Why choose organic?

[Daisy82]

Choosing organic over regular foods cost considerably more and is real luxury, is the additional money worth the benefits?

[Louise]

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Organic foods are becoming increasingly popular and more readily available. Whilst many people have heard that organic food is better for our health, very few really understand why. Lets look at some of the health benefits to be found when choosing organic food over conventional food.


Antioxidants

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It is believed that antioxidants found in organic food has a greater effect on our health and wellbeing when compared to conventional food.
This may be due in part to the harmful chemical toxins found on conventional food interacting with the bodies ability to effectively benefit from the uptake of vitamins and minerals found in fresh produce.

Eat a rainbow of foods. The diagram below indicates the protective benefits from the natural food colours. Choosing to eat a variety of coloured food on a daily basis will help to increase your antioxidant level and boost your immunity. Choosing organic optimises these benefits.

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Pesticides

Pesticides are used to protects crops from being damaged by pests and the environment. These chemicals are powerful and very effective, however, the are not natural to the human body and are toxic.
The consumption of these toxins has a negative impact on our health, including developmental problems such as autism and ADHD. Children are particularly vulnerable, even low levels of exposure during development can lead to long term adverse health effects.

The World Health Organisation suggests that there are upwards of 3 million cases of pesticide poisoning each year, leading to over 200,000 deaths.
The symptoms may be subtle and therefore go undetected by conventional medicine. Symptoms of pesticide exposure can range from memory loss, poor vision, reduced motor skills and changes in behaviour or mood. Pesticide exposure has also been linked to asthma, allergies, hypersensitivity, hormone disruption, problems with reproduction, fetal development and cancer.

Exposure from crop spraying goes beyond direct ingestion from contaminated foods, the chemicals become an environmental hazard too. This diagram shows how direct crop spraying turns into environmental contamination.

Organic food is grown without the use of chemicals, pesticides, fertilizers, fungicides and herbicides.

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The Immune System

The immune system is a collaboration of cells, tissues and organs that work to defend the body against invaders. The success of our bodies immune system is down to an elaborate communication network. This protects the body from foreign invaders such as bacteria, viruses, parasites and toxins.

When our immune system is not working properly it can lead to health problems such as cancer,HIV, allergies and autoimmune diseases, including lupus, arthritis and diabetes.

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Antibiotic resistance

Antibiotic resistance is a widespread growing problem. frequent use of antibiotics can cause bacteria or other microbes to mutate or change, meaning that the antibiotics are no longer effective. This makes the infections harder to treat, leading to the development of stronger, more powerful drugs.

Antibiotics are routinely given to conventionally raised farm animals. This widespread agricultural use promotes the development of antibiotic resistance. Exposure to antibiotics is through under cooked meat or contaminated soil and groundwater. Organic farming ensures that animals are raised without antibiotics and hormones.

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[Louise]

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The choice between organic and conventional food has always been debated based on cost, taste, nutrients etc
However, the choice to go organic should be a personal decision, based on your requirements. Organic choices effect the environment, wildlife, farm animals and farm workers, the taste of food, the nutrient density of food, and our general health.


A recent study published in The British Journal of Nutrition (http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?aid=9325471&fileId=S0007114514001366) 2014 looked at 343 studies into the compositional differences between organic and conventional crops, this found that switching to eating organic fruits and vegetables would provide the consumer with additional antioxidants, equivalent to that of eating an extra 1-2 portions of fruit and vegetables per day. This study contradicts an earlier, much smaller study undertaken in 2009 by the UK Food Standards Agency; this study concluded that there was no substantial difference of significant benefit from organic food.


The longest running side-by-side American study, started in 1981 and ran for 30 years; and was undertaken by the Rodale Institute (http://rodaleinstitute.org/assets/FSTbooklet.pdf) looking at the comparison of organic and chemical agriculture. This study looked at the cost of producing such foods, in terms of soil health, yields, economics, energy and human health. The study concluded that organic farming outperformed conventional farming, this was the conclusion:





Organic yields matched conventional yields





Organic outperforms conventional in years of drought





Organic systems build rather than deplete soil organic matter, making it a more sustainable system





Organic farming uses 45% less energy and is more efficient





Conventional systems produce 40% more greenhouse gases





Organic farming systems are more profitable than conventional





Although, conventionally produced foods are said to be safe for human consumption, there is little known of the long term effect of our low-level exposure to pesticides. The herbicides, insecticides and fungicides used in conventional farming are by name, definition, and purpose designed to kill. Organic food production, on the other hand uses no such chemicals, which makes it incomparably safer to consume.
There are over 17,000 pesticides currently on the market. Exposure to these chemicals has been linked to brain/central nervous system disruption, breast, colon, lung, ovarian, pancreatic, kidney, testicular, and stomach cancer.


When the choice of organic food over conventional comes down to cost, compromise is always worth while. Choose organic versions of the foods with the highest pesticide use and residues. check out this video from Fully Raw....

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While their remains debate over the nutritious benefits of organic over conventional food it is important to note that there can be no argument over the levels of pesticides that enter and pass through the body when we consume conventional food. The human body whilst very efficient at removing toxins from the body, is not designed to remove the amount of chemicals we are exposed to through modern day consumption of food, drink and our environment.

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[Louise]

Birke makes explaining the importance of choosing organic foods child's play. This is a great lecture from 11 year old Birke talking on 'TED talks'.


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