The Benefits Of Organic Food For Your Health

Organic food health benefits are debated more than ever. With people demanding to buy organic food more, researchers are tying to find the benefits and risks of eating organically.

Sometimes researchers have said that the organic food health benefits are really nonexistent, while with other studies, multiple benefits have been found. By researching organic foods, a person can find the real story about organic food health benefits.

Organic food health benefits may begin with the debate of the nutrition level of certified organic food versus regularly grown food. Depending on what information is read, different information is given.

According to the research on organic food that the New York Times did in 2003, their report was that "recent preliminary evidence suggests that the levels of certain nutrients, especially vitamin C, some minerals and some polyphenols -- naturally occurring antioxidants that may help bolster the immune system -- are higher in organically grown crops."

This comment alone reinforces such food health benefits that a person can gain by eating fresh organic food.

Outside organic growing, many farmers, in order to have their plants grow larger and more bountiful, add pesticides and toxins. Such food health benefits stem from the lack of these toxins and pesticides.

Pesticides have been linked to making people ill, and can cause a person to avoid fresh vegetables that are needed for an overall healthy diet. Toxins in the body can cause problems such as headaches and tremors.

Because organic food health benefits help reduce the risk of these undesirable benefits, natural and organic food should be definitely taken into consideration when choosing foods.

One particular such food health benefit occurs when the additives that are found in almost all foods are not used. Organic food production prohibits the use of food additives such as preservatives, artificial sweeteners, and hydrogenated fat.

This in itself is excellent for all people but especially children. The less artificial sweeteners that children can be exposed to the better according to most doctors.

Organic food health benefits are numerous. Debates rage as to what exact benefits organically grown food can offer the public. Some claim that the nutrient levels are higher, others say they are the same.

But one thing is for sure. Organically grown food offers little to no pesticides, and this can help everyone be healthier. No matter whether studies are right in linking certain ailments to pesticides or not, even children can gain from such food health benefits.

Because of the lack of artificial ingredients, children can be healthier and happier. This fact alone is enough to make anyone start enjoying fresh organic food.

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Organic Food

Organic food is generally considered to be produced without the use of artificial fertilisers, without synthetic pesticides or antibiotics, hormones or other growth promoters. There are thus standards to which organic food is produced, traditionally on small family run farms, but there are some larger operations emerging since evidence has emerged that organic farming is more environmentally friendly and more sustainable that many contemporary farming techniques. There are also benefits for the people who eat organic farm produce.

The advantages of organic food for the consumer include higher nutritional levels, and over the long term studies have found the health benefits to be substantial. It is perhaps for this reason that organic baby food has become very popular. A university of Washington study found that preschool children fed regular diets had six times more metabolised organophosphate pesticides in their bodies than children who had been fed on organic diets. Organic fruit vegetables and juices as a part of a healthy balanced diet can considerably reduce exposure to harmful pesticides.

When shopping for organic foods to complete the cooking formulas of your favourite organic food recipes, look out for the organic certification of a product. The certification of organic food is done to protect the consumer in the growing market for organic foods. This prevents a producer from defrauding a consumer, or tricking you into eating what you don’t want to. There are, however, various certification bodies with different criteria, so this should be kept in mind. Also remember that the certification of a product is primarily a marketing drive by the producer, who is trying to get you to buy the product.

When visiting an organic food shop, sometimes called a health food store, you will notice that the prices seem slightly inflated. These organic food suppliers ask more for their products because most of the time the farm that supplies them is a small scale operation. This means that the cost cutting benefits of mass production are usually not applicable to organic foods. Consumers who value the ethics and benefits of organic food are usually willing to pay a bit extra for their organic groceries.

In the United States the sales in organic foods have increased between 17 and 20 percent over the past few years, while so called conventional products have seen a considerably lesser growth of 2 to 3 percent over the same period.

There has even been an increasing trend amongst those who enjoy spoiling their pets to such a degree that they are bying organic dog food. According to the Organic Trade Association, sales in organic pet foods have risen to three times the growth rate of organic products made for human consumption.

Organic food is far healthier that non organic

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What's the Deal with Organic Foods? Part 1

Organic Food: Ten Foods You Should Definitely Buy (Organic) for Your Young Children

I believe successful computing also involves successful health management. So you will receive articles like this one periodically interspersed between computing articles. Poor health produces poor computing.

1. Baby Foods: A 1995 report found 16 pesticides in approximately half the non-organic baby food samples.

2. Rice: In California, rice fields have been sprayed with so much pesticide that the groundwater has become contaminated.

3. Strawberries: 500 pounds of pesticide an acre is sprayed on non-organic strawberries.

4. Cereal grains: 90% of tested non-organic wheat cereals were found with pesticides according to a 1994 U.S. Food and Drug Administration report.

5. Corn products: Processed foods containing corn (e.g. popcorn and corn chips) were among the top 15 foods most likely to expose children to unsafe doses of organophosphate pesticides.

6. Bananas: Non-organic bananas from Central and South America are produced using benomyl (linked to birth defects) and chloropyrifos (neurotoxin).

7. Green Beans: A 1993 report found that 7 percent of the non-organic beans imported from Mexico contained residues of illegal pesticides.

