1. Organic Food is full of Nutrients
Even if you’re eating well and including a variety of vegetables in your diet, how can you be sure they are nourishing your body..?? Say whaaaaat…??? Yep…I know. It sounds like we can’t win. Including a high percentage of veg into your diet is of course a good thing, but we must be mindful of the quality too – not just the quantity.
Did you know that a lot of the food grown today is significantly lower in nutrients than it was 50 years ago..??? But all is not lost. If we pitch organic food against non-organic produce, studies have shown organic food contains higher levels of nutrients than their non-organic counterparts. So to make sure we’re packing a nutritional punch with our veg intake, organic food is the preferred choice.
2. It Just Tastes Better
Organic food is old school; how it was meant to be before it was sprayed and tinkered with to produce quantity over quality. It’s been grown in a healthy soil full of nutrients which has cultivated a strong and healthy plant. So it tastes how it was supposed to taste.
3. Organic is Healthier for You
Conventionally grown produce is sprayed with insecticides, fertilised with artificial chemicals and treated with synthetic herbicides. When you eat food that has been treated in this way, you also eat some of the chemical residues that will remain on the fruit or be part of the fruit or vegetable itself.
Our bodies can only deal with so many toxins at a time and continued exposure to things like pesticides and industrial pollutants can cause serious health problems. Choosing organic food is much easier on our bodies as it only has to extract the good stuff, not filter out the bad stuff.
4. Support Local
Many organic farms produce on a much smaller scale than the suppliers of supermarkets; organic food perfectly demonstrates the theory that quality rules over quantity! That’s why the outlets for organic food are often local farmers markets or even a make shift stand at the farm gate. By shopping directly with the grower or producer, you’re supporting your local economy and the organic farming community as well as getting the best food for your family.
5. Say No to GMO
Genetic modification of food allows scientists to take genes from one species and combine them with DNA from another to enhance performance or create something new. The idea is that the modified plants can better withstand exposure to herbicides, pests and harsh environmental conditions.
Whilst there are no GM crops in New Zealand there are still products on the shelf that will contain GM ingredients from other countries. The most common GM crops include soybean, corn and rapeseed which show up in our food as soy lecithin, corn syrup and canola oil.
You’re most likely to come across these ingredients in highly processed foods which we recommend you avoid if you’re trying to lead a healthy lifestyle. New Zealand has labelling laws that require the ingredients to state if something is Genetically Modified but if that all sounds too hard then organic is the way to go: certified organic food products cannot contain any GMOs.
6. Avoid Hormones, Antibiotics and Drugs in Animal Products
The use of antibiotics and growth hormones in New Zealand is relatively low compared with other countries like the USA where antibiotic use is HUGE. However, antibiotics can still be administered for the entire life of a chicken, for example, and they are routinely given to pigs and calves.
The use of Hormonal Growth Promotants (HGPs) in beef cattle is also low and highly regulated in New Zealand and in other countries, including the EU, HGPs are considered unnatural additives and are banned. At the other end of the scale, countries including the USA and Australia consider HGPs to be safe and they are used extensively. So…this is something to consider next time you buy Australian beef.
Choosing certified organic meat means no growth hormones will have been used on the animals and the use of antibiotics has been strictly controlled. The use of synthetic pesticides or fertilisers on an organic farm is also prohibited and food for the animals must be organic and GMO free.
7. Protect Animal Welfare
Animal welfare is a crucial and integral part of organic standards. Organic rules ensure the highest animal welfare standards, like access to outdoor runs for chickens and lower flock numbers per area of land.
8. Say Yes to Better Soil Health
Soil health is imperative if we are to grow healthy, strong plants full of nutrients. Conventional farming methods are intensive and as the soil is ‘used’ over and over again it is stripped of its nutrients which are not replaced. Organic practices are all about nurturing soil health and maintaining the eco system that thrives in a healthy soil. Methods like crop rotation, companion planting and the use of organic fertilisers all support and encourage healthy soil and a balanced and stable soil eco system. Remember…if a nutrient isn’t in the soil, it cannot be in the food.
9. Reduce Pollution
Conventional agriculture methods include the routine and liberal spraying of crops and fields with artificial fertilisers, synthetic pesticides and herbicides. When spraying such large areas, spray drift is inevitable and some of these chemicals will end up on neighbouring landscapes and be washed into nearby streams and rivers. In effect, these practices contaminate the wider environment, poison our waterways and contribute to the declining health of our fish, birds and other wildlife.
10. Preserve Agricultural Diversity
The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN states that 75% of the world’s plant genetic diversity has been lost in the last century. Farmers have favoured genetically uniform, high volume crops that produce large, ‘good looking’ fruit and vegetables at the expense of rare heritage and heirloom seed varieties. Another shocking statistic is that today, 75% of the world’s food is generated from only 12 plant and 5 animal species….
Organic farming on the other hand, relies upon diversification and crop rotation which is beneficial for the soil. And as many of the heirloom varieties are naturally resistant to pests, diseases and extremes of weather, artificial protection from these elements is not required.
So, now you know why organic food is better for you. Find out how it can fit into a broader organic lifestyle by reading my “Organic Living – what is it and how can it work for me?” article.
