Why Buy Organic?

Why Buy Organic Foods

I realize we have written about the reasons for going organic before, but I think it is important to reinforce them, and what better time than now? Start off the new year knowing the important reasons to go organic. The following is a guest post from Joe Silver.

USDA Organic1. Organic produce was grown without poisons that are meant to kill bugs, called pesticides. If these poisons kill these small living creatures, what do you think they do to your body? The average non-organic apple has 20-30 artificial poisons on its skin, even after rinsing. You deserve the best, so think about avoiding the poisons and go organic!

2. Fresh organic produce contains on average 50% more vitamins, minerals, enzymes and other micro-nutrients than conventionally farmed produce. The science behind this percentage shows that it's good for you.

3. Organic foods guarantee that you can avoid eating genetically modified (GM) food. GM food is created in a laboratory and designed to withstand various forms of pesticides and herbicides. Unfortunately your body doesn't tolerate these geneticaly-modified foods as well as their original counterparts(no surprises here). By buying organic food, you are putting in your vote against the use of GMO's.

4. If you eat dairy or meat products, going organic is essential to safeguarding your family's health. Traditional, non-organic raised dairy cows and farm animals are fed a dangerous cocktail of anti-biotics, growth promoting drugs, anti-parasite drugs and many other medicines on a daily basis, whether they are sick or not. These drugs are passed directly onto the consumers of their dairy produce or meat.

5. Protect our water quality since all of the spraying on non-organic crops will rinse right off the plants and into our water supply. Humans can live without food for some time, but without water, the outlook is bleak in a very short amount of time. Men's bodies consist of about 60% water, where women's bodies consist of about 55% water. Choose organic and rest assure the next time your thirsty and reach for that cold glass of water it will be pure.

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6. Organic produce simply tastes so much better. Organic fruit and vegetables are juicy and flavourful, and so many different varieties to try! Just because you are picking organic doesn't mean your selection is limited, most fruit and vegetables have organic versions, with more and more added every day.

7. Organic farms support and nurture our beautiful and diverse wildlife. Over the last thirty years, intensive farming has led to dramatic erosion of the soil, a fall of up to 70% of wild birds in some areas, the destruction of ancient growth forests, and the near extinction of some of the most beautiful species of butterflies, frogs, grass-snakes and wild mammals. Organic farming is a holistic approach to living together with the land and not scalping it raw for bigger and bigger profits.

8. Organic food is not really more expensive than intensively farmed foods, as we pay for conventional foods through our taxes. We spend billions of dollars every year cleaning up the mess that agro-chemicals make to our natural water supply. Go organic for a genuine more cost-effective future.

9. Non-organic farming can seriously damage farm workers' health. There are much higher instances of cancer, respiratory problems and other major diseases in farm workers from non-organic farms. This is particularly true in developing countries, and for agrochemical farms growing cotton, which is by far the most toxic crop. So go organic if you care about other people who labor and sweat to keep our bellies full and our bodies clothed.

10. Lastly, but certainly not leastly, if you simply like the idea of your children and grandchildren being able to visit the countryside and play in the forests and fields just like we did when we were young, go organic for the sake of all of our futures.