We hear a lot about how good it is to buy organic food but what are the real benefits of doing so and is it worth the premium price? Personally, it has been a process over a number of years, to justify paying the extra money. But over time I became more and more aware of the benefits to my health and the environment. Now it’s difficult to not buy organic or from a farmer who I know doesn’t use pesticides.
So let’s define what organic means. For food it means growing it without the use of synthetic pesticides or fertilizers and processed without irradiation or food additives. In most countries, including the US, genetic engineering (GE) cannot be used in organic food production. Livestock must be raised without the routine use of antibiotics and without growth hormones and fed no animal by-products. The USDA Organic label also ensures that producers are certified annually for compliance with organic standards, unlike labeling for “natural” and “free-range” products which are not subject to verification. There are many other labels out there. For help in sorting out the truth about what they really mean, www.organicconsumers.org is a great resource.
One of the most important reasons for eating organically grown foods is for the health aspects. I joke that it is an integral part of a health insurance plan especially if the focus is on vegetables and fruits and not on organic processed foods, though we all have to start somewhere. Research has shown that organic produce contains higher levels of nutrients and lower levels of heavy metal pollutants. The impact on our health is enormous since vitamins and minerals are vital for the body to function normally. Many chronic disease states could be prevented if people were being adequately nourished. Unless we take a very high quality food-based vitamin, we are solely dependent on the food we eat to provide the nutrients our bodies require. People approaching middle-age often start to have health issues. One of the reasons this happens is because minerals and vitamins are not being replenished and the body begins to break down like a car that hasn’t been maintained. Relying on food for true nourishment requires eating food grown in rich, healthy soil that has not been degraded and damaged by chemical methods of farming which leave the soil lifeless and devoid of essential nutrients and enzymes. If the soil doesn’t have the nutrients, neither will the plants growing in it.
Another compelling reason to eat organic foods is to avoid ingesting food that has been genetically modified. As stated above, genetic engineering (GE) is not allowed with organic foods. There is increasing evidence that GE crops are harmful to human health and the environment. Animal studies are showing evidence of problems in the digestive, reproductive and immune systems. Because GE foods have not been adequately assessed for negative impacts on humans and the environment, we are all involved in a giant experiment on the effects of GE foods. What is even more disturbing is that the purpose of much of the genetic modification is to make the crop itself more resistant to the weed killer, Roundup, so more can be sprayed on the fields without killing the crop itself! So the worry is not only genetic modification but the higher concentrations of toxins on the plant. The EPA has even gone so far as to increase the maximum allowable concentration of Roundup on sugar beet roots, for example, at the request of Monsanto which produces Roundup. The best way to avoid this food mess is to avoid processed foods containing corn, soy, canola and cottonseed oils (the most common GE foods) or to buy organic versions of these processed foods.
Often omitted in discussions on the importance of eating organic foods, is the effect conventional farming has on the environment in which we live. The chemicals used in conventionally produced food wash into our streams, rivers and oceans, affecting plants and wildlife as well as our drinking water. Wastewater treatment plants and many filtering devices are not capable of filtering out these chemicals. In addition, the unhealthy soils of conventional farms are much more prone to erosion by wind and rain. The result is a devastating loss of topsoil which is vital to growing food and takes hundreds of years to replace. Instead it is washed into rivers and streams where it suffocates wildlife and alters entire ecosystems. The ramifications are enormous. There is much more to say on this subject, but I think you get the picture.
It’s a wonderful thing to not have unnecessary and potentially harmful chemicals in our foods. Understandably it is difficult if not impossible to eat organic all the time whether it be for financial reasons or availability. You can start with small steps by planting a few vegetables or getting to know farmers at the market and how they grow their food. At the supermarket, use the following link to get a handy list of produce with the highest concentrations of pesticides and try to buy only the organic versions http://www.foodnews.org/walletguide.php. To learn more about organic foods, labelling, irradiation, GE foods, pesticides, etc., go to www.organicconsumers.org.
