Annie-Rose Licht What is organic food?
Organic food is grown without the use of any synthetic pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides. There are many benefits of eating organic food which we will discuss briefly below. These include nutrition benefits and environmental benefits as well as other reasons for going organic!
organic /ôrˈɡanik/ adjective; (of food or farming methods) produced or involving production without the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or other artificial agents. “organic farming”
Nutrition
Organic foods are often thought to be more nutritious than non-organic foods. A 2010 study reported that people who eat a lot of organic fruits and vegetables had higher blood levels of antioxidants, which reduce the risk for heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and other chronic conditions. In addition, organic meat is leaner because it has been raised on grass rather than grain. It also means that animals have not been fed antibiotics or growth hormones as they do in conventional farming practices – another reason to feel good about eating clean!
Environmental
Environmental |ˌɛnəˈrɪʃnl| || adjective (of a product, company, etc.) concerned with protecting and preserving the environments in which people live; environmentally friendly/safe. “a safe environmental policy” synonym: green, clean.
Going organic will help you contribute less harmful chemicals into our environment which we depend upon for life itself! Organic fertilizers won’t pollute groundwater supplies like chemically-treated manure can. Large Scale monoculture farming can be incredibly harmful to the environment. As a consumer, you have to power to change the world one purchase at a time.
Choosing to eat organic foods means that you are choosing produce and other food without pesticides, herbicides, or preservatives on them. You will be able to improve nutrition while protecting the environment. When animals are free-range they get exercise which helps their muscles develop – this also makes for more tender meat! Organic food tastes better too because it is not man-made in a lab but instead harvested from nature itself. Green leafy vegetables do not have added sugar like some fruit juices can contain — green juice is incredibly healthy!
There are no disadvantages to eating clean. Organic food can be more expensive than regular, but it’s worth every penny because you’re getting what you pay for: nutrition & environmental benefits that hopefully last well beyond your next mealtime. After all, who doesn’t want to do their part in saving the planet?
Sustainable |sə’tiːdʒj(ǝ)nl| || adjective (sustainable resources or activities are able to be continued indefinitely without damaging the environment) ensuring development is carefully controlled so that it does not damage any of the aspects of an area’s natural environment. “the government has failed to implement sustainable economic policies”
Political
Monsanto | monsantō || proper noun (company) a US-based multinational agrochemical and agricultural biotechnology corporation. “Monsanto has developed an herbicide known as Roundup”
Roundup is a neurotoxin that has been linked to Parkinson’s disease and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Monsanto is the company that produces this toxin as well as other harmful chemicals such as DDT, PCBs, Agent Orange (used during Vietnam War), etc.
Roundup is the number one pesticide used in America, especially when growing wheat. It is also used for genetically modified crops that are not allowed to be grown organically.
agribusiness |ˈāgrəˌbisniz| || noun the business of food production on a large scale involving intensive farming, crop growing, livestock raising, and fish farming. Political: the concentration of economic power in corporations that produce food or engage in marketing it to consumers. “campaigners say there should be more independent businesses involved rather than just big agribusinesses”
Organic food nutrition can improve your health while helping you feel good about doing something for our planet! Organic food nutrition means healthier animals produce meat more nutritious than non-organic foods. Non-organic chickens are often raised in small spaces with no room to move about, whereas organic chicken nutrition standards require that the birds have access to outdoors and more space for exercise – this makes for tastier meat!
Organic food nutrition benefits cannot be ignored when you consider how some non-organic foods can contain pesticides & hormones while others lack nutrient density because they’re grown on depleted soils.
My experience of eating non-organic foods growing up caused me to have bellyaches, brain fog, headaches, and acne. of course there are many environmental factors but when I moved onto the Villa and started living an organic lifestyle all of these issues went away.
I highly recommend paying attention to the food you buy and put into your body, after all, you are what you eat.
Photo by Parnis Azimi on Unsplash
