Is organic the healthy choice?

Health is now the single biggest concern for us in the UK, topping job security, terrorism and crime - according to recent data. So is organic the healthy choice? The Soil Association says yes it is. “Yes because it’s not just what it does contain, it’s also what it doesn’t contain,” says their online newsletter Why Organic?

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Studies show that on average organic food contains more vitamins and minerals than non-organic. This is because plants grow in a naturally nutrient-rich soil.

Non-organic chemical farming methods can speed up growth rates which can change the structure of a plant - resulting in the plant containing more water. Is that a good thing? No because it means the plant will contain less nutrients. In other words when you buy organic produce you get more carrot for your carrot.

Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) are an essential part of a healthy diet. This is because our bodies cannot produce them. On the whole, medical experts tell us, we aren’t getting enough. EFAs help us get the most out of the food we eat and are important in preventing heart disease and brain disorders including depression. Organic meat and milk have been shown to have higher levels of essential fatty acids. This is because organic animals eat a natural grass-based diet as opposed to non organic animals that can eat a lot of processed feeds to help them put on weight.

On average organic plants contain between 10-15 per cent more phenolics than non organic. Phenolics are important defence compounds. It is believed by some experts that these are helpful in preventing diseases such as cancer.

Don’t panic it’s organic…
Over 86 per cent of us say we don’t want pesticides on our food. Yet Government tests repeatedly show that up to a third of non-organic food contains pesticides.

Even food that we think is healthy, such as non-organic Cox’s apples, can be sprayed 16 times. There are real concerns about the links with pesticides and cancers, decreasing male fertility, foetal abnormalities and chronic fatigue syndrome to name but a few. Organic farmers predominantly use natural methods to control pests, weeds and disease. So buying organic is one way to reduce the chances that your food contains pesticides.

When lots of animals are kept in cramped, stressful conditions they can become ill quickly. To prevent this, non-organic farmers can put antibiotics routinely in their feed. However there are worries that these low level but constant doses may end up making them ineffective when they are used to treat actual diseases in both humans and animals. Organic farmers can only use antibiotics when an animal falls ill. They take many steps to prevent this from happening – such as keeping smaller flocks and herds, giving them a natural diet and ensuring they can free range. Under organic standards, the withdrawal period (time lapse between animal having antibiotics and the meat or milk going on sale) is double or in some cases triple that of non organic standards. This is to ensure that there is no risk of residues.

These days it seems you need to have a chemistry degree to understand some food labels. Some E numbers and other additives have been found damage health. Want to avoid them? Organic standards have banned them.

Genetically modified ingredients are also banned under organic standards. There is mounting evidence to suggest that there are many health problems resulting from this random science. Eating organic food is the only way you can be sure that your food or drink doesn’t contain these ingredients.

In a nutshell, organic food contains more of the essentials and none of the nasties. As Hippocrates said “Let your food be your medicine, and your medicine be your food.”

If you want to find out more about organic food, you can register with Why Organic? at www.whyorganic.org

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