Benefits of Eating Organic Food

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle for many people includes opting for eating organic food to avoid any possible chemical pesticides that may be used in conventional planting, growing, and processing of non-organic food.

What is organic food?

Organic food is agricultural products that are free of any synthetic chemical additives, pesticides, preservatives, artificial sweeteners, and other flavorings that may pose health problems.

Why Should We Eat Organic Food?

• More Nutritious

The nutrient level of organic food is sometimes between 20-40 percent higher than food products derived from industrial agriculture. In fact, even organic milk can have higher levels of antioxidants than normal milk, with some levels exceeding levels well over 50 percent.

Statistics have also shown that food that is organically grown contains more nutrient rich quantities of important mineral sources that our bodies need, especially iron, magnesium, and calcium. This is not the case with non-organic food, however, since non-organic food that is grown in nitrite rich fertilized soil, along with chemical pesticides, can adversely diminish some of these minerals potency.

• Safer than Non-Organic Food

One of the most important reasons that organic food is safer is that it is free of pesticides. Numerous chemical pesticides are used in conventional farming of agricultural products with some residue remaining on these food sources even after washing them. This fact is alarming since many chemical pesticides have been linked to several health problems including asthma, breast cancer, and other forms of cancer.

Organic farming refrains from the use of any growth hormones and antibiotics in their farm animals. Unfortunately the results are quite disturbing since use of these hormone drugs in non-organic farming of animals has been linked to an increased rate of breast cancer, and other cancers.

• Not Genetically Modified

Organic foods are prohibited under the organic standards to have genetically modified food and crops. GMO, which stands for, Genetically Modified Organism, is when food products have been altered by injecting genetic material into plants and animals used for food sources to create, or effect a change. The long-term health effects on an individual are not known yet, but some short-term studies have linked dangerous side effects to some GMO products.

• Better for the Environment

Elimination of pesticides in organic farming reduces the groundwater pollution, which is not the case with conventional farming. The pesticides can enter our water sources which can end up in our bodies posing potential health risks.

The soil used in organic farming is subjected to less erosion than the pesticide filled soil of conventional farming. Some studies have even shown this soil to be richer in carbon and nitrogen, which over a period of time can help yield more crop production.

How Do You Know Which Products are Organic?

• Look for organic foods that bear the seal USDA Organic. This seal represents the food products that have passed the standards for how organic food is grown, handled, and processed. There are seals that say 100 percent organic which means the product is made of all organic ingredients.

• Organic and Natural do not Mean the Same Thing

A product may have natural ingredients but in order for a food product to be labeled, organic, it must pass all the standards of the USDA organic standards.

Organic food is a healthy choice if you want to avoid pesticide, hormone, and genetically modified products to ensure you choose the healthiest food sources available.