Why all the hype about organic food?

As you browse your local store, looking for inspiration to feed the family, you may wonder whether organic is really any better than regular foods. After all, organic is the buzz word these days, so there must be something in it. And consumers are forcing the demand, while marketers are only too happy to find ways of getting us to part with our money

For a moment, let’s ignore those with financial interests driving their complicated claim that organic makes no difference and look at simple reasons why organic really is better for you.

Traditional farmers -

• Use insecticides to keep their crops insect- and disease-free
• Control weed infestation with synthetic herbicides

Organic farmers –

• Use natural predators and barriers to keep insects and disease under control
• Use crop rotation, mulches, cover crops and weeding by hand to control weeds

This leaves conventional foods contaminated with excess chemicals, which due to build-up can be harmful to humans. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers 60% of herbicides, 30% of insecticides and 90% of fungicides to be carcinogenic

Now those stats alone are enough alert any thinking person to the health dangers involved in supermarket foods. And for our future, as Dr Mercola says - You don't need to have a medical degree to know that anything that kills insects and other living creatures is not likely to be very good for developing babies. One of the most important things a pregnant woman can do is avoid these chemicals as if her baby's life depended on it.

Pesticides play havoc with the immune system, disturbing hormones, causing neurotoxicity and increasing the carcinogens and free radicals in the body. Exposure to pesticides have also been linked to the male reproductive function

Some foods likely to have high levels of pesticides:

Fruit	Vegetables
Peaches	Hot Peppers
Apples	Bell peppers
Strawberries	Celery
Nectarines	Potatoes
Pears
Cherries
Red raspberries
Imported grapes

Whilst the following might contain fewer pesticides:

Pineapples	Cauliflower
Mangoes	Brussels sprouts
Bananas	Asparagus
Watermelon	Radishes
Plums	Broccoli
Kiwi fruit	Onions
Blueberries	Papaya
Grapefruit

And more than the contamination of our food, regular produce has a propensity to carry fewer of the nutrients we depend on for good health. Studies find significantly higher levels of Vitamin C, phosphorous, magnesium and iron in organic products, while also finding appreciably lower levels of toxins such as nitrates.

So while different voices argue the point – stick with the basics – you don’t want to mess up your immune system and become susceptible to disease as a result. Keep using organic foods wherever you can, but be sensible at the same time – if you can’t afford organic, don’t stop eating Real Food all the same!


Further reading:

Environmental Protection Agency of Queensland, Australia

Environmental Protection Agency of Ireland

Dr Mercola on Organic produce

Image source=Hormel Foods
Keywords=r_f