Similar to vegetarianism and the more extreme vegan diet, organic food is becoming more and more of a presence in modern society—largely due to the supposed benefits of organic food over non-organic food. But does organic food really provide more benefits than its non-organic counterparts? Let’s take a closer look at organic food to find out.
What is organic food?
First, it is important to define exactly what is considered “organic.” Traditionally, organic is used to describe how the food is grown and processed. Although the exact nature of growing organic food may vary from country to country, depending on what (if any) regulations are in place to determine what standards must be met for organic food, the typical organic growing or raising process will involve using no manmade chemicals, such as pesticides and other synthetic materials.
For example: Crops of non-organic fruits and vegetables are typically treated with chemical pesticides to kill and prevent insect damage. Crops of organic fruits and vegetables, on the other hand, are treated with natural pesticides and other non-chemical deterrents, such as using traps to reduce insects, introducing natural predators (such as certain birds) to limit the insect population, etc.
The organic label can also apply to how animals are raised for consumption. For example, the USDA requires that organic beef be from cows that were only fed using organic feed and were not treated with antibiotics, growth hormones, and similar products.
Is it better for you?
The answer to this question is a complicated “sometimes.” According to Complete Health, there are certain foods that are more beneficial when they are grown (or raised) organically than others. For example, it is much more beneficial to choose organic produce when buying fruits and vegetables that are eaten whole—skin and all—because of the fact that the skin will have been treated with pesticides and other chemicals on a non-organic farm. Even if you wash the skin of your fruit, such as an apple, there may be traces of the chemicals on the skin. It is also better to choose organic beef, poultry and other meats due to the amount of chemicals that non-organic beef, poultry, and so on, are typically fed.
Organic food is typically more costly than non-organic due to the extra care and time required to grow or raise it; however, the benefits of choosing food which has not been treated with potentially harmful chemicals outweigh the additional cost.
