An Introduction to Organic foods.

An Introduction to Organic Foods

By: Jack Moe

When it comes to foods, the term “organic” is becoming more and more common. Organic foods are foods that were grown without the use of artificial fertilizers, chemical pesticides, and genetically altered seeds or sprouts. Foods that do use artificial fertilizers, chemical pesticides, and genetically altered seeds or sprouts are generally referred to as “conventional” items.

As the popularity of natural lifestyles has grown, various organizations have been created to set up standards to distinguish between what is an organically grown item and what is not. Foods that adhere to the standards of that particular agency and arrange to be inspected by representatives of those agencies will usually display a label of some kind to inform the consumer of this additional standard. The most common label of this kind is the green “USDA organic label”

There are many reasons eating all natural foods and organic food has become important to people. The largest and most obvious reason for switching to organic recipes is that many people believe the pesticides and fertilizers used to grow and protect the vegetables can never be completely washed away and eventually makes its way into our system when we eat those foods.

The argument continues that even if we do get all the chemicals off of our produce, those chemicals are no less dangerous being introduced into the waste and water systems. The mere fact that they are spread across acres and acres of land means that eventually those chemical will find their way into our bodies and cause great harm over time.

Proponents of organic foods also believe that because the seeds and vegetables are processed less and grow using all natural fertilizers, they retain far more flavor and many, many times the nutritional value of conventional produce. This is partially due to that fact that because certified organic produce can not use artificial preservatives, it makes its way to the grocery store that much faster. According to advocates, using organic ingredients helps to create fresh and healthy menus that are full of nutrition.

Another reason why organic ingredients are thought to be superior to conventional foods is the fact that they are by their very nature a stronger genetic breed. Plants that have been manipulated genetically over generations or sprayed season after season with strong pesticides will inherently be weaker on their own, with less developed natural defenses. This is thought to further compromise the nutritional value of the end product.

Detriment to the environment is another major concern of proponents of organic foods. As these pesticides run off into the surrounding ecosystem, a huge array of problems can result, from contamination of the nearby lakes and streams to the poisoning of the local water table. Using fertilizers and pest repellents that are also organic ensures that the excess materials will bio-degrade harmlessly into the environment.

Organic foods are often the first step many people take when transitioning to a healthier way of eating and a healthy lifestyle in general. Organic clothes, furniture and many other household goods are now available to the general consumer, but organic foods are still the most important, because those are the things that most directly affect our health.

Making the switch to organic foods can be fun and educational. With the huge increase in the number of health food stores, and also the number of organic sections in “conventional” grocery stores, finding organic ingredients is becoming far easier and more cost effective.

A wealth of information can be found online as well, from websites such as www.gnliving.com. Go Natural Living is dedicated to helping people make the transition to healthy eating as easy and fun as possible.