What is the first thing you think of with the words "Organic Food"? Healthy? Pricy? Natural?
Organic food, according to Wikipeida, is produced based on certain standards: growing without the use of pesticides, artificial fertilizers, human waste or sewage sludge; processed without ionizing radiation or food additives. For livestock, they are raised without the routine use of antibiotics or growth hormones.
So, why are organic foods consider better than non-organic foods? Simple! Since organic foods are grown without all the artificial processing, it means that we have fewer chemical intake into our body when consuming. Less chemical - less side effect or bad effect to our body! Also most countries like USA, Japan and places in EU have the requirement for producers to obtain organic certification before making their food produced as organic; this provides another layer of protection and confidence for food production and consumption.
There is a debate going on to talk about whether organic food is indeed healthier. One study conducted by University of New Castle, in comparing organic and conventional foods, showed that organically cultivated foods have more nutrient or vitamin contents than conventional ones. However, another study examined by the University of Copenhagen claimed that organically cultivated foods do not, in comparison, have major nutrient differences with conventionally farmed foods. It is again a perspective issue on how they define their studies and what purposes of their studies are.
Also, since organic foods are always more expansive, some people are looking into what kind of organic foods are actually worth buying into. From Men's Fitness, several organic food items are worth to pay few more bucks, which include bell peppers, spinach and lettuce, strawberries, apples and peanut butter!
At the end, whether you believe organic foods are better or not, the most important thing to remember is eat healthy food with a healthy diet.
Think about it, which one is better? A 5-meal diet that contains organic foods of calories up to 3000/day or a 3-meal non-organic food diet that contains calories of 2000/day? It's a choice! And make the right choice for yourself and simply be happy about it!
