Why Organic Is the Better Choice
Most people eat natural foods because they care about their health. And, yes, avoiding the toxic residues of the agrichemicals found in and on conventional foods is a big reason to choose organic. But it’s not the only reason. When you choose organic, the benefits are vast. Food that’s produced organically and sustainably, without pesticides or synthetic fertilizers, is better for the people growing the food, too, and better for the soil, water, air, and the climate’s stability.
It’s a circle: what’s good for people is good for the planet, and vice versa. For many people, the proof is in the taste of organic foods. Studies suggest that organic fruits and vegetables have more intense flavors because they generally have higher levels of flavor-enhancing nutrients and lower concentrations of water and sugar. At the very least, the taste is more authentic, especially when compared to genetically modified foods. At Edem Food, we find that organic foods are indeed more flavorful, and the good news is that we’re not alone in that opinion – more and more people are spending the little extra that organically grown foods cost. The even better news is that in choosing organic, many people are thinking beyond themselves, to the well-being of future generations.
At Edem Food, we find that organic foods are indeed more flavorful
Yes, Eating Organic Is Healthier
We know that the agriculture practiced by conventional agribusiness creates problems such as obesity, toxic exposure, and learning disabilities. Numerous studies have established a direct link between pesticide residues and developmental problems in children. On the other hand, although it’s difficult to isolate the benefits of micronutrients in our diets, mounting evidence points to organic foods as having many more beneficial nutrients. The “British Journal of Nutrition” reports that organic food contains about 50 percent more antioxidants than conventionally grown food. For instance, blue-, red-, and purple-colored fruits and vegetables are high in flavonols—antioxidants that have been shown to limit inflammation and to protect cells from damage, so they guard against disease.
Organic Farming Enriches the Soil
Organic farmers who practice sustainable agriculture, working in harmony with biological cycles and using traditional practices such as crop rotation, are stewards of our soil. With conventional agribusiness, we literally degrade our soil: the pesticides are designed to kill everything but the cash crop itself, including the living organisms in the soil that the plant needs to grow. At worst, when economics force farmers to plant only monocrops – to plant the same crop in the same fields, again and again – the soil is far more likely to erode, and we risk losing the soil itself. Healthy soil produces healthy plants. It’s that simple.
Growing Sustainably Supports Biodiversity
Biodiversity is essential for life on earth. Pesticides kill both helpful and unhelpful insects, and the more toxins we use to kill “bugs” and “weeds”, the more superstrains of those insects and plants evolve, which results in a lack of biodiversity and the need for more and stronger pesticides that themselves will eventually not work. It’s a vicious circle. Organic practices help maintain the necessary level of biodiversity, and many organic farmers go one step further, ensuring plant diversity by preserving and planting heirloom varieties of seeds.
It’s a circle: what’s good for people is good for the planet, and vice versa.
Chemical-Free Agriculture Protects Our Water Quality
Agrichemicals leach through the soils into aquifers, or find their way, via wind or rain or runoff, into nearby rivers and lakes. The toxins sprayed on conventional foods degrade local water sources. Eventually, some of all of these chemicals ends up in our oceans.
Organic Farming Methods Mitigate Climate Change
Clear on the facts, the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations views sustainable organic farming as a primary opportunity for limiting climate change, stating that: “Lower greenhouse gas emissions for crop production and enhanced carbon sequestration, coupled with additional benefits of biodiversity, and other environmental services, makes organic agriculture a farming method with many advantages and considerable potential for mitigating and adapting to climate change.”
The Ripple Effect
Even if the ill effects of conventional farming on soil, biodiversity, water, and earth’s climate aren’t part of your food-shopping decisions, and even if you aren’t thinking about future generations but eat organic only because it’s good for your health – or only because it tastes better – that’s reason enough. Healthy people lead fuller lives and contribute more to their families and communities, and that alone can have a huge ripple effect.
