Antibiotics, hormones, organic, etc: What U.S. food labeling terms really mean

All these terms can be confusing! Here are the official descriptions, directly from usda.gov:

NATURAL:
A product containing no artificial ingredient or added color, and that is only minimally processed. Minimal processing means that the product was processed in a manner that does not fundamentally alter the product. The label must include a statement explaining the meaning of the term natural (such as "no artificial ingredients; minimally processed").

NO HORMONES - pork or poultry:
[By U.S. law], hormones are not allowed in raising hogs or poultry. Therefore, the claim "no hormones added" cannot be used on the labels of pork or poultry unless it is followed by a statement that says, "Federal regulations prohibit the use of hormones."

NO HORMONES - beef:
The term "no hormones administered" may be approved for use on the label of beef products if sufficient documentation is provided to the Agency by the producer showing no hormones have been used in raising the animals.

NO ANTIBIOTICS - red meat and poultry:
The terms "no antibiotics added" may be used on labels for meat or poultry products if sufficient documentation is provided by the producer to the Agency demonstrating that the animals were raised without antibiotics.

ORGANIC:

Organic products have strict production and labeling requirements, and are monitored by the government. Unless noted below, organic products must meet the following requirements: 

• Produced without excluded methods (e.g., genetic engineering), ionizing radiation, or sewage sludge. 
• Produced per the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances (National List). 
• Overseen by a USDA National Organic Program-authorized certifying agent, following all USDA organic regulations.

Raw or processed agricultural products in the “100 percent organic” category must meet these criteria: 

• All ingredients must be certified organic.
• Any processing aids must be organic.
• Product labels must state the name of the certifying agent on the information panel.

On multi-ingredient products, different icons mean different things in regard to how much of the product is organic. Here's the official guide:

Sources: USDA definitions Organic requirements Understanding organic labeling

Appetite suppressing foods -- NOT pills!

Natural strategies for appetite suppression

This is a summary of an article by Mike Adams, the Editor of Natural News, suggesting several natural appetite suppressants. A few of his suggestions involve protein powder or other man-made chemicals, but since I'm avoiding anything "food-like" substances man has invented in the last several decades, I've winnowed his suggestions down to the whole foods choices (and one non-food, non-chemical choice):

• Water + wait 10 minutes. (My bonus advice: Do something interesting while you wait. This will eliminate thirst and/or boredom disguised as hunger pangs.)
• Vegetable or chicken broth. (You could try my simple "Get Well Soon" Soup.)
• Green leafy vegetables -- but not if they're slathered in sweet or "low fat" salad dressing. I have seven easy salad dressing recipes.
• Sugar-free, dye-free pickles.
• Raw apples.
• Also: Exercise - "...the very act of exercising releases stored body fat and converts it back into blood sugar, which raises your blood sugar level and suppresses your appetite cravings." Interesting! I wonder if just a little exercise will kick that off, or if it takes a certain level of effort or minutes. Anyone know?

I also thought that he makes a very important point: enduring some feelings of hunger is just part-and-parcel of losing weight:

There are many strategies that help reduce hunger: avoiding refined carbohydrates, getting plenty of natural sunlight on your skin, drinking large amounts of water on a regular basis, and getting plenty of fiber in your diet. But there is nothing that absolutely eliminates hunger. The bottom line is that if you are going to lose weight, you are going to experience hunger at one time or another....
The key in all this is realizing there's nothing wrong with experiencing hunger from time to time. It's a normal human response to a decrease in your consumption of calories. The problem that most people,,, feel it's some sort of emergency. It feels like they are dying or wasting away when, in fact, the body is just signaling that it doesn't have enough calories to add new fat to the fat stores it's already carrying around. The first feelings of hunger are really more of a false alarm than anything to be concerned about.

The original article, here.