Be Organic: Your Health and the Environment Depend On It

Four months ago I found myself standing in front of the produce section of my local supermarket with a bit of a dilemma. In one hand, I was holding a conventionally grown Macintosh apple. In my other hand, I had one that's been organically grown. Both apples were shiny, firm, and red. Both were free from fat, sodium, and cholesterol, and would provide my body with vitamins and fiber.

The conventionally grown apple cost less and with almond butter still proven to be one of my favorite snacks. But the organic apple has a label that says "USDA Organic." Does that mean it's better? In this age of disease and food-borne illness, could it be safer? More nutritious for our health and lifestyle?

As these questions came up, I was floored at how the differences between organic and conventional food has on one's health. I instantly wanted to become a wiser consumer for the next trip I had down the supermarket aisle so then I will have the most effective care for my body and my environment.

Whenever I am faced with a dilemma I look at the origin and root of the cause. Food shopping is no exception so I follow Jerome I. Rodale (the founder of Rodale Press and Prevention Magazine) wisdom when he stated, "The health of the people is dependent upon the quality of the food they consume. And the quality of their foods depends on the quality of the soil on which that food is grown."

Growth hormones in cows, pesticides on produce and antibiotics in poultry are among many of the reasons friends, family members and myself have turned to organic foods. And, it all begins with the maintenance of our soil fertility.

In conventional farming, soil is used over and over again while nutrients are drawn out of the soil. Without the proper crop rotation the soil is stripped of their minerals. Farmers will then saturate their crops with unnatural chemical fertilizers, which are made of Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium (NPK). The only main ingredients infused and growing in our conventional soil are NPK, where are the rest of the 52 minerals needed for optimal soil health?

When the health of our soil and plants are poor, more bugs come out and farmers use more pesticide, herbicides, and fungicide. With these toxic supplies of ingredients our food supply becomes deficient and toxic leading to our bodies becoming deficient in vitamins and minerals. What happens to us? We manifest mood swings, lack of energy, heart conditions, diabetes and other ailments.

In organic farming, soil is used as the foundation of the food chain. From a health perspective when we choose organics we are not only looking after the health of our body but the health of our loved ones, health of our soil and health of our planet.

Other than avoiding pesticides and other chemicals, there are other reasons to buy and eat organic. In a study written in The Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, researchers have stated that the level of one flavonoid in the organic tomatoes was almost twice as high as that in conventionally grown tomatoes. Flavonoids are plant compounds thought to have a variety of health-promoting properties, including protection against cancer, dementia and heart disease.

The researchers looked at tomatoes grown over a 10-year period in organic fields and conventional fields. Not only did the organic tomatoes score better but also the flavonoid levels increased over time as organic cultivation methods steadily improved soil quality.

The study has shown that organic methods not only benefit our health but the farmers and our environment. Next time your in your local supermarket, step away from your confusion and grab an organic produce that will leave your body healthy and energetic for the day ahead.