There has been a real push in the health and wellness field in recent years towards organic foods, bolstered by the farm-to-table movement in the restaurant world. Most modern health professionals suggest that eating organic provides a whole host of benefits, but why does it make such a difference? Most government food agencies say that there is no nutritional difference between organic and non-organic foods. But if you take a closer look at the science behind it, and what medicine has uncovered about how our food choices impact disease, there are a host of real reasons why organic foods are safer and better for you. Here are just a few of the health benefits of eating organic.
Many past studies have suggested that there is no nutritional difference between organics and non-organics. But the truth is that the results of these studies cannot really be trusted, as their analysis or agricultural grounding have been flawed. Experts who have looked over the more than 100 studies conducted have found that over 70% of the comparisons made were scientifically invalid. When those inconclusive studies were removed, the remainder showed that organic crops actually had much higher levels of vitamin C, important trace minerals and antioxidant phytonutrients. Looking at Department of Agriculture data going back over seventy years, it is clear that the mineral levels in all foods have been declining. Add in additional processing, longer storage times and earlier picking of crops, and it is clear that today’s food is simply not as healthy as it was in the past. Organic farming methods more closely resemble those older, healthier methods.
Organic food consumption is probably also safer than non-organic. Traditional crops are always treated with pesticides, which allow the factory farms a much higher yield. Surveys have been done by the food industry that claim the residue of these pesticides in our food is completely safe, and that most foods have very low levels. But organic monitoring programs have shown than approximately one third of all non-organic foods have pesticide residuals. Separately they would be harmless, but these foods contain a wide range of pesticides, creating a “cocktail effect” which actually increases the overall toxicity to the human body. The result may be effects to the immune, reproductive and nervous systems, and how extensive they are is yet to be determined. Researchers in Israel have already linked the pesticide residual cocktail to symptoms like low energy, depression, nausea, headaches, anxiety, bad memory and tremors. In Belgium, researchers found that women with breast cancer are many times more likely to have these pesticides in their system. And researchers in Hawaii, concluding a thirty-year, 8,000-subject study, found pesticide residues increase people’s risk of Parkinson’s disease.
Artificial preservatives and colorings in traditional foods also have a negative effect on the system, especially in children. They have been found to increase pre-school children’s hyperactivity, and additional chemicals in traditional foods impact children’s normal organ development. On top of that are significant impacts to motor and mental abilities, none of which were in evidence with children eating food from a Robbins family farm or other organic source. The bottom line is, it is always a good idea to eat foods packed with nutritional value and to lower the amount of toxins you take in. Both are clearly aligned with a diet consisting of organic foods.
