Top 10 Benefits of Eating Organic
- Waterways aren’t contaminated by chemical run-off from farms
- Pesticide-related health risks to farm workers (and anyone living in the area) are eliminated.
- You will dramatically reduce the amount of pesticide residue you ingeston a daily basis. Pesticides ingested by pregnant women may be linked to birth defects and health issues.
- Biodiversityis increased with the use of buffer crops, and by avoiding killing or harming insects and other wildlife that is not a threat to crops.
- Pesticides are responsible for a staggering amountof greenhouse gas emissions.
- You can avoid eating any genetically modified foods.
- Reduced reliance on chemical and agri-engineering corporationsis good for farmers.
- Organic farming ishealthier for the soil.
- Organic dairy cows are not injected with milk-boosting hormones which may increase insulin levels in humans.
- Organics taste better. It’s just my humble opinion, but I’ve noticed a difference in the taste of strawberries, peaches, grapes and leafy greens, so if you’re still skeptical, I dare you to put your faith in conventionally grown foods to the test.
Cara Smusiak writes on behalf of Naturally Savvy.com about how to live a more natural, organic and green lifestyle.
More reasons to go organic:
It tastes better
It is healthy
It is safe
Animals are healthier and happier
More wildlife and biodiversity
Can feed the world
Planet friendly
Resilient to climate change
Non-polluting
Stores more carbon
It tastes better
It is healthy
No food has higher amounts of beneficial minerals, essential amino acids and vitamins than organic food. Organic food avoids pesticides and all controversial additives including aspartame, tartrazine, MSG and hydrogenated fats. Organic food contains higher levels of vitamin C and minerals like calcium, magnesium, iron and chromium as well as cancer-fighting antioxidants and Omega 3. Organic milk for example, is on average 68% higher in Omega 3 essential fatty acids. There is evidence that organic food can reduce cancer, stroke and heart disease.
It is safe
There are over 3,800 brands of insecticide, herbicide and fungicide approved for use in the UK. Some fruit and vegetables are sprayed as many as ten times before reaching supermarket shelves. GM is banned from organic produce. Genetically modified (GM) crops and ingredients are banned under organic standards. Shoppers wanting to avoid GM products may be surprised to know that over a million tonnes of GM crops are imported each year to feed non-organic livestock, which in turn supply our supermarkets with pork, bacon, milk, cheese and other dairy products.
Organic animals are healthier and happier
Organic animals are free to pursue natural behavior because they have plenty of outside space to thrive and grow, and are not routinely drugged with antibiotics. Organic standards prohibit cruelty and guarantee truly free-range lives for farm animals. The UK Government’s own advisors found that plant, insect and bird life is up to 50% greater on organic farms. Organic farms have more wildlife. Organic farming relies on wildlife to help control natural pests, so wide field edges are left uncultivated for bugs, birds and bees to flourish. They are also not sprayed away by the fertilizers, chemicals and pesticides routinely used on non-organic farms.
Organic can feed the world
Organic crop yields equal or are more than industrially farmed crops. There is increased food security as there are few external inputs (chemical fertilizers, weed killers), it is ecological so less dependent on scarce resources such as oil and is more sustainable. Organic farms require more manpower so help the local job market, really important as poverty is a prime cause of hunger.
Organic can double or triple yields of conventional farming
Yields of organic corn and soya is the same but with less water and 30% less energy
Organic is planet friendly.
Over 20% of greenhouse gas emissions come from food and farming today. Nitrogen fertilizer manufacturing is the worst offender. To produce just one ton of food takes one ton of oil, one hundred tons of water and produces seven tons of greenhouse gasses using modern industrial methods unlike Organic farmers who work with nature to feed the soil and control pests, so that the farm is a single balanced organism, carbon in = carbon out. By choosing organic, local and seasonal – we can significantly reduce our carbon footprint.
Organic soil is healthier and more resilient to climate change
Because organic soil contains higher levels of carbon stored in the humus, more soil microbes, and better soil structure, it withstands drought, heavy rains and erosion better. Less water for irrigation is needed, rains do not wash away the soil, or dry weather blow away the soil.
