Is Organic Food Definitely Healthier?

Organic food ingredients are said to be claimed to be healthier than food ingredients developed with non-organic agriculture and animal husbandry. Is that right?

The main difference between organic and non-organic food ingredients can be seen from the way farmers and breeders process vegetables, fruit, grains, and meat that will be sold for consumption. Organic farmers and ranchers do not use synthetic materials such as pesticides and fertilizers on crops, or inject antibiotics into the animals they raise.

Today, there are many types of organically grown fruits and vegetables available in the market. One of these vegetables is arugula.

Why Eat Organic Food?

Some people start choosing to buy organic food ingredients over ingredients developed using conventional methods for several reasons, including:

• Organic food ingredients are claimed to contain no pesticides

  - Plants are not grown with pesticides including herbicides, synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, biotechnology, or ionizing radiation.

  - Meat can be labeled organic if the animals raised are fed organic and not given antibiotics and growth hormones. These animals should also have sufficient access to open areas such as grass in the field.

• Organic food ingredients are claimed to contain no additives

  The additives referred to here are, for example, preservatives, artificial sweeteners, monosodium glutamate (MSG), or coloring and flavoring agents.

• Organic food ingredients are claimed to be more environmentally friendly

  Organic farming aims to preserve water and soil by reducing pollution from synthetic pesticides.

• Organic food tastes better

  This could be because organic farming generally processes plants in limited quantities and sells them directly to the nearest market from the location of the farm. Fresh food tastes better.

The Other Side of Organic Food

You may be wondering, do organic food ingredients really bring health benefits? There is no definite answer to this question because there is very little evidence to show that eating organic foods actually brings more health benefits than conventional foods.

Although it brings many benefits, there are some consequences that you have to bear if you eat organic food, including:

• The price of organic foodstuffs is higher than conventional foodstuffs because organic farming and animal husbandry requires special treatment methods.
• Organic food ingredients decompose faster because they do not contain preservatives.
• Because it does not use pesticides and other additives, the shape and appearance of organic foods may not be as attractive as conventional foodstuffs. The color may not be very bright, the size is not that big, or there are holes in the vegetables or fruit.
• Synthetic pesticides are not the only thing that threatens food health because there are also natural toxins that are used as organic pesticides to protect plants. Solanine is one example. If ingested, this ingredient produced by potatoes can cause irritation.

The consequences above do not mean that the quality of organic food ingredients can be lower than non-organic food, because the food safety standards applied must be the same.

Is Organic Food Healthier for Babies?

The study found that there was no difference in the nutritional content of organic foods compared to foods developed by conventional agriculture. Only a few types, such as organic milk, have a higher omega-3 fatty acid content than non-organic milk, which is useful as protection from heart disease.

The important point of giving organic foods to babies is the reduced risk of your child being exposed to pesticides which are commonly found in foodstuffs in conventionally grown fruits and vegetables. This is because babies are more at risk of experiencing disturbances due to exposure to pesticides than adults. However, the actual levels of pesticides in non-organic foodstuffs generally do not exceed the maximum limit set by the government.

Animals raised not organically may have received injections of antibiotics or other treatment to prevent the risk of disease. Some researchers believe that the content of these ingredients in the bodies of animals consumed can be harmful to health. However, the truth of this matter still needs to be investigated further.

However, if an animal raised organically is sick, sometimes it also needs to be treated with injectable antibiotics or other drugs. The most important thing above organic choices or not is to provide adequate and complete nutrition for the baby. Organic food doesn't always mean healthier choices.

How To Be Healthier?

People who eat organic fruit and vegetables are less at risk of exposure to pesticide residues, and those who eat organically farmed meat are less at risk of exposure to antibiotic-resistant bacteria. However, no significant health benefits have been found from consuming organic foods. There are many other factors that determine a person's health in addition to the choice of consumption of organic or conventional foods.

Actually the most important thing is not on whether your food ingredients are organic or not. Most importantly, make sure you always process these food ingredients before consuming them in the following ways.

• To get fresh groceries, buy fruits and vegetables in season, or better yet, buy direct from local farmers.
• Wash fruit and vegetables under running water before consuming or processing. By washing, generally dirt, dust, bacteria, and chemicals that stick to the layers of the skin will be removed. However, there are certain pesticide ingredients that cannot be removed by washing. This can be overcome by peeling the skin to reduce the risk of exposure to pesticides. On the other hand, peeling the skin of certain fruits or vegetables does risk removing some of the fiber and nutrients.
• Eating a variety of vegetables, fruit, and animal protein can reduce the risk of exposure to one type of pesticide.
• Read packaged food labels carefully. Even though they are labeled organic, they may still contain excessive amounts of calories, sugar, and salt.

Both organic and non-organic foods, if you want to get maximum nutrition from food, consume vegetables and fruit in a fresh state. Nutrients in food can be oxidized over time. For example, even if you have organic citrus fruits, if you store them for a long time in the refrigerator, then you may lose a lot of nutrients from these citrus fruits.