Is Organic Really Better?
Is organically grown food really healthier for you than conventionally grown produce? The debate has been raging on since the 1950s as to whether or not organically grown produce is actually better for you than crops from the larger, pesticide using farms. The truth is, while some may say that the jury is still out, that would only be the official one. Most of the studies done over the last few decades have been either swayed by funding or just poorly conducted, calling most of the results into question. So while the “official” results may say there is no difference in health and quality, if you go through and eliminate invalid studies, the answer you will find will be completely different. And its a matter of simple logic.
The fact is, organic food is actually safer for you and contains more nutrients than conventionally grown produce.
Organic Foods Have More Nutrients
Studies have shown that, on average, organically grown produce contains higher levels of many key nutrients, including vitamin C, trace minerals, and antioxidant phytonutrients. Data compiled by the USDA over the last 70 years shows a significant decline in the levels of minerals that can be found in conventionally grown produce, meat, and dairy.
When you take into account the fact that modern conventional methods push these foods to grow faster and produce more (using overpowered fertilizers and steroids) as well as the fact of earlier harvesting when the produce is not yet ripe, it should come as no surprise that our food contains less nutrition than it did 70 years ago.
In addition, studies have shown that, pound for pound, over-fertilized (i.e. most) produce contains a higher percentage of water than organic produce does. This means less vitamins. It also makes sense that phytonutrients, most of which make up the plant’s immune system, are at higher levels in organic produce because the plants have to develop their own defenses against diseases which are not killed by pesticides and chemicals.
Fewer Pesticides in Your Body
No one denies that conventionally grown foods do have a certain amount of pesticides still on them, when they reach our shelves. While the FDA has set “safe” levels for these chemicals to be in your system, it should be obvious that we would be better off not eating them in the first place.
Because organic foods are grown without the use of chemicals, you can be sure you are not ingesting anything nasty! Recent studies have actually linked several symptoms such as fatigue, trembling, impaired brain function, headaches, digestive problems, and skin disorders (just to name a few) with the consumption of pesticides in your food.
Research in Belgium has actually shown that women with breast cancer are up to nine times likelier than women without breast cancer, to have hexachlorobenzene or DDT (pesticides used on food) in their bodies. Research in Hawaii has been making connections to consumption of conventionally grown (pesticide laden) fruit and fruit juice, to the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease.
Organic Food Does Make You Healthier
Study after study has found the same results: when you give people (particularly kids) a completely organic diet for an extended period of time, they become healthier. The people who eat organic foods as part of these studies tend to heal faster, get sick less, have more energy, and even have healthier teeth! This should actually come as no surprise when you think about it- when your body has to spend less energy processing all the toxins you put into it (through eating non-organic, chemical laden food) it has more energy to spare for doing what it is supposed to do — keeping you healthy, attractive, energetic, and alive.
For all the kinds of food in the world, it’s obvious that organic is the best and healthiest. We should not wonder if it’s unhealthy, because since it’s purely organic, that means that it is very healthy. The only thing we need to do is to wash it properly to avoid the dirt that may also contain bacteria. We should practice the daily food consumption of organic foods.
Organic food is really better than processed food. It probably retains the nutrients of that food. The processed food containing such things such as pesticides, which you have mentioned here, is really bad in our health and it also reduces the nutrients in the food. I like the information about how does this habit affect me. I think I will practice to maintain this kind of eating habit, because there are a lot of benefits to eating organic food.
Organic foods are safe and healthy to eat. Plus organic foods are tastier. Price actually doesn’t matter, our health is more important than anything. Like they say, eat healthy and live healthy.
Here’s a video that shows how important changing to real food can be: http://organicconnectmag.com/nutrition-behavior-and-education/
Marty’s video is well worth watching! Parents and teachers, take note.
Organic food is definitely healthy. I like raw vegetable salads and it’s a great way to keep myself healthy and in good shape. But I am always scared to take normal vegetables because I always have the fear of taking a little quantity of pesticides also along with them which may accumulate over a period of time to affect our health. That’s why I have shifted to organic vegetables now and I can have my salads without any apprehension.