8. Peaches: A recent US report stated that 5% of the non-organic peach crop was TOO contaminated for children to eat.

9. Apple juice: Non-organic apple juice ranks second highest for organophosphate residues.

10. Grapes and raisins: They very well may be the most pesticide polluted fruit in North America.

With these statistics, we must become more vigilant about what we feed our children and ourselves. This kind of contamination can undoubtedly inhibit the healthy growth of our children.

Olan Butler is the Chief Architect of BHO Technologists, a computer productivity & organization software provider http://www.bhotechnologists.com with headquarters in Kansas City. Olan also provides Computer Services in the Kansas City area. Join his FREE newsletter "Computing Success Secrets" for a steady stream of computer and life benefit tips. You'll be glad you did!

Why Does My Organic Food Last Longer?

I have been asked 'Why does my organic food last longer?' So, let's take a look into this and I'll even give you tips to make your food last longer.

Organic food and conventional foods are not grown the same way. Organic farming is regulated and is more in line with the traditional methods. Here no synthetic chemical pesticides, herbicides or fertilizers are used. Sewage sludge is not permitted, nor are irradiation and genetically modified foods used.

Instead, the organic farmer works in unison with the land and the soil. He recognizes that the soil is alive. He knows that healthy soil is full of nutrients and that plants grown in this soil then are healthy and full of nutrients.

And it is this thinking that represents a major difference between the two methods of farming. Conventional methods often leave the soil severely depleted of nutrients, making the plants unhealthy and susceptible to pests and disease.

Organic produce does not miraculously defy the life cycle and defeat decay. No, it just has a better start. To accurately determine which growing method would produce plants that lasted longer, you would need to pick straight from each field - the organic and the non-organic. Take them both home and then see which lasts longer.

But, before you go ahead and do that consider that the most nutrient content from your produce would be from fresh produce. This is true for both growing methods. So ideally you would be eating your fruits and vegetables well before the point of decay.

To maintain the life of your tomatoes longer, buy 'tomatoes on the vine'. The vine is able to maintain the tomato longer so you will get to keep them longer. This works for organic and non-organic alike.

When buying bananas, don't choose the green ones. Chances are that they were picked so yearly in their life cycle that they may well never get 'ripe'. Instead select bananas well on the way to being ripe or with very little green left on the peeling.

Buy the healthiest looking vegetables for these would be the most alive and with the most nutrients. And ideally, select organic whenever you can.

Doris Temple created http://mom-going-organic-sensibly.com to fill the need for unbiased information. The Website provides information about organic food, products and healthy nutrition. Sign up for a free monthly email newsletter (ezine) to get the answers you need and keep updated: http://www.mom-going-organic-sensibly.com/ezine-signup.html

Grow Raw Food Organically and Get Healthy!

When considering a diet that is high in nutritional value and low in preservatives and additives, you should consider an organic raw food diet. Raw food has become the focus of many people's diets, and for good reason. Raw veggies are richer in nutrients and fiber, and the nutrients are in the forms that are most easily digested by the human body. Factor in an organic growing environment to that equation and you have a diet rich and dense in everything that tastes good and is good for you, without the downside of chemical or genetic contamination.

The basis of eating any raw food diet is avoiding cooking away the vitamins, minerals and beneficial enzymes. The food is eaten just as it is harvested.

But you better ask yourself- how is that food grown? If grown on a factory farm, the raw foods nutritional value should come into question.

Most large scale commercial farming companies follow a strict petrochemical regime to both protect and enhance their crops, some of which are grown from Genetically Modified seeds. These chemicals and genetic modifications are designed to keep the plants free of bugs and to help them grow bigger in size. The problem with that method is that the pesticides are poisons that don't wash completely off, and most of the size enhancement is caused by water bloat. These chemicals are used on everything -- carrots, tomatoes, apples, pears, anything grown by a large farm for the supermarket chains. So even though you are consuming the food in its most natural state you are also taking in all of those chemicals, causing all sorts of havoc in human and animal bodies. Pesticide residue has been linked to many childhood ailments and chronic adult diseases, including cancer. Genetically modified corn has now been linked to organ damage in humans, and to Bee Colony Collapse Disorder. Vets have also correlated a distinct uptick in pet cancer rates since the introduction of genetically modified corn into pet foods. Chemicals and genetically modified foods should not be a part of our diet.

But organic food bought at the supermarket or at a health food store can be pricey, and since it's transported a great distance it's not as fresh as it could be.

What's the solution? Grow Raw Food yourself, in your own organic garden. Even if you only have a patio or balcony, you can still grow much of your own raw food.

The benefits are enormous. The raw food you harvest out of your own garden is fresh picked the day you use it, rather than picked days, or even weeks before you buy it, like the supermarket versions! The raw food you harvest out of your own garden requires nothing more than your two feet to transport it to your kitchen. And the raw food you harvest hasn't been processed in a huge packing plant and subject to contamination with e coli or salmonella. Best of all, organic fruits and vegetables aren't polluted with pesticides, and are nutritionally dense since they're not bloated with water. Organic fruits and vegetables taste better, especially when fresh picked from your own garden.

So if you want a healthy raw diet, grow your own raw food organically.

Learn more now about how to grow raw food organically and improve your health!

BJ Novack has been growing organic food since the 1970's, and blogs about achieving an environmentally sound lifestyle.