Are organic foods even better for you and the environment in the first place??

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For plants,the term 'organic' basically means something grown without the use of  synthetic fertilisers or pesticides,but this is a little bit misleading.
You see,many consumers buy organic to avoid pesticides all together,but the truth is,organic farmers can still use pesticides and fungicides to prevent insects from destroying their crops,they just can't be synthetically made.

There are over 20 chemicals approved for organic use in US,derived from natural sources like plants,but studies have shown that some natural pesticides are actually a more serious health and environmental risk than man - made ones. Not to say they are all bad,but simply that,'natural' doesn't always mean 'better for you or the environment.' On top of this, not all organic foods are completely organic. 

If a label simply says 'organic',it only has to contain 95% organic ingredients. The label 'made with organic ingredients' on items like bread may only contain 70% while 'containing organic ingredients' may only have 50%. Only when a label says '100% organic' does it contain purely organic ingredients. 

Organic vegetable yields are typically 33% lower than conventional ones,putting a greater strain on the natural environment as more farm land is required. However,organic legume yields are only 5% lower,as they are more efficient at absorbing nitrogen from organic fertilisers.

After several studies,researchers concluded that organic fruits and veggies are no more nutritious than conventionally grown food. However,long - term studies of purely - organic diets are difficult,as most people eat a mixture of foods with non - organic ingredients.

Those on short - term organic diets do show higher levels of carotenoid,polyphenol,Vitamin C and E, LDL cholesterol,antioxidant activity,immune system markers. But,the differences are clinically insignificant. Children placed on organic diets for 10 days have lower levels of oraganophosphates in their urine,which in higher concentrations are associated with neurological problems,but both levels are orders of magnitude lower than the amount needed to cause clinical harm.

A bag of organic chips is still just deep fried carbohydrates with very little nutritional value. Organic food has a higher incidence of being dangerous.

A study found E.Coli in 10% of organic produce,compared to 2%  in conventional ones. Organic and conventional foods can co - exist and don't have to be at odds with one another - anyone who tells you with 100% certainty that one way is fully better than the other is ignoring the science.




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