Organic Foods: A Better Choice for Your Health?
Organic. You’ve probably seen this word in your favorite supermarket, prominently identifying certain agricultural produce or sometimes as large banners in the packaging of vegetables, fruits, and meats. When making a change to a healthier lifestyle people often begin by undertaking a new exercise training plan, but they often want to make a change in their diets as well. When it comes to foods and diet, the “organic” label is getting more attention than ever before. This label seems to shout to the consumer: “Hey, I’m different… try me.” But what exactly are organic products, and do they truly offer something different? Organic foods typically carry a higher price, but is the premium in price providing a real value or is it simply more product hype? Are organic foods better than their non-organic counterparts?
When it comes to improving our health, making sensible decisions about food is as important as participating in a healthy exercise training program. These are some important things you need to know:
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines organic agriculture as an ecological production management system that promotes and enhances biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity. As most people probably assume, organic agriculture is based on minimal use of off-farm inputs and on farm management practices that restore, maintain and enhance ecological harmony. It includes the reduction of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers and the use of other non-natural materials, such as hormones and antibiotics. The process involved in making sure that a particular farming practice promotes balance and bio diversity is the major reason why organic produce costs more than their non-organic counterparts.
Organic produce ranging from vegetables to meats boasts of the absence of pesticide residue, hormones, and antibiotics. Advocates of this farming method claim that crops and animals grown this way taste better and don’t have a negative effect on a person’s health. A study published in the Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics reports that there may be a truly compelling reason to support the idea that exposures to certain chemicals that may be used in agriculture production could contribute to the incidences of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) among children. These chemicals, know as organophosphates, are commonly used as agricultural insecticides introduced to crops from planting up to the point of storage. The study finds that children with confirmed ADHD also have high level of organophosphate in their body, but it should not be inferred that these levels were due solely to or directly because of the use of these chemicals in agriculture..
The non-conclusive nature of many studies attempting to link synthetic pesticides and fertilizers and other materials, such as hormones and antibiotics to negative effects to humans, is something that traditional farmers look to in support of their methods. An important point to be made is that while organic produce are certified by a government agency, the USDA, non-organic products are also certified to be fit for human consumption by the U.S. government.
The question remains: is organic food healthier? Should someone who is looking for a healthier lifestyle add organic foods to their diets in addition to exercise training? For some, the absence of synthetic pesticides may be reason enough to believe that organic food is the better option. The processes used in producing organic goods are also reportedly beneficial to the environment, which may be enough to convince many that organic production is a healthier alternative for the planet as well.
Ultimately, traditionally produce foods are still certified fit for human consumption, and it is the consumer who should decide whether or not organic foods make more or less sense from both a health and from an expense perspective.
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