Organic vs. Non-Organic
In more recent years, thoughts between organic and non-organic products have continuously debated. Many question if choosing organic products will really have any beneficial effect in comparison to nonorganic products. Although studies may show that the nutritional value of organic food is no different than non-organic food, there are still a vast amount of benefits to be found in choosing organic over other choices.
What is Organic?
Products that are labeled organic are referring to the way they were produced or grown. For example, produce that is considered organic is generally grown without the use of chemical fertilizers or pesticides. Organic farming takes care to ensure the conservation of water and soil. Much of the time they will turn to rotational crops instead of relying on chemicals and pesticides to reduce the appearance of weeds. Another difference to be noted is that organic food is not biogenetically engineered or genetically altered in any way, unlike much of the conventional produce that is grown.
Why Choose Organic?
The question of whether organic products are safer requires one to look at how conventional products are grown. Traditional methods make use of over a million pounds of pesticides every year, and many of these chemicals and pesticides are absorbed into produce. What’s worse is that a lot of the chemicals and pesticides used create a run off that goes into our oceans poisoning our water system. Pesticides that are used also end up diminishing the soil. In response to this, farmers then have to use more chemicals to enrich the soil, which leads to further environmental damage. There have been many studies that show that a lot of the chemicals used in conventional farming can be harmful if they enter our system. Some of the adverse effects that have been proven a result from traditional use fungicides, pesticides, and other farming chemicals are:
- Birth Defects
- Cancer
- Nerve Damage
- Distribution to the Immune and Hormone System
When choosing organic produce, you have less of a chance of being afflicted by these damaging chemicals. Organic choices also have less of a damaging effect on our environment which far better for both the farmers and the consumers in the long run. Due to this, there are many who would agree that organic produce is actually less costly since there is a lot of money that is put forward to fix the damage done by conventional farmers. Organic choices focus more on the protection and conservation of our planet and it is for this reason that they are often seen as the better choice between the two.
