Organic food has become sort of a mantra these days and almost everyone I know is speaking of organic food. Well! Being an Agricultural Microbiologist, I have had the opportunity to have first hand experience of what organic food really means and how much it is important to your well being.
There are a section of people who keep following fads and have taken to organic foods as one of them. However, there is lot more to organic foods than what meets the eye, and they are so strongly evident that you might really understand the urgency to go organic immediately.
Reason #1 – Health Hazards
The recent outbreak of microcephaly in Brazil in fact stunned the world with a coincidental spread of Zika virus. Microcephaly is a congenital condition in which babies are born unusually tiny heads.
The connection between the virus and the condition is however been questioned by a group of Argentine physicians who have come up with scientific proof that it is not Zika virus but a larvicide (to kill mosquito larvae) that was introduced into Brazils water supply which is behind microcephaly.
The Physicians in Crop-Sprayed Towns (PCST), have said that the to control mosquito larvae spreading in drinking water a larvicide namely Pyriproxyfen was added to water tanks. PCST has found that Malformations were found in thousands of children from pregnant women living in such areas where this Sumitomo companies product was added.
You can read the complete article about the research here
“Malformations detected in thousands of children from pregnant women living in areas where the Brazilian state added pyriproxyfen to drinking water is not a coincidence,” the PCST wrote [pdf] in the report.
Thus it is evident now that the very human DNA can be affected by chemicals which originally were promoted as protection agents.
There are a number of papers published around the world which have clearly connected pesticides with different kinds of cancers.
Organic food such as organic meat, organic milk, organic eggs and organic vegetables is thus a necessity more than choice.
Reason #2 – Hormonal Imbalance
Chemicals used as pesticides in plants and preservatives in meat and other packed foods have been connected to many hormonal imbalances such as thyroid and Endocrine.
More than 90% of the pesticides one consumes are found in the fat and tissue of meat and dairy products. This is mainly due to Bioaccumulation – that is as one goes up the food chain the amount of toxins accumulated is higher. So when you consume milk or egg that has chemical in it you are accumulating more toxins in your system.
You must be aware of girls attaining puberty at an earlier age than a generation before. Male hormones too have been found to be affected by pesticides blocking them and causing serious concerns world over. Growth hormones in milk (rBGH or rBST) are genetically modified and have been directly linked to cancer, especially in women.
Thus choosing organic meat and organic milk products is unyieldingly important for young children and nursing mothers.
Reason#3 – Better Nutrition
Organically produced food is found to be better in taste and nutrition. In a study conducted on the vitamin C content and lycopene in tomatoes, organically produced vegetables had more nutrients than their counterparts.
Organically produced milk was studied and found to have better taste as well as better nutrition especially in terms of omega 6:omega 3 fatty acid ratio which plays a very important role in reducing or eliminating probable risk factors for a wide range of developmental and chronic health problems.
Read the organically vegetable buying guide here
Organic food also is found to maintain a healthy proportion of beneficial microorganisms in your gut which keeps your digestive system hale and healthy. Pesticides and GMOs tend to make the good organisms in your stomach become weak and strengthens disease causing organisms such as Shigella, E.coli and so on which is confirmed by scientific studies.
It is proved that on an average, organic foods provide: 21.1% more iron (than their conventional counterparts); 27% more vitamin C; 29.3% more magnesium; 13.6% more phosphorus.
Reason#4 – Makes You Feel Safe
Leaving carbon imprints where ever you go is one thing you can never be relieved off. Be it farming or just living comfortably in your home, you just tend to make earth a little more polluted. Organic farming is one way you can help to reduce this carbon imprint.
Organic foods, organic vegetables and organic diary and meat products makes it possible to be able to live a more sustainable life. You can try growing your own organic vegetables, grow some poultry for organic eggs and so on.
One should know that when we speak of organic food, it should come from your neighborhood. You cannot transport organic food from far away continents, because that will make it need some preservatives, thus making it unsafe. Organic food having proper labels give you a satisfaction of consuming something that is safer and will not cause any complications.
You need to let your children have safe water, air and an environment free from pollution, this can be ensured by organic farming.
Reason #5 – Maintain Ecological Balance
Einstein said – The day when there is no honey bees in this world the earth would cease to exist.
Yes! it is very important to maintain the ecological balance and have pollinators and predators that naturally exist on the earth. Trying to change this balance is what is causing all the climatic changes and global warming today.
Paul Hepperly of The Rodale Institute says that Organic farming may be one of the most powerful tools in the fight against global warming. Organic farming uses the naturally occurring bioinnoculants and predators instead of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, thus making them less dangerous to the environment.
Know How to Grow Your Own Veggies
Also when you begin buying locally, you begin supporting farmers more which is the most required step to save our dying farmers and drying farmlands. Supporting local farmers is very important because food scarcity is one thing that cannot be fulfilled by any mechanically operated firm, you need a farm and some good farmers to provide food for you and your coming generations.
Stay tuned to read more fun filled information breaking myths and bring celebrity loved recipes to you and all about organic foods such as organic vegetables, organic diary products and organic meat this month. I have taken it as a campaign to convert (as in religious conversion) at least some of my readers into organic product consumers and thus have joined #MyFriendAlexa campaign by #Blogchatter.
Going organic as I said earlier is now going to be a necessity than a choice, so better start NOW!
