Organic Vs Non-Organic Food
Healthy nutrition is not just about following the guidelines for healthy diet. Food safety has become a major issue in recent years due to increased awareness of potentially harmful artificial additives that are found in most food products, the risk of pesticide residues and other dubious substances as well as environmental concerns about the conventional food production. For that reason the number of people who choose organic over non-organic food is rapidly rising despite higher costs of organic food products. But is it really more healthy and nutritious? To be able to answer that question it is necessary to understand how conventional and organic food are produced.
After the end of World War II, food production has become more similar to industry rather than the traditional farming most people are familiar with. In order to increase food production, conventional farmers have started to use tonnes of artificial fertilizers to promote plant growth, spray chemical pesticides and herbicides to control weeds and pests, and giving animals growth hormones to accelerate growth rate and antibiotics to prevent diseases because livestock is living in overcrowded conditions. This practice has been shown to have a devastating effect on the environment, while the use of chemicals can leave a residue in the food product. These residues are claimed not to exceed the safety standards but sublethal doses of pesticides and other hazardous chemicals are being ignored.
Unlike conventional farmers, organic farmers do not use any non-organic chemicals in food production. Rather than using artificial fertilizers, organic farmers stimulate plant growth by use of natural fertilisers such as manure and compost, fight against pests and diseases with organic pest control measures such as organic pesticides and beneficial insects, weed by hand and rotate crops to control weeds, give animals more space and access to the outdoors, do not give livestock any antibiotics and focus on preventive measures such as providing the animals optimal living conditions and healthy feed.
If you compare the practices between conventional and organic food production, you can clearly see why so many people are willing to pay more for organic food. It is much more environmentally friendly and poses virtually no risk of pesticide residues. Organic food also does not contain any artificial additives that are found in abundance in non-organic food products which makes organic food undoubtedly a safer and healthier choice. In addition, several studies have shown that organic food is more nutritious than conventionally produced food. However, you should not assume that organic means healthy. Even if you buy organic food only, read the labels very carefully because it may be high in sugar, salt or fat content. Also, make sure that you buy the freshest food products possible, especially fresh fruits and vegetables because they tend to lose nutritional value very quickly.
Unfortunately, the industry has noticed increased demand for organic food which is why there is a lot of confusion about which products are actually organic and which are not. You can find a lot of products that are labelled “natural”, “bio”, “hormone-free”, etc. that want to make you think that they are a healthier choice. However, none of products with the above mentioned labels are organic nor any healthier from other non-organic products. Only products that are certified organic are truly organic.