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Fruits and vegetables are filled up with nutrients which helps us in keeping our body and mind healthy. But, in the current generation, farmers use fertilizers and the pesticides to increase their yield due to the demand by the commercial market.
According to nutritionist Naini Setalvad, ‘Today growth hormones are injected in fruits, vegetables, pulses, poultry and meat to make them larger and plumper. Humans are consuming these products thereby eating these chemicals too. Research has documented and proven that these hormones and chemicals are what are causing the humongous (obesity) sizes in people today. The chemicals and the preservatives are the cause of psychological disorders, depression, mood swings, hyper activity and irritability that have now become a common phenomenon. Infertility in men, problems in conceiving, early puberty among children as young as eight is another by product of consuming such foods.”
IS ORGANIC FOOD HEALTHIER THAN THE NORMAL FOOD?
According to nutritionist Naini Setalvad, ‘An organic diet is not just about nutrition, it is the Art of Eating – it reflects your attitude to life and to the world, because good food sustains life-bad food kills. For healthy growth, we need PURE food. Organic food is safe, pure, more nutritious, environment friendly, protects against diseases and maintains peace of mind. A pure diet fosters purity of mind, body and soul. Be it the Bible, Quaran or the Bhagvad Gita, the first advice is ‘to keep the body in good health is a duty, for otherwise we shall not be able to trim the lamp of wisdom and keep our mind strong and clear’.Organic food is more nutritious than ordinary produce and it may help to lengthen peoples lives and prevent disease.
More Nutrients
A study found that organic fruit and vegetables have up to 50% more antioxidants, which can cut the risk of cancer and heart disease. People eating organic food have improved the immune system, better sleeping habits.
Safer for Children
By feeding your child organic food, it will have about 1/6th the amount of carcinogens in its blood. Thus you will decrease the chances of illnesses. So, especially for children a raw organic food diet is incredibly important.
Better Taste
The taste of organic fruits and vegetables is often superior to any conventional produce. That’s why many top restaurants use organic produce in their menu.
Organic food was earlier found only in certain food stores but is now made available in all the supermarkets. It is more costly over the inorganic counterparts. So, if you have that dilemma whether to go for organic or inorganic foods, understanding the facts on organic foods can help you with a right shopping from the next time.
Healthy Organic Food
The “organic” is based on the method employed in producing these vegetables, grains, fruits, dairy products and meat. The main idea behind producing organic foods was to protect the soil and conserve water while reducing pollution. Therefore, such farming does not involve the use of artificial fertilizers or pesticides for the production. Instead, natural fertilizers and techniques such as crop rotation are employed.
The overall pesticide levels in the organic foods is nearly 10 to 100 times lower than the conventionally produced food. The pesticide residues in the organic foods is 3 to 4 times less likely than in the regular foods.
The toxic metals such as cadmium in the organic foods are also relatively low compared to the regular foods.
Organic foods such as chicken and pork are less likely to harbor the resistant bacteria and are especially good for children who have lower immune levels.
Organic foods also regulate the use of food additives and processing aids such as artificial sweeteners, flavors, and coloring agents.
Nutrient Value
It is not certain whether organic foods are more nutritious over the inorganic foods. Few studies have shown that they have little higher levels of vitamin C, antioxidants, and certain minerals which offer protection against cardiovascular diseases, aging and cancer. Antioxidant content is nearly 60% higher in the organic fruits, vegetables and grains over the inorganic counterparts.
Flavonones which can reduce your risk for stroke are found to be 69% higher in the organic foods over the conventional foods.
Organic foods are generally sold to the nearby markets from the place of their harvest and that gives them their extra freshness over the conventional foods.
Overall, the nutrient values of organic food are a little higher than inorganic foods. But definitely, they are good for the environment which has an indirect effect on your health.
Worth Investing More on Organic Foods
The main concern about the organic foods is their cost due to the expensive farming technique. But if you like the idea of low pesticide and the environment-friendly production of organic foods then don’t hold on to having the inorganic foods just to save few pennies.
If it is not possible for you to go for 100% organic food, at least replace those inorganic foods which have higher pesticide levels. These include green onions, spinach, apples, strawberries, blackberries, beans, peaches, pears. If you want to promote the large-scale cultivation of such eco-friendly foods, then buy foods such as wheat, corn, dairy foods, grains, and beef. If you are interested in reducing the antibiotics and hormones intake, then buy milk, cheese, eggs, yogurt, and meat.
Tips for your health
Always select a wide variety of foods to get the better mix of nutrients and also to reduce your chances of getting exposure to a single type of pesticide. Buy seasonal fruits and vegetables.
Wash the fruits and vegetables thoroughly to protect yourself and your family members from the pesticide residues. Even the foods with inedible (which is not for consumption) should also be washed due to the possibility of contamination while cutting open such fruits or vegetables.
Eat the food while it is fresh to get the maximum nutrients out of it. Refrigerating the food for a long time reduces the nutrient value. Also, fresh food tastes better.
It is a good idea to grow your own food to have the ready supplies of the fresh foods at a lower cost.
Organic food is better for the environment, soil and body. More and more shoppers are convinced to buy organic food, and their market is steadily increasing. So join this list! Doing so, you are not only targeting for more nutritious food, but also you are including the tastier ones.
Pick those products labeled as “organic” and certified by the USDA (US Department of Agriculture), when you shop through the food lanes this time. If this seal is not present, then the product is not 100% organic, and might contain very few organic ingredients.