Organic Food: What Is All the Fuss?
Organic food is produced without any man-made chemicals such as antibiotics, pesticides or hormones. Because of this, when eating organic foods there is no worry of ingesting antibiotics that can make a person resistant to this form of medication.
Animals are fed only an organic diet. This means that meats and dairy products do not contain toxins that are bad for our health when ingested. There is also no risk for mad cow disease in livestock that consume an organic diet. In this respect it would seem that organic is healthier than traditional forms of food.
Feeding a baby organic food is highly recommended. Babies' immune systems are very fragile. They can easily become ill from foods that have been sprayed with pesticides and heavy metals contained in traditional baby foods. Traditional baby food is made by condensing the fruits, vegetables and meats. This increases the pesticide and metals that may be contained in the food; therefore organic is much better for a baby.
All these good things doesn’t mean that all organic foods are healthier. For instance organic seafood has very little value. The USDA has not set any standards for organic seafood. They may contain any substance harmful or otherwise. This is completely legal as long as the word “certified” is not included on the label.
Many believe it is necessary to use pesticides on fruits and vegetables to make them healthy. With some fruits and vegetables pesticides are easy to remove by washing them well before consumption. These include pineapples, cauliflower, sweet corn, broccoli and onions. Foods such as apples, grapes, peaches, berries, celery and potatoes are found to be difficult to remove pesticide residue therefore organic versions of these foods is considered healthier.
Processed foods are also up for debate. Many organic processed foods include both organic and inorganic ingredients when processed. To find the best organic processed food read the nutritional facts on the label. The label also should say “USDA Organic.” Keep in mind that many processed foods lose their healthy value due to loss of nutrients during processing.
Always read the labels to make sure you are purchasing 100 percent organic foods. So what’s the fuss? There really isn’t any as long as you know you the facts. Eating healthy is important and only you can decide what’s healthy for you.
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