Kelly does indeed have a great point. Health is Wealth, as many people say, and so wealth for health. Organic Foods are rich in many vitamins and minerals essential for our bodies’ mechanisms to work properly and also for our teeth to be strong.
Actually organic fruits and vegetables have a real taste. Also smell like real food not the plastic we get everywhere.
Thank you for your review on organic foods. I never realized that non-organic foods can contribute to teeth discoloration.
Great facts and infos. It’s not that easy to regulate the habit of in-taking organic food. It is a bit expensive, for sure. But I agree with Cheryl that a lot of grocery chain outlets are out there with coupons for organic food which help us buy food at reasonable and cheaper prices. Ultimately, health is wealth. Sometimes you need to spend wealth to stay healthy…Cheers!
.-= Kelly from Best tooth whitener´s last blog ..The Best Teeth Whitening Products – Free To Try – My Personal … =-.
True, Kelly. One could increase one’s food budget and decrease one’s medical budget.
I agree that organic foods are a lot healthier, but the only thing I hate about them is they are so expensive! It always seems that all the deals at the grocery stores are on the non-organic foods, and the foods that are good for you make your wallet skinny fast 🙁
Hi, Heather.
I guess we get what we pay for! That said, however, I have noticed that there are discount grocery chains in my area that carry organic foods at considerable savings. For example, Grocery Outlet, Winco, and Costco. Some of the organic food is less expensive than its non-organic counterpart at a standard grocery. There are also some non-organic foods that are better quality than others. For example, meats and eggs that are labeled “free range” are not completely organic but are from animals that have been allowed to graze at times in a pasture or barnyard. You can look for dairy products that do not contain hormones and that are pasteurized rather than ultra-pasteurized. You can also shy away from foods with long lists of ingredients that don’t look like normal food words. In the summer, you can buy produce from local farms and you will avoid the chemical measures taken to preserve the food for long rides on trucks or trains. Then, you can freeze or dry some of that local produce so you have it available in the winter. There’s lots to learn, it’s true, but each new improvement we put into our lives is a step toward health and happiness.
Not only is organic food healthier, I find it just plain tastes better.
Really wonderful information and it seems pretty handy. I appreciate it that you shared something so useful with the readers of this blog. I eat organic food all the time. But it can be expensive. Thanks.
I really don’t see any alternatives to eating organic, for both myself, my loved ones, and my pets.
.-= Robert@Organic Pet Supplies´s last blog ..Living A Natural Life? Your Pet Should Too! =-.
That’s right. Organic food is really healthy and beneficial for our body and hence must be eaten.
Is there going to be a list of the negatives, or are we just going to choose to focus on the positives?
Yes, these are the advantages of organic food.
That statement from the FDA that there is such a thing as “safe” levels of pesticide chemicals is absolutely absurd. That’s like saying that there are safe levels of cigarettes that you can smoke, Anyway, I try and support my local organic farrmers and shop at Wholefoods every chance I get.
My father-in-law has been a farmer for over 40 years. He has several farms where they farm both organic and non-organic produce. He has moved towards making all his farms organic after noticing the difference in product. He to noticed that fertilized produce contains a higher percentage of water than organic produce does, making the product less nutritious. Because he values his health and the health of his family he will only provide organic products for his family. I think that speaks volumes.
Organic food is alot better for your teeth than normal food because of its lack of artificial colouring and extra chemicals to make the food last longer.
healthier Food is awesome to our entire health system. The decay process of the human body let alone the dental system reduces quite substantially
I agree healthier food is going to make healthier teeth. There are lots of factors that could go into that. Even meet products, which have hormones injected into the animals can cause issue within the human body when you eat that meat.
Organic food is good for health as it does not have harmful food color which are making our teeth yellowish.
Of course healthier foods promote healthier teeth. Thanks for the article. Funny thing is that not only does organic food make teeth healthier, they are more likely to make teeth whiter. Less stains on your teeth from food coloring. Also because fruit contain acidic acid, that itself is cleaning your teeth without the use of harsh chemicals such as bleaching. Really great article! 😆