What is the most sought after new years resolution? Well, most people’s answer is probably to exercise and change their diet. But we all know that isn’t an easy thing to do without some help. That’s why this article is to highlight why organic food is more nutritious and it will justify the slightly higher cost.
Studies from Newcastle University show that organic foods have a far more nutritional value. Studies that they conducted found that levels of antioxidants in milk from organic cattle were between 50% and 80% higher than conventional mils. Organic milk also has higher levels of vitamin E, and 60% more antioxidants and desirable fatty acids. Antioxidants help with a healthy circulatroy system and help keep cancer and heart diease away.
Here are some other highlights:
- Fruit and vegetables contain up to 40% more nutrients if they are grown without chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
- Up to 40% more antioxidants could be found in organic fruit and vegetables than in those conventionally farmed.
- Potatoes, kiwi fruit and carrots were among the organic produce found to be higher in vitamin C.
- Higher levels of minerals and antioxidants were found in organically- farmed lettuce, spinach and cabbage. Organic spinach and cabbage have more minerals.
- Organic produce also had higher levels of iron and zinc, vital nutrients lacking in many people’s diets.
- Organic cheese can have up to twice as many nutrients than conventional varieties.
- Organic tomatoes, wheat, potatoes, cabbage, onions and wheat have 20 to 40 per cent more antioxidants than conventional fruit and vegetables.
In case those facts aren’t enough to convince you to buy organic, here is an excerpt from the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA.
The Organic Premise: Many people are aware that food grown according to organic principles is free from exposure to harmful herbicides and pesticides, but that is only one small aspect of organic agriculture. A larger part of organic agriculture involves the health of the soil and the ecosystem in which crops and livestock are raised. Organic farmers recognize that healthy, vibrant, and live soils and ecosystems significantly benefit crops. Natural, undisturbed soil is alive with microbiotic organisms that exist in harmony with the native plant life and the inorganic minerals that provide the soil’s substrate.
Synthetic chemicals (such as herbicides, pesticides, and/or fast acting inorganic fertilizers) applied in or around crops interrupt or destroy the microbiotic activity in the soil. Once the microbiotic activity in the soil has stopped, the soil becomes merely an anchor for plant material. In this conventional method of agriculture (in use for only the past 75 of 10,000 years of recorded agriculture) plants can receive only air, water, and sunlight from their environment — everything else must be distributed to plants by farmers, often from inputs transported thousands of miles to reach the farm. Plants are commonly fed only the most basic elements of plant life and so are dependent on the farmer to fight nature’s challenges, e.g. pests, disease, and drought.
