Nutritional Medicine<\/em>, state that , \u00a0 \u201cThe quality of (conventionally grown) food is so poor that the actual nutrient intake in terms of vitamins and minerals … is inadequate and can produce disease.\u201d<\/p>\nWhy is organically grown food\u00a0 nutritionally superior ? The secret is in the soil.\u00a0 The nutritional value of a food is directly linked to the fertility of the soil. On an organic farm the soil has been carefully nurtured for years using methods that enhance natural fertility and biodiversity, these include crop rotation, planting nutrient rich cover crops that are turned back into the soil, and using organic animal and plant fertilization and mulches. If\u00a0 naturally occurring nutrients and micronutrients are not in the soil, the plants can\u2019t absorb them. Organic farmers acknowledge that fertility of the soil directly affects the nutritional quality of the foods grown in it.<\/p>\n
Aviculturists\u00a0 choose to buy and feed organic because they want their birds to be healthy and happy. For many, understanding why organic foods are more expensive can help justify spending more money for them.<\/p>\n
<\/h3>\nPesticides Damage Our Environment<\/h3>\n
In the wild, birds have repeatedly fallen victim to the pesticides in our environment.\u00a0 It is estimated that of the roughly 672 million wild birds exposed annually to pesticides on US agriculture lands, 10 percent or 67 million are killed. A friend of mine lives near a prime California agriculture area. He told me, \u201c\u00a0 After they spray the grapes\u00a0 near my community there is a pile of dead birds at the end of the\u00a0 field. It\u2019s sickening.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/h3>\nHow Pesticides Effect Birds<\/h3>\n
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) in the US, issued a landmark report in 1997.\u00a0 \u201c A growing body of animal and human data suggests that\u00a0 many environmentally persistent compounds have the potential to disrupt the normal functions of the endocrine system. These chemicals may have a serious impact on reproductive and developmental parameters in wildlife and human populations.\u201d<\/p>\n
The endocrine system of a parrot consists of the hypothalamus and\u00a0 pituitary gland, the gonads, pancreatic islet cells, adrenal glands, thyroid glands,\u00a0 parathyroid glands, ultimobranchial glands and the endocrine cells of the gut. \u00a0 This network of\u00a0 glands\u00a0 releases hormones into the blood stream influencing countless\u00a0 bodily functions. These include\u00a0 growth and development,\u00a0 reproductive organ\u00a0 functioning, calcium metabolism, mineral regulation, feather formation,\u00a0 liver and kidney functioning and the\u00a0 secretions of other organs. A bird\u2019s metabolism is directly influenced by endocrine system hormones.\u00a0 Metabolism describes the sum of all chemical processes taking place in the body as they relate to the break down and digestion of food, resulting in growth, cell regeneration,\u00a0 use of energy, elimination\u00a0 of wastes and other bodily functions.<\/p>\n
Will you ever look\u00a0 at another piece of food the same way again?\u00a0 With birds being so sensitive to chemicals they especially benefit from being fed organic foods. \u00a0 Choosing organic\u00a0 helps build a healthier ecosystem for all the earth\u2019s inhabitants, especially future generations of people and parrots alike.<\/p>\n
s<\/span><\/p>\nWas this article helpful?<\/h3>\n
Did it provide you useful information?\u00a0 Do you have any questions about how feeding organic foods can improve your bird\u2019s health and well being? Leave a comment and let us know.<\/p>\n
The information in this feature are excerpts from the article, \u201cWhy Feed Organic\u201d, written by Leslie Moran, that originally appeared in Parrots<\/em> magazine, March 2004, issue #74.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"**With the updated information coming out in the Sprouting Book revision, it’s more important than ever, to feed your parrots and finches organic foods.**(Feb. 19, 2019.) Be sure to sign up for our newsletter so you have the latest details on when this book is available. When grocery shopping for your parrots do you think about the nutritional\u00a0value of the\u00a0 fresh fruits and vegetables at the market? Have you wondered about the pesticide residues in the nuts and seeds your bird loves ? Did you know that the bag of raw peanuts you\u2019re looking at, if grown commercially, has a higher potential for absorbing the chemical fertilizers and pesticides used during its growing season because peanuts grow underground?\u00a0 Commercially produced fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts and seeds routinely have an overwhelming amount of chemicals used on them and penetrating the soil they are grown in. Why Choose Organic There are four primary reasons why people choose to buy organic foods for themselves. These same four reasons apply when it comes to choosing organic foods for your parrots. First, those who buy organic care about maintaining a high level of health and well being. Second,\u00a0 avoiding produce and foods that contain pesticides and chemicals is an important part of preventive health care. This is significant in preventing the numerous diseases and illnesses directly linked to pesticide use.\u00a0 Third, organic foods have a higher nutritional content. And fourth, pesticides are known to affect our environment adversely. This effects parrots in our homes, in aviaries, and in the wild. Organic Standards When distinguishing commercially grown foods from organic produce\u00a0 strict growing requirements must be met and maintained.\u00a0 When selecting organic grown foods, be sure to look for the USDA Organic Seal – or another comparable international organic seal.