Organic food advocates often say that organic food is not only safer and more nutritious, but is also a better option where it concerns the environment and humane treatment of animals. It seems that more and more people are being swayed by the argument because despite the very high prices of organically grown food, sales are increasing on a steady basis.
Nutrition experts claim that insufficient evidence is available to actually prove there is really an advantage to eating organic foods. Organic food has really not been part of the mainstream market long enough to make any judgments on health outcomes over the long term. As a result, it's really difficult to make claims that organic food is better than commercially grown food.
There are valid arguments for the benefits of both commercial and organic farming. In the last decade or so, shoppers have been seeing a wider variety of organic foods available on super-market shelves. Claims of organic produce being safer, better tasting, and more nutritious than regular commercially-grown food is common-place, but is it really true that organic food is really a better option?
Studies have determined that organically grown food has on average 33% less pesticide residues as it's conventionally grown counter-parts. However it should be noted that pesticide residues found in conventionally grown foods are well below the levels deemed unsafe by Environmental Protection Agencies. So the question is, "is the difference really great enough to justify the cost to the consumer?"
It can be pretty daunting to find one pound of organic ginger root costing $9.99 in a health food store as compared to purchasing the commercially grown variety for $1.95 per pound in a conventional super-market. What makes it even more confusing is that both products look, feel, smell, and taste exactly the same.
It's also interesting to note that organic food production means staying away from the use of synthetic herbicides and pesticides during the growing process. Essentially this means that organic growers must deal with an increased amount of pests and weeds.
Plants can't escape from these invaders so must adopt a method of defending themselves. They will produce more natural toxins to fend off potential dangers. These natural pesticides have the potential to be even more harmful to people than the ones used in conventional agriculture.
There is also the issue concerning the use of manure for the fertilization of organic crops. A much greater possibility that the food can be contaminated with dangerous bacteria like E.Coli will always exist. Experts on organic farming claim that bacteria contamination will normally happen after the food has left the farm.
However, all growers seem to agree that it's important to rinse any and all fruits and vegetables regardless of which growing method is used. In order to get the greatest nutritional value from any food, it should be eaten as fresh as possible. Even it it's true that more nutritional value exists in organic food, it will be lost if it sits in your refrigerator for days on end.
Ultimately, individuals have to determine what is best for them. If buying expensive organic food means skimping on healthy conventional food, then possibly it's not the best option. A wiser choice might be to eat a combination of both foods. It seems that it doesn't really matter if a product is grown organically or commercially, the important thing is to eat a wide variety of fresh grains, fruits, and vegetables on a regular basis.
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