Organic does not pollute the world
There are no poisonous chemicals (weed killers, pesticides, fertilizers) which can kill wildlife and which cause illnesses such as cancer, autoimmune deficiency, respiratory problems and allergens. Friendly animals, insects and microbes that protect against pests and disease are not killed nor are bees that are essential for pollination. As a result there is no poisoning of our water supplies or our atmosphere.
Organic agriculture stores more carbon
Methane emissions from animals are a problem in intensive farming practices. Organic soils have 50% more carbon in their soil. Soil under grass stores more carbon than arable land. Loss of carbon from arable soil is a problem when using nitrogen based chemical fertilizers. In industrial farming systems animals grow extra fast as they are fed on indigestible soya and grain. There is very little grassland, high methane emissions, and a problem with disposing of highly polluting slurry. Farmyard manure is second only to compost for restoring carbon and fertility to arable fields; grass rotations also restore soil fertility and carbon. Animals feeding on the grassland then further increase its fertility. Low animal stocking, grass leys and natural slow growth means that methane emissions from animals is matched by carbon storage in the ground.
Organic soils have 50% more carbon in their soil. Conversion to organic practices would capture 2 tonnes of CO2 per hectare per year back into the soil. Carbon capture in the soil using organic methods can have a huge effect on carbon levels in the air. Soil contains three times as much carbon as the atmosphere and five times as much as forests and vegetation put together. The answer is local, organic grass reared meat not imported meat raised on fields created from forest, and not local animals intensively reared on soya (grown using methods producing high carbon emissions possibly on land cleared from forest).
Organic carbon levels could reduce atmospheric CO² by 2%.
Healthier plants animals and people
Organic growing can solve the food crisis
Can solve the carbon emissions crisis as organic soil and plants stores more carbon
Organic produce is safe, pesticides, etc destroy our food and our health
Choose Organic Choosing organic food helps protect your family from toxic pesticide residues commonly found on fruit and veggie skins.
Hormone-Free Desserts Standard ice cream usually comes from cows fed a steady (and unnatural) diet of genetically engineered corn, soy, and even antibiotics and hormones linked to certain cancers. Organic dairies ban all of these, and their cows are required to eat a more natural diet featuring organic grasses and hay. This also creates milk higher in a heart-protecting fat called conjugated linoleic acid, or CLA. Pick Stonyfield After Dark Chocolate
Eggs from Happier Hens More than 90 percent of the eggs produced in this country come from hens crammed into tiny cages and given feed loaded with antibiotics? Birds raised outside on pasture produce nutritionally superior eggs.
Pesticide-Free in the Frozen Food Aisle Stick with the sustainable farming theme year-round opting for organic in the frozen fruit and vegetables aisle. Buy in bulk from a local organic farm during the growing season, and preserve the harvest to enjoy later. Cascadian Farms offers organic frozen vegetables nationwide. Shop from your local organic farmer whenever possible.
Sustainable Nurtured Skin & Hair “Natural means nothing.” For truly organic personal care products, look for the actual USDA organic symbol not just “organic” in the product name. Try Dr. Bronner’s Baby Mild or peppermint organic soap for bathing, hand washing, and even shampooing to get started.
Truly Natural Meat Choosing organic beef means customers don’t have to deal with the possibility that their meat was injected with ammonia gas, food dye, or any of the other nasty substances the food industry typically uses. Look for the USDA Organic label—not wording like “natural”—to find meat free of pharmaceuticals and other contaminants.
Milk Many parents buy organic milk to avoid exposing their family to cancer-causing, genetically engineered growth hormones used in some conventional dairy operations.
Chickens That Don’t Eat Chicken Reports of factory farms feeding their chickens food laced with chemicals, heavy metals, pharmaceuticals, and even parts of other chickens grow more common, the public is shifting toward local grass-fed chicken supplemented with organic grains. These are known as pastured birds.