that are grown without the use of pesticides, which are fat-soluble. Fat-soluble toxins are carried in fat, like oil, and stored in our body fat. Choosing a heart-healthy, cancer-protective oil that is free from the aforementioned pesticides, is a great way to reap all the benefits your olive oil has to offer. Try Napa Valley and Zoe organic olive oils and pair them with Monari Federzoni organic balsamic vinegar.

Organic Milk and Yogurt

Organically raised cows have not been exposed to antibiotics or hormones, like rBGH (recombinant bovine growth hormone). That means your milk and yogurt is hormone- and antibiotic-free, too. Additionally, organic cows are fed organic feed and are allowed to roam outdoors. Try Horizon Organic milk and yogurt, Good Heart Organics milk, Alta Dena organic milk and cottage cheese, and Stonyfield Farm organic yogurt.

Organic Poultry

Organically raised chickens and turkeys are fed exclusively organic feed, have access to the outdoors, and, like organic cattle, are given no growth hormones or antibiotics. The use of antibiotics in feed animals can contribute to antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria that affect both humans and animals. Choosing organic chicken from Rosie Organic, organic turkey from Heidi's Organic (available fresh from Thanksgiving through Christmas), and any Gelson's Finest natural beef is a great way to fight antibiotic resistance and avoid eating added hormones and pesticides.

Organic Soy Products

Many of the health benefits attributed to soy foods are due to the isoflavones, which are phytonutrients that mimic estrogen's activity in the body. Isoflavones are believed to protect against hormone-related cancers, like breast and prostate cancers, and protect against heart disease. Organic soybeans are not genetically altered in any way, so the risk of changing the activity or potency of their estrogen-like hormones is removed. Eating organic soy is the best way to reap soy's health benefits without having to worry about eating genetically altered hormones. Look for the USDA organic symbol on soy products or at the very least, organic soy ingredients in products made with soy. Try soy milk from Soy Dream, Silk, Eden, Pearl, and West Soy, Nasoya tofu, Seapoint Farms edamame, Veggie Slices soy cheese, or Nigari tofu.

Organic Bread

Bread is an important staple in our diets, and especially in the diets of kids. Ideally, the whole grains in the bread provide long-lasting energy and improve blood sugar control. Since children have lower body weights and higher metabolisms than adults, pesticides can accumulate faster in their bodies. That's why itÕs important to consider choosing organic staples, like bread, for kids. Two brands to try are Rudi's Organic Bakery and Food for Life. We even have organic peanut butters from Peanut Better and Arrowhead Mills to tastefully top off your toast.

Organic Produce

The quality and variety of our organic produce is excellent--especially this month, the height of organic season. Since organic food cannot be forced to ripen, it is only in the stores when it is in season. The seasonal advantage implies that the produce is fresh, tasty, and at its nutritional peak. It is unknown whether or not organic produce is healthier than conventionally grown produce, but several recent agricultural studies indicate that organic fruits and vegetables have higher levels of vitamin C, iron, magnesium, and phosphorus, as well as phytonutrients (plant nutrients that are powerful antioxidants). Furthermore, GelsonÕs will not purchase produce items that are genetically engineered or irradiated. Most people break into organics by starting to buy organically grown produce items. Look for organic apples, lemons, tomatoes, lettuce, spinach, celery, carrots, broccoli, lemons, oranges, garlic, shallots, onions, and kiwi, to name a few.

Organic Frozen Fruits and Vegetables

Since fresh organic fruits and vegetables are available only on a seasonal basis, using frozen organic produce is an excellent way to capture organic goodness any time of the year. Frozen produce retains nutrients very well, and often does not contain the sodium and other added ingredients that canned foods tend to include. Check out Cascadian Farm's frozen fruits and vegetables, and C&W frozen veggies.

Organic Soups

Soups are an excellent way to boost your vegetable intake and help you control your weight. Since the bulk of ingredients come from vegetables, why not make them organic vegetables? A recent European review of organic vegetable-based soups found the organic soups to have on average almost 6 times the amount of the phytonutrient salicylic acid as soups made with conventionally grown vegetables. Salicylic acid is the anti-inflammatory compound in aspirin that helps prevent atherosclerosis and colorectal cancer. Try organic soups from Health Valley, Amy's Organic, Pacific, Imagine, Wolfgang Puck, and Shelton's.

I've introduced you to some fairly profound new information here, and I don't want you to become overly concerned. It's still safe to eat in restaurants and buy conventionally grown foods. But it's important to understand that there are health and environmental benefits to buying organic. My personal approach is to choose organic when it's available, but donÕt pass up a healthy food simply because it isn't organic. I pointed out that several of the organic foods seemed to be more nutritious than their conventionally grown counterparts, but remember that the conventionally grown items still contain plenty of nutrients. We all have to eat, and what you may choose in place of a conventionally grown item, like a piece of fruit or a vegetable, is not likely to be as healthy.

Replacing just one or two of your dietary staples with organic items is a great way to lower your pesticide exposure and help protect the environment (including our water supply and the health of the people who grow our food). ItÕs easy to buy organic now, since foods that contain at least 70% organic ingredients are clearly and accurately labeled on the front of the package, and foods with at least 95% organic ingredients carry the "USDA Organic" symbol. In Gelson's, organic produce and deli items have large yellow and green "organic" signs on them. The items I've described above are just a sampling of the organic foods we offer. Look for organic cereal, canned beans and tomatoes, juice, applesauce, pasta, cheese, eggs, rice, chips, tea, flour, spices, sugar, frozen entrˇes, and ice cream.