\u00a0 Foods labeled \u201cno spray\u201d, \u201cpesticide free\u201d or \u201cresidue free\u201d are not organically grown. Artificial colorings, flavor enhancers or chemical preservatives are not allowed in any\u00a0 packaged food labeled USDA Certified Organic. Commercially grown foods have a huge volume of chemicals used on them\u00a0 regularly. These include insecticides, that indiscriminately kill all insects – even the beneficial ones, herbicides and soil fumigants that sterilize the ground. s Pesticides and Preventive Healthcare When reviewing the lengthy list of documented illnesses and diseases directly caused by pesticides the primary information source comes from human based case studies. According to the 60 page report, Pesticides and Human Health, published in 2000, these include\u00a0 cancer, respiratory disease, neurological damage, reproductive and developmental problems, behavior abnormalities and immune system damage. This type of data does not exist specifically for parrots. The reason being is that avian veterinarians and scientists specializing in this area of research refuse to subject parrots to a scientific study that they know would cause them to develop diseases already documented in humans and\u00a0 observed in wild bird populations. I applaud this level of integrity being present in the scientific community. The current approach\u00a0 to document the effects seen in parrots is to feed them a balanced organic diet and note the health improvements seen. Organic Foods Contain More Nutrients The nutritional value of any organically grown crop far exceeds those produced by conventional farming.\u00a0 Medical researchers Stephen Davies, MD, and Alan Stewart, MD, in their book Nutritional Medicine, state that , \u00a0 \u201cThe quality of (conventionally grown) food is so poor that the actual nutrient intake in terms of vitamins and minerals … is inadequate and can produce disease.\u201d Why is organically grown food\u00a0 nutritionally superior ? The secret is in the soil.\u00a0 The nutritional value of a food is directly linked to the fertility of the soil. On an organic farm the soil has been carefully nurtured for years using methods that enhance natural fertility and biodiversity, these include crop rotation, planting nutrient rich cover crops that are turned back into the soil, and using organic animal and plant fertilization and mulches. If\u00a0 naturally occurring nutrients and micronutrients are not in the soil, the plants can\u2019t absorb them. Organic farmers acknowledge that fertility of the soil directly affects the nutritional quality of the foods grown in it. Aviculturists\u00a0 choose to buy and feed organic because they want their birds to be healthy and happy. For many, understanding why organic foods are more expensive can help justify spending more money for them. Pesticides Damage Our Environment In the wild, birds have repeatedly fallen victim to the pesticides in our environment.\u00a0 It is estimated that of the roughly 672 million wild birds exposed annually to pesticides on US agriculture lands, 10 percent or 67 million are killed. A friend of mine lives near a prime California agriculture area. He told me, \u201c\u00a0 After they spray the grapes\u00a0 near my community there is a pile of dead birds at the end of the\u00a0 field. It\u2019s sickening.\u201d How Pesticides Effect Birds The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) in the US, issued a landmark report in 1997.\u00a0 \u201c A growing body of animal and human data suggests that\u00a0 many environmentally persistent compounds have the potential to disrupt the normal functions of the endocrine system. These chemicals may have a serious impact on reproductive and developmental parameters in wildlife and human populations.\u201d The endocrine system of a parrot consists of the hypothalamus and\u00a0 pituitary gland, the gonads, pancreatic islet cells, adrenal glands, thyroid glands,\u00a0 parathyroid glands, ultimobranchial glands and the endocrine cells of the gut. \u00a0 This network of\u00a0 glands\u00a0 releases hormones into the blood stream influencing countless\u00a0 bodily functions. These include\u00a0 growth and development,\u00a0 reproductive organ\u00a0 functioning, calcium metabolism, mineral regulation, feather formation,\u00a0 liver and kidney functioning and the\u00a0 secretions of other organs. A bird\u2019s metabolism is directly influenced by endocrine system hormones.\u00a0 Metabolism describes the sum of all chemical processes taking place in the body as they relate to the break down and digestion of food, resulting in growth, cell regeneration,\u00a0 use of energy, elimination\u00a0 of wastes and other bodily functions. Will you ever look\u00a0 at another piece of food the same way again?\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":130,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_xspeed_no_cache":false,"_xspeed_expiry_hours":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[276,203],"tags":[206,184,207,209,210,211,212,213,202,215,216,169,195,278,165,186,187,188,189,204,190,217,218,219,220],"class_list":["post-1090","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-organic-parrot-food","category-parrots-magazine","tag-best-amazon-organic-sprouts","tag-best-bird-food-ever","tag-best-conure-sprouts","tag-best-eclectus-sprouts","tag-best-food-for-parakeets","tag-best-galah-cockatoo-sprouts","tag-best-organic-parrot-food","tag-best-organic-parrot-sprouts","tag-best-parrot-sprouts","tag-bird-food","tag-china-prairie","tag-healing-with-foods","tag-holistic-healthcare-for-parrots","tag-holistic-parrot-care","tag-holistic-pet-care","tag-organic","tag-parrot-diet","tag-parrot-food","tag-parrot-nutrition","tag-patricia-sund","tag-proper-nutrition-for-birds","tag-sprout-people","tag-sproutman","tag-tops","tag-totally-organic","entry","has-media","owp-thumbs-layout-horizontal","owp-btn-normal","owp-tabs-layout-horizontal","has-no-thumbnails","has-product-nav"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/margolincom.com\/bbfe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1090","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/margolincom.com\/bbfe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/margolincom.com\/bbfe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/margolincom.com\/bbfe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/margolincom.com\/bbfe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1090"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/margolincom.com\/bbfe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1090\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/margolincom.com\/bbfe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/130"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/margolincom.com\/bbfe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1090"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/margolincom.com\/bbfe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1090"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/margolincom.com\/bbfe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1090"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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