Are Healthy Organic Foods Worth the Price?

Are healthy organic foods worth the price? Have you noticed the wide variety of basic ingredients that has recently appeared in your neighborhood grocery store you shop. How are you supposed to know the difference between natural, organic, and just plain old eggs, or the organic, grain-fed, and Angus types of beef. If you take the time to learn what all of these categories actually mean, then you can determine whether a type of ingredient is natural and worth paying extra for, or if it is just a label meant to take advantage of unsuspecting customers.

Natural is a term frequently used to describe fruits and vegetables.  After all, vegetables and fruit are all natural- that doesn’t mean they were processed in the same way organic foods are. If you see an organic food label, you’re probably going to find food that has been grown without fertilizers or chemical pesticides, both primary benefits in an organic food diet. Organic foods yield two distinct benefits. Firstly, by not using these chemicals, which is not discharged into the soil, drinking water or other sensitive environmental receptors. In addition, you will not be ingesting these compounds into your body and therefore will be consuming healthier nutrition. Also consider the environmental impact you’re having. By eating more organic, you are encouraging farmers to grow their foods without chemical enhancement.

The downside is that these organic foods cost more than conventional foods. For those with limited incomes, organic fruits and vegetables may be more than you can afford and with the alternatives for organic fruits and vegetables you can peel, like oranges and banana, the non-organic foods are equally healthy, because by peeling the fruit you are discarding the chemicals that may be present. You should consider eating organic when eating foods that are not peeled, like apples, because the chemicals are placed in direct contact with the material you are eating. Regardless of the food you buy, it is essential that you wash and clean the food after you purchase it.

One other deceitful label you might come across is one that states “no hormones.” Normally this refers to milk or meat products and it isn’t true, since hormones are produced naturally in every kind of animal, even humans. Hormones are something that helps all animals, including humans, regulate body organs, reproduce, and do other functions as well. Every meat product contains hormones. The label is actually saying that no additional hormones have been added to the animal’s diet to boost milk production output. Whether these additional hormones are present or not it will not impact the animal’s rights and the animal products are safe for human consumption.

Finally, a label on the egg carton and meat might say whether or not the animal was  raised in a caged or penned environment.  But that really doesn’t have any effect on the quality or the nutrient value of the meat, it’s just a point for animal rights. Products like this can be slightly more costly, but it really is a wise choice. Reading labels and making healthy decisions is hard, but knowing how to do this lets you do the right thing for your nutrition and health needs.

Organic Foods?

Organic foods do not contain dangerous pesticides. Although studies show that the minimal amounts of residues of chemical pesticides found on non-organically grown foods are not dangerous to your health, many people just don’t believe it. Studies show that children who maintain conventional diets have more pesticides in their bodies than those who eat organic foods. Some experts believe that these pesticides may possibly lead to problems impeding with normal neurological development. Many organic food advocates also wish to avoid the antibiotics and growth hormones that are used on conventionally grown farm animals. These substances pass from the dairy products and meat we eat into our bodies. This use of antibiotics may be one of the causes of antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria.

Organic food advocates also claim that organic foods are more nutritious than conventionally grown foods. There isn’t much evidence to show that organic foods contain any more nutrients than non-organic foods; however some organic produce contain more vitamin C and higher quality protein content. There is also evidence that animals grown with organic feeds tend to be healthier than animals fed conventional feeds.

Source:  Organic Foods?