Organic Food?

Go Organic!

There’s a lot of information out there on the advantages and disadvantages of organic foods and possible effects of non-organic foods.  I was a little overwhelmed and didn’t know what to believe.  Some people don’t even realize what is organic food.  When they think organic, they think vegetarian.  Organic food is food grown naturally without pesticides, preservatives, hormones, and other additives and chemicals.  In crops, organic farmers focus on enriching the soil by crop rotation and using organic fertilizer.  In meat, animals are pasture fed and live in a comfortable environment.  They’re not fed hormone enriched, processed food, and kept in the stressful, cramped quarters like the conditions of your average meat processing company.

Basically, there hasn’t been enough research on whether or not organic food is better than conventional food.  I would think it would be, but it’s not “scientifically proven.”  The only items proved to be better when they are produced organically are milk and tomatoes.  So, it comes down to personal opinion.  Until more studies have been done to absolutely, without a doubt prove that organic is the best, all we have is opinions.

So here’s my opinion.  It’s just kind of logical that naturally-grown food would be better than food full of preservatives, chemical residues that are possibly toxic, and hormones.  From what I’ve read on the subject, it scares me about what’s going on in the food industry.  I’m sure if people could see how their favorite foods are made, they wouldn’t want to eat them anymore.  Companies only care about production rates and not their customer’s health.  Scientists are experimenting with food trying to make it better, but they haven’t done the studies to make sure it doesn’t make it worse.  So, I’m all for going organic in any way possible. 

Before I list the benefits, there are some disadvantages.  Though organic food industry has grown about 30% in the past 5-6 years, I can see why it hasn’t exploded.

Cost

I found an article that said organic food has a short shelf life and is costly because so much food is lost.  Plus, without modern technology, organic is not very productive with a result of less food per acre.  On the opposite of the spectrum, I read an article that said organic food lasts longer than conventional food and is cheaper because farms don’t have to pay for pesticides, preservatives, and other additives.  Most articles I read said organic food is more expensive.  Plus, in grocery stores, organic food is more expensive.  In the long run, conventional food is cheaper.  With our advances in science, food can be grown faster, bigger, in more amounts, and it will last longer in stores.    

5 Benefits of Organic Food

 

No Hormones

Hormones are chemicals that are made by specialized organs in the bodies of humans and animals.  Hormones are just one of the ways our bodies are regulated because they affect cells for growth, development and reproduction.  In food production, hormones can make young animals gain weight faster and dairy cows produce more milk.

Synthetic steroid hormones have caused concerns because they have recently been discovered to cause cancer.  Diethylstilbestrol (DES), a synthetic estrogen drug, was used to fatten chickens in the 1960’s.  It was later outlawed after it was found to cause cancer.  The food industry is like a mad chemist performing possibly dangerous experiments on our food!

There are six different kinds of steroid hormones that are currently approved by FDA for use in food production.  I looked up the two that I knew of, estrogen and testosterone, and the lists and lists of side affects already determined by these two hormones freaked me out.  There has been concerns about hormones causing early puberty in girls and causing milk related allergies from the use of hormones to increase a dairy cow’s milk production.  More research is needed.

Here’s a really good article of the use of hormones in food.

No Pesticides

According to this website, the average conventional apple contains over 30 pesticides even after washing it.  I can see how that can happen.  If the apples aren’t washed well from the beginning, the pesticide residues are trapped when the apples are coated with wax.  I hate the wax on apples.  Have you ever taken a knife and scraped at the skin of an apple?  Ugh, I don’t care if my apple is shiny if it means I’ll be ingesting a layer of wax.

Seven of the most toxic pesticides are approved for use on crops.  Click here to view the side effects of pesticides.

Pesticides in food have been linked to cancer, obesity, Altzheimer's, and some birth defects.  Our bodies are an amazing gift that requires, surprisingly, little maintenance.  For the most part, the only time our bodies are out of order is when we screw up and eat unhealthy things.

No Preservatives

Recently, carbon monoxide has been put into meat to deceive people into thinking it is fresh. Processors add carbon monoxide through a procedure called "modified atmosphere packaging" and it's approved by the FDA.

One of my friends does lectures on the benefits of organic food.  Her son had many ailments and allergies that were cured by an all natural diet.  Anyway, she kept a Lunchables meal with her that was seven years old.  She never refrigerated it and though the box looked old and worn, the food looked fine and ready to eat.  “Bugs won’t even touch it,” she said.

Click here for an article on the side effects of preservatives on livestrong website.

Better Taste

People strongly believe that organic food tastes better than non organic food.  Organic food avoids the processing that alters the taste.  Deceptive preservatives are not used so organic food that appears fresh is fresh.  Obviously, freshness affects taste too. 

Here’s the results of a poll on the taste of organic food.

Better for the Environment

Organic farms benefit the environment because no artificial chemicals pollute the soil.  This decreases pollution in the air and water as well.  Organic farms encourage a balanced ecosystem because everything is grown how nature intended.  All the animals that aid in plant growth (like worms) are not harmed by lethal chemicals.

How do I know it’s really organic?

A section of the USDA called the National Organic Program (NOP) strictly regulates organic food production to make sure customers are getting what is said on the label.  However, there are three levels.  Foods labeled “100% organic” have to be 100% organic.  Foods labeled just “organic” are required to be at least 95% organic and foods labeled “made with organic ingredients” are at least 70% organic.

If you are worried about false labels, read these articles on the USDA website about NOP regulations.

I think I came to a conclusion on what I think about organic food.  I believe there needs to be a change in the food industry.  It’s all about faster production and though it may be cheaper, it’s not healthier.  Companies are overloading their products with unnecessary chemicals.  We don’t need preservatives to keep a Lunchables looking fresh off the production line for seven years!  Until changes are made, organic food is better.

I’m not telling you to go start your own garden though that is an option.  If you’re like me, a person who kills every plant she’s entrusted with, or maybe you have no space to grow your own food, invest the time to find our who offers local organic produce.