Organic vs. Conventional
Once upon a planet ...
There are plenty of reasons as to why eating organic is far better for you and this world than conventional products.
First of all, it is our responsibility and our duty to make our Planet - our home - a better place to live in. It is the responsibility of each one of us. Don't count on Governments or any political parties. They'll never do enough. Industrial lobbies, profits and interests tie up their hands.
You and I, each one of us, can make a difference.
Agriculture is responsible for about 30% of global warming. Approximately 30,000 tons of herbicides, insecticides, fungicides and plant growth regulators are used each year in Australia*. Not only the soils are polluted but also the underground waters, rivers and coastal areas.
When you buy organic, your help restore the soils, you help reduce chemicals spilled in drinking water, you help reduce landfill (and their greenhouse consequences). When you buy organic, you help this world to be a better place for you and the children of the future.
Yes, organic products contain more nutrients. We now have the proof with the recently published first conclusions of the 4-year EU (European Union) project on the subject**.
Just look at the numbers the study has revealed: organic milk has 60 to 80% more nutrients in the summer than conventional milk, 50 and 60% in the winter. It has higher levels of vitamin E. Organic cheese can have up to twice as many nutrients than conventional varieties. Organic tomatoes, wheat, potatoes, cabbage, onions have 20 to 40% more antioxidants than conventional fruits and veggies. Organic spinach and cabbage have more minerals, including iron, copper and zinc. Isn't this striking?
And do you know why organic foods have more nutrients than conventional foods? Because all the chemicals sprayed on them and added to the soil destroy the natural bacteria that the plants need to assimilate minerals through their roots.
When you eat organic foods, your body gets more nutrients and is better nourrished at a cellular level. In consequence, you eat less and you don't have those terrible cravings. You may have some but you will see a noticeable change in the quality of your cravings. They will diminish and feel much softerť.
Yes, organic is more expansive.
To grow organic plants requires more work than conventional agriculture. Organic farmers do not produce massively to sell in all the supermarkets around the countries. They rather privilege the quality over the quantity. Their margins are much smaller. They deserve a big hurrah for their hard work and their courage.
People are more ready to spend a lot of money on their clothes, their furniture, their cars and gadgets than on their food.
Food is what allows your body to function properly. If you don't take care of your home, your body, how long do you think will it properly serve you? How long do you think will the body go on if fed with fast food, poisons and dead foods? If you chose this kind of food, one day your body stops functioning properly. It starts with some small dysfunctions, can be only fatigue or some other signals like aches and pains. You go to the doctor who gives you pills to treat the symptoms and to make you feel better. If you don't change your ways and continue feeding your body with junk, one day the problem will be much more serious and one of your organs will go on strike. Maybe it will be your pancreas. And you'll find yourself sticking a needle in your finger everyday and shooting yourself with insulin forever.
This scenario is all avoidable. We are all free to choose our path. If you decide to have optimum health then one important part of it is to avoid ingesting chemicals that have been spread on foods, because they are not meant for humans to swallow, they make us sick. When eating organic, you avoid the food additives, gmos, pesticides, insecticides, herbicides, all linked to allergies, chronic diseases and cancers.
When you eat organic, you eat whole e.g. whole wheat bread. I don't recommend you eat non-organic whole wheat bread. All the chemicals sprayed on wheat are concentrated in the outer part of the grain. So if you chose conventional bread, you'd be better off with white bread. At least, you avoid some chemicals. Here is the percentage of nutrients lost when whole-wheat flour is refined into white flour:
Protein: 25%
Fiber: 95%
Calcium, Ca: 56%
Iron, Fe: 84%
Phosphorus, P: 69%
Potassium, K: 74%
Zinc, Zn: 76%
Copper, Cu: 62%
Manganese, Mn: 82%
Selenium, Se: 52%
Thiamin (B1): 73%
Riboflavin (B2): 81%
Niacin(B3): 80%
Pantothenic acid (B5): 56%
Vitamin B6: 87%
Folate (B9): 59%
Vitamin E: 95%
5 of these 25 lost nutrients are chemically replaced.
This is why you feel more satisfied when you eat a piece of organic whole wheat bread. When you eat white bread, you need to eat a lot more of it to feel full without being nourished.
My point here is to show you that your health is worth the expense. Don't put your health at risk.
* Source: Biological Farmers of Australia www.bfa.com.au
** BFA press release 29 October 2007. Also see www.soilassociation.org for more info.
