Organic foods have grown in popularity in recent years and presumably, the reason lies in people being more health conscious.
People seem to be attracted to the thought of having healthier food choices. The jury is still out on whether organic foods are safer and more nutritious than foods from traditional farming methods, but the benefits of consuming more natural foods from organic sources are highly regarded by many consumers and advocates that swear by them.
Are Organic Foods Healthier?
Now the question remains, are organic foods really worth the money to spend on them?
We have always been told that we need to eat our fruits and vegetables to be healthy.
However, that might not be enough. To get the maximum nutrition from your food if you can afford it, you need to select only organic produce.
In the twentieth century, farmers discovered that they could produce crops much more efficiently through the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
This sparked a green revolution that arguably helped to prevent millions of people from starvation. However, there was a dark side to this revolution.
Chemical fertilizers are based on the three main elements that all plants need to grow – phosphorous, potassium, and nitrogen.
However, just because a plant grows on these three elements, does not mean that it is healthy.
There are many trace minerals present in natural soils that are depleted by agriculture practices and need to be replenished.
By only replacing the bare minimum with chemical fertilizers, farmers produce crops that become less nutritious for humans.
It is like feeding humans a diet of Twinkies; they can survive, but will not be healthy.
It is not a coincidence that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has noted significant declines in the vitamin content of fruits and vegetables in the last half of the twentieth century.
The use of pesticides is another problem with modern agriculture practices. From a nutritional standpoint, it is known that microbes in the soil that are needed to process trace minerals to make them bioavailable to plants can be destroyed by pesticides.
In addition, many of the chemicals used as pesticides are harmful to humans in large doses.
The fact of the matter is, no clinical study has been done that can quantify the long-term safety of accumulated doses of these toxins over the years.
One final concern over modern agricultural practices involves the use of genetically modified plants.
Some of these plants are modified so that they are more resistant to toxic pesticides such as Roundup, allowing farmers to pour more on the craps humans ingest.
Even more concerning is the use of Bt-corn where the corn is actually modified to produce Bt-toxin within the kernels.
That means that consumer cannot wash it off prior to eating it. Scientists were recently shocked by a study showing that 93% of pregnant women examined had detectable levels of Bt-toxin in their blood while 80% of their fetuses had the poison in their blood.
For those looking to escape the nutritional perils of genetically modified food, pesticides, and chemical fertilizers, organic food is the solution.
Organic produce is farmed using traditional methods of fertilization such as composting.
Composting, while a more laborious process, helps to supply a more complete supply of nutrients to plants, thus making them more healthy.
In addition, organic produce is grown without the use of chemical pesticides.
Thus, you do not need to worry about your children being exposed to a constant dose of chemical toxins when eating organic produce.
Organic produce is certified by many governments of the world, including the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the European Union.
These certifications require the farmer to meet certain specifications to claim their food is organic.
While some argue the standards are not strict enough, you are better off seeking certified organic produce over most of the produce present in the local grocery store.
As the public becomes more informed about the dangers of genetically modified food and modern farming techniques, there has been a huge increase in demand for healthy organic produce.
Stores like Whole Foods have grown in popularity as a result. Your most precious resource is your health.
If you wish to live a longer more healthy life, consider purchasing only organic foods when possible for you and your family.
