Health Benefits and More...
Health Benefits
Many people want to know the health benefits of eating organic. So is organic food better for you? Definitely, YES! Decreasing one's toxin burden and increasing one's intake of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants can have a significant impact on health, especially when trying to improve or restore health.
Keeping Away Harmful Pesticides Residues And Chemicals
Consuming organic food is the SAFEST option for your health. Organic farming keeps harmful pesticides out of the food we eat and beverages we drink that endanger our health. Long before extensive research on the health risk of pesticides, US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved many types of pesticides. Now, the EPA considers 60% of all herbicides (weed killers), 90% of all fungicides (mold killers), and 30% of all insecticides (insect killers) as harmful and cancer causing. They recognize that pesticides can cause many health problems, such as such as birth defects, nerve damage, cancer, and many unknown effects might occur only over a long period of time. Emerging research shows when you eat different types of conventional foods, you are consuming a combination of various pesticides, producing “cocktail effect”, synergizing toxicity of up to 100-fold. Click here to learn more about pesticides from a great article on BBC's website.
Organic agriculture also prohibits the use of many post-harvest chemical additives - such as preservatives, artificial sweeteners, colorings and flavorings, MSG, hydrogenated fat, phosphoric acid, and antibiotics in animal feed, which are routinely used in conventional farming.
Hawaiian researchers following 8,000 people for 34 years have found that increasing consumption of conventional fruits and juices increase the risk of Parkinson's disease. Israeli researchers have linked many symptoms such as headaches, tremor, lack of energy, depression, anxiety, poor memory, dermatitis, convulsions, nausea, indigestion and diarrhea with the intake of pesticides. Belgian research has found that women diagnosed with breast cancer are six to nine times more likely to have the pesticides DDT or hexachlorobenzene in their bloodstreams compared to women who did not have breast cancer.
Children need the most protection from harmful chemicals due to their immature and developing organs, brains, and immune systems. Because they have a larger intake of food per kilo of body weight, children are even more susceptible to toxins than adults. Increased exposure to pesticides can lead to underdevelopment of their motor and mental abilities, and an increase in aggressive behavior.
Many people ask the question, ”are organic foods really more nutritious?” The answer is YES! Not only are organic foods nutrient-dense, but sadly the nutrient contents in conventional foods have been decreasing over time due to prolonged use of chemicals.
A groundbreaking review of nearly 100 nutritional studies by The Organic Center published in March 2008 confirms that organic plant-based food:
A co-author of this report, Neal Davies, a professor at Washington State University (WSU) further states that nutrients present in organic foods are, “in a more biologically active form.”
On the other hand, official food composition tables, including data compiled by the US Department of Agriculture, reveal that since the 1940s the mineral levels in fruits, vegetables, meat and dairy have declined substantially in conventional foods. Artificial fertilizers used in conventional foods produces “blossoming” growth by swelling produce with more water, diluting not only the nutrients, but taste and aroma as well. Combine this with unripe harvesting, longer storage processing, and it's not surprising that we may be getting less nutrients in our food than we were decades ago.
Other Benefits
Eating organic food gives you far more than just health benefits. These are more reasons why organic is just better!
Organic food tastes great!
Because organic farming takes care of its environment and builds fertility of the soil, the plant grows stronger and healthier! The produce oozes with more taste and aroma. Try an organic fruit an experience the explosion of flavors in your mouth. Chemicals interfere with the natural taste of food grown with conventionally. Usually, there is less aroma, and a more salty and bitter aftertaste.
Certified organic food meets stringent standards to assure you from “farm to fork”, your food has been handled according to strict procedures. You can be rest assured that the product, its ingredients, and its processing has been thoroughly inspected and is continuously monitored.
Organic agriculture respects the balance needed for a healthy ecosystem. It maintains soil fertility, while protecting wildlife and biodiversity. When you choose organic, you are making a choice to have a more sustainable planet for a better future.
Organic farming helps local communities
By supporting organic products of small-scale rural farmers, you are also giving them and their families a chance to have a better life. In most rural areas, where farming is often the primary activity, producing organic food not only provide them with more income, but also healthier life as farmers in contact with pesticides develop many health problems.