You know organic food is good for you, but do you know why? Wait a minute. Let’s back up a step, do you even know what organic means? You’ve seen the viral videos of cows being pushed around stockyards by forklifts, and chickens with no beaks or feathers, stuffed into tiny cages, being fed by tubes. You’re pretty sure that’s not organic. You have a vague notion that organic food comes from some magical Eden where the hillside is always green and animals frolic in happy abandon before they magically turn into a hamburgers and garlic roasted chicken cutlets. But there is so much more to it, and if you’re going to adopt an organic diet, you may be interested to know exactly what it is you’re ingesting, and why it’s so good for you (and the Earth).
Any food can be organic if it meets the following requirement: it cannot include, in any part of its production, the use of synthetic chemicals. That means no pesticides, herbicides, or insecticides can be administered during growth. And animals cannot receive any growth hormones or antibiotics and must be fed a healthy diet. Further, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has rigorous standards pertaining to organic food production and certified manufacturers will bear the USDA Organic seal of approval. So there’s a place to start if you want to look for organic foods. You may also want to support local growers in your area. Many organic farms supply farmer’s markets and even area grocery stores (or have delivery and pick-up options for private buyers), and some even offer farm tours to interested visitors who wish to see exactly how their food is grown, bred, and processed.
But what are the health benefits? For starters, synthetic pest controls are chemical in nature. They coat the food you eat and seep into the ground to infest our fresh water supply. That’s right. When you eat and drink these items, you are ingesting chemicals. In addition, animals eat the chemical-coated produce and drink the poisoned water, so if you eat meat, you get a double dose (not to mention all the growth hormones and antibiotics that are injected into livestock throughout their tenure on the “farm”). And don’t forget about by-products like milk and eggs, which also contain all of these chemicals. And what do you think happens when you constantly put these unnatural, synthetic compounds into your body?
Well, consider what might happen if you guzzled a can of raid (a common household pesticide). You don’t even want to think about it, really, because it’s a toxic substance that will destroy your body from the inside out. And while that would certainly be considered a concentrated dose, not at all comparable to the miniscule amount you might ingest from, say, a piece of fruit (even if it’s thoroughly washed, some residue remains), you see where it’s going. Just because you’re poisoning yourself slowly doesn’t make it any less harmful (just less immediate). Studies have linked pesticides to side effects as mild as tremors and convulsions to more severe ailments like birth defects, growth and development disorders, diabetes, several forms of cancer, and even death (in fact, yearly deaths from pesticide exposure number in the thousands). And then there’s the effect on the environment in the form of air, water, and soil pollution (all of which get back to us eventually).
And what about the growth hormones regularly injected into animals to make them grow faster or produce more milk? Residual traces remain in the tissue after slaughter and are absorbed by our bodies through digestion, but is that a bad thing? We all have growth hormones naturally, after all. But this is exactly the problem. The hormones we ingest throw off our natural balance and are thought to lead to developmental and reproductive problems, as well as the onset of certain cancers. It really makes you wonder if drinking the Kool-Aid might not be a more humane way to end it.
Luckily, you don’t have to make that choice. While you can’t really stop the multi-billion dollar industries that are producing these tainted products and polluting our planet in the process, you can use your consumer dollars to cast your vote for healthier choices. In essence, hit them where it hurts (their bottom line, so to speak). In the process, you can improve your chances of living a long and healthy life (not to mention any offspring you may bear) by purchasing foods that are healthy, natural, and organic. Can you imagine a world where you don’t have to worry if your food is going to kill you? Going organic is a good first step.
Kyle Simpson writes for Medical Billing and Coding Certification where you can find more information about a career and training.
Elizabeth here: After reading The Detox Book by Bruce Fife, I've been more motivated to choose organic more often. What are your personal thoughts on organic food? Does it have a priority on your shopping list or are there other factors you also take into considerations?
This post is part of Pennywise Platter Thursday at The Nourishing Gourmet.
