If you look at food as a medium for a healthy lifestyle, you will look for naturally grown foods that burst with the right nutrients and taste. Would you want to buy fruits and vegetables grown in soil that has been constantly sprayed with pesticides and herbicides? Or would you rather buy fruits and vegetables that have been grown most naturally? Well, most of us would go the natural way. This is what organic food is all about!
What Is Organic Food?
Produce that has not been tainted by chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or preservation agents is considered organic. As defined by the USDA, organic food standards in the United States vary widely. It’s possible for food to be 100% Organic, Organic (with at least 95% organic ingredients), or Made With Organic Substances (at least 70 per cent organic).
Let us now look at the top ten reasons why organic food is best not just for your body but for the planet as well!
10 Reasons To Consume Organic Food
There are many reasons why one must consider eating only organic foods. Let’s discuss few most essential ones:
Chemical Free
If you want to get rid of the chemically grown traditional food, eating organic foods is the only choice you have. Conventional foods involve the use of pesticides and harmful chemicals. Cancer, digestive issues, headaches, ADHD, birth deformities, reduced immune system, and even early mortality are associated with pesticide intake. Organic foods are devoid of pesticides and hence better for your overall health.
More Nutritious
Since organic food does not contain genetically modified ingredients, it has a higher nutritional value than conventional agricultural food products, such as meat, milk, fish, and poultry. The fact that they are allowed to mature and are given the optimum natural circumstances for development contributes significantly to their high nutritional value. As soil life and health provide the ideal mechanism for crops to acquire soil nutrients, organic food products always have high vitamin and mineral contents.
GMO-Free
Organic foods are free of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), which was not created through natural processes. Genetically modified foods are a major source of public concern nowadays. To increase resistance to pesticides/herbicides, foods and plants have their DNA altered in ways that don’t occur naturally. Food safety advocates are worried that no long-term research has been done to confirm their safety, despite the lack of clear proof of their risks.
Better In Taste
If you want to experience the difference in the taste of an organic fruit/vegetable against a conventionally grown one, try tasting an organic and non-organic version of a cucumber or a tomato or an apple. You can easily make out that organic foods are tastier and full of original flavours compared to their traditional counterparts.
Because organic produce isn’t treated with pesticides before harvesting, it ripens fully in the field before being harvested and delivered to you by eliminating shipping and gassing to stimulate ripening and holding in storage.
Rich In Antioxidants
Scientific studies have shown that antioxidants improve general health, particularly when those antioxidants come from organic foods. In other words, because of the absence of synthetic chemicals, organic foods have a higher concentration of antioxidants because they do not react with vitamins, organic compounds, or minerals.
According to the latest research, studies show that eating organic food increases the intake of nutritionally beneficial antioxidants and reduces exposure to heavy metals. Preventing heart disease, cancer, visual difficulties, premature ageing, and cognitive dysfunction are only some of the benefits of antioxidants found in organic foods.
Best For Overall Health
Chemical pesticides and fertilisers are not used to manufacture or prepare organic food. Therefore it is free of dangerous chemicals and has the potential to have a negative impact on human health. Pest and disease control can be improved by using natural methods such as green manure and crop rotation, which are excellent for generating safer, healthier, and more odoriferous end food products. Furthermore, nutritious food simply means healthy individuals and better nutrition for a better life for both humans and animals.
Avoid Hormones, Antibiotics And Drugs In Animal Products
Like how humans use vaccinations and antibiotic drugs to keep themselves safe from any kind of virus or bacteria, similarly, conventionally produced fruits and vegetables are also injected with chemicals, vaccines, antibiotics and growth hormones to facilitate fast growth.
When humans consume these non-organic foods, they also consume the growth hormones, antibiotics, chemicals etc., that were used to grow these non-organic foods. In the long run, all of these things can weaken a human’s body and expose him to various deadly diseases. When one consumes organic food, they are free from consuming any kind of growth hormones or vaccines because organic farming does not involve any kind of artificial ingredients at all!
Support Farmers And Agriculture
The majority of organic farming is done by farmers in their farms in most of the countries. By opting for organic foods, you are indirectly helping the farmer community by giving them more profit margins and increased workload. You also help create a demand in the agriculture sector, which helps many people and families in need.
Stronger Immunity
Traditional or industrial farming approaches strive to maximise farm output and production. For example, food insecurity may be alleviated by increasing cereal production, meat production, and fruit size through genetic engineering and growth hormone use. The short-term impacts are increased sensitivity to allergens and a weakening of the immune system.
Eating organic foods reduces the risk of immune system deterioration because they are not manipulated in any way. Organic foods also contain more vitamins and minerals, which help to boost the immune system.
Irradiation
There is no irradiation in organic food. Ionizing radiation is used to irradiate food. During this time, you’ll be in a processing room. X-rays or gamma rays disrupt chemical bonds in food during the irradiation process, intended to limit the number of bacteria. Radiation is a potential carcinogen, and that’s why people are worried. The USDA’s definition of organic does not include irradiated food.
When food irradiation is appropriate, the USDA and FDA collaborate. In addition, the USDA regulates the use of the term “organic” on food packaging and labelling. It doesn’t matter how they’re grown or produced; irradiated foods can’t be called organic by the USDA.
Conclusion:
Consuming organic foods can change your life to an extreme level and protect you from unnecessary diseases and problems. Nature has a lot to offer to us. We only need to respect that and use it to the maximum!
