The Ecology of Pizza
(Page 6 of 7)
June/July 2006
By Sandra Steingraber
Because it is a protein, any IGF-1 in milk should be broken apart by our digestive tracts. This is a reassuring supposition, but suppositions can be incorrect. For years, researchers argued that estrogen hormone therapy for menopausal women lowered the risk of stroke and dementia. We now know the opposite is true. Researchers at Cornell University’s Program on Breast Cancer and Environmental Risk Factors say it is “too early to study the breast cancer risk of women who drink milk and eat milk products from hormone-treated animals.” They are right, but if the introduction of rBGH into the milk supply is an ongoing human experiment, I’d prefer to keep my daughter in the control group.
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As a conventional dairyman, Fay Benson accumulated so much debt that he “couldn’t even afford to go out of business.” The last straw was rBGH. “I don’t like pushing my cows. I like working with Mother Nature instead of pushing against her.” Benson’s operation in Groton, N.Y., became a certified organic dairy in 1997. Initially, Benson’s biggest worry was what he would do when his cows became sick, as antibiotics are not permitted on organic dairies. But rates of illness in his herd declined once he switched to organic practices. Cows in conventional dairies typically produce milk for only about three years, but cows on organic dairies are typically milked for 10 to 12 years.
Cost of conventional mozzarella: $0.80
Cost of organic mozzarella: $1.98
Final Thoughts
“If the public could only see the real price tag of the food we buy, purchasing decisions would be easy. Compared to industrial food, organic alternatives are the bargains of a lifetime.”
So says Andrew Kimbrell, executive director of the Center for Food Safety. I agree wholeheartedly. Jeff and I buy organic groceries because it makes a big difference without a big time commitment — we have to go shopping and cook dinner anyway. At the same time, we’re also protecting our children’s health. And we know we are not passing along externalized costs of growing the food we eat to the next generation, of which our children are part.
It’s not always easy to fit organic food into a household budget. (While two of the ingredients for my organic pizza — fresh tomatoes and garlic — actually cost less than their conventional counterparts, the total cost was higher: $6.85 versus $4.50.) The important thing is to do it as often as possible, and as the organic sector grows, the effort should get easier. Can organic pizzerias be far behind?
Cheese and Tomato Pizza
1 cup warm water
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp yeast
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 1/2 cups all-purpose wheat flour
1 small can tomato paste
2 fresh tomatoes, chopped
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
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