Organic Food: Is it More Beneficial for Your Health?

Organic food is certainly nothing new and has been around for thousands of years, however recently more people have been taking an interest in it and the word organic has turned into a big buzzword. Since organic produce usually costs more than the non-organic varieties, the question is: is it definitely better for our health and should we be paying more money for organic food?

Before going any further, we need to define what is meant by organic. The term organic describes something that has not been chemically modified or had chemicals added to it. As an illustration, organic crops have always been produced without the use of pesticides, ionizing radiation, synthetic fertilizers, GM (Genetically Modified) organisms or sludge from sewers. With regards to organic meat, eggs and dairy products, no antibiotics or Growth Hormone (GH) are given to the animals.

The requirements for growing commercial organic food is not an easy one as a total of 3 years have to pass before crops can be termed “organic” Two years have to pass to cultivate the soils natural nutrients so all chemicals are out of the soil when the organic food is produced. A large amount of labor and time goes into organic food production, so its no surprise that it’s more expensive. However, is all that hard work worth it? Is organic produce genuinely going to make a significant improvement to your health?

The good news is that there are actually many other sound reasons to buy organic food. Firstly, organic food has a great deal more nutritional value then the non-organic alternative. A sample of milk used by analysts revealed up to twice as many natural antioxidants, 50% more Vitamin E and 70% more Beta Carotene then milk taken from regular cows. Organic food holds no additional chemicals, for example fertilizers and insecticides, which can be detrimental to your health. Anytime synthetics are added to food, it also increases the number of cancer causing substances, which will be averted by using organic food. Many have commented that organic food also offers a better taste but that’s usually just a personal preference.

If you make a decision to use organic foods, the good news is that it’s also good for the eco-system. Pesticides and insecticides have been proven to have a big effect on the world ecosystem and as organic food contains neither of these its better for the ecosystem. This will all help with a decreased degree of pollution during food production and therefore will not have an adverse effect on global warming. Organic food additionally influences the way animals are handled, as free range chickens are able to roam free and eat when they like whereas many normal chickens are subject to abuse, such as being crammed in cages with lots of other chickens and force fed food to fatten them up.

To sum up, organic foods are great for the environment, your health and also make certain that the animals on the farms are treated well and not abused. Of course, as pointed out at the start, the price of organic food can be much higher then regular food. But always remember that when shopping on the organic market you are doing something good for yourself and for the environment, so personally I feel it is a small price to pay.

Start eating right and protect yourself and your family and put money back in your Pocket… grow your own vegetables! Then go here to see just how easy it is to get started on a healthy eating plan.