Friday, December 14, 2007

Is Organic really better?

It’s a new phase in America.
Mankind constantly boasts of its amazing abilities and of our advances in science and technology. It shouts “Look at us” “Look how smart we have become”! Cell phones, Ipods, Playstations… the world is a much different place than it was 50 years ago. We as a human race have come a long way. Among other things, we also claim to have come a long way in the heath and nutrition spectrum. We have invented more pharmaceutical drugs than ever before, and have created more vaccines than ever before. And have conjured up more weight loss solutions than ever before. We have moved a long way.
But frankly sometimes it seems that we are moving in the wrong nutritional direction.

Never before in America have we consumed as much food as we do now.
Or, shall I rephrase that, never before in America have we consumed as much “food” as we do now. Notice the difference? Eating “foods” high in sugars, fats and loaded with chemicals with no apparent health benefit has become an American lifestyle for many, if not most, Americans. And yet in the midst of the “food” epidemic there is a growing resistance. Some people have considered the big picture. They have seen the effect that “food” is having on our bodies and our entire lives, and have chose to do something about it. A growing number of people are choosing alternatives to “food” and turning to organic. Why?
Because. It is a new millennium. Mankind is becoming smarter. And choosing organic is a smart thing to do. And people are finally studying the health affects of our food.

The European-Union-funded 25 million dollar study[1] into organic food compared organic foods to conventional and found amazing results.
The study found that organic fruit and vegetables contain up to 40 percent more antioxidants than conventional produce.
Organic produce was found to have higher levels of beneficial minerals like iron and zinc. And milk from organic herds contained up to 90 percent more antioxidants than conventional milk.

Another study, the 2003 study in the Journal of Agricultural Food Chemistry found that organic foods are better for fighting cancer.
In 2005 scientists studied groups of rats. One group being fed a conventional diet, the other group eating organic foods. The organically fed rats experienced greater health and benefits than the conventionally fed rats, such as:
-Improved immune system status
-Better sleeping habits
-Less weight and were slimmer than rats fed other diets
-Higher vitamin E content in their blood (for organically fed rats)

Not only can we see the health benefits coming from consuming organic foods.
But there are many benefits organic has to offer to our environment.
Buying, consuming and producing organic foods helps to keep toxicity out of our air, soil and water supplies. It provides a less toxic environment for every living thing.

We’ve come full circle now and are beginning to realize the health crisis we’ve gotten ourselves into. Now we are trying to reverse it by choosing a healthier alternative.
To me, there is no doubt why people are beginning to choose organic foods over conventional foods, simply put, it is better. Better for you, better for your environment and better for our future.

[1] http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/health/article2753446.ece