Why You and Your Family Should Eat More Organic Food
Have you been hearing about how you and your family should eat more organic food? Do you ever wonder why? There are actually all kinds of reasons why you and your family should eat more organic food. Here are some of those reasons.
Nutritional and Flavor Superiority
While not all experts agree on this, many natural health enthusiasts and experts point out the nutritional superiority of organic food. It does make sense that organic food would be more nutritious; after all, plants draw nutrients from the soil, air, water, and sunlight.
If one or more of these elements are lacking, such as may be the case in conventionally-grown foods, then it may be that fewer nutrients make it into the developing fruit, grain, or vegetable. The soil in particular tends to suffer from chemical farming methods, becoming “dead” and subject to erosion. It’s hard to imagine that a really nutritious food can be grown from dead soil and chemicals!
Let’s not forget flavor. While organically-grown foods may be more variable – they tend to be affected more by the forces of nature – nearly everyone who tastes organic foods can attest to the superior flavor of organics. Who knows – maybe your picky child might like organic versions of foods he or she didn’t used to like!
Pesticide Dangers
Various experiments have been done to see just what it takes to remove pesticide residue from conventionally-grown fruits and vegetables. The bottom line is, pesticide residue is extremely hard to remove, requiring soaking in a bleach solution and extensive scrubbing, one experiment found. And it’s impossible to remove whatever the plant has “taken in” as it grows in a pesticide-saturated environment. So “just washing it” is not necessarily a great alternative to eating organic produce!
The presence of pesticide residue on foods has been linked (sometimes preliminary, sometimes quite strongly) to various health problems, from ADHD to hormonal imbalances to cancer.
The Big Picture
Even if you think you can just wash away the pesticides, bear in mind that when you and your family eat more organic foods, you are, in essence, making a statement with your dollars. You are saying that yes, there is a market for organic foods, so keep them coming, please! This market dynamic ultimately tends to drive prices down, too.
There’s more to the big picture. As you and your family eat more organic foods, you are not contributing to destructive, unsustainable methods of farming that have the potential to negatively affect everyone with pesticide run-off, erosion, and other problems.