The key Benefits of Organic Food

The benefits of organic food reach far and wide. There is not an aspect of society that our food systems do not reach, influencing our not only our health and the health of our environment, but a number of social and political aspects too. The future of the planet quite literally depends upon the food we eat.

That does not mean that we all must eat organic food. It does mean that we should understand the implications of the food we eat and make informed choices accordingly.

So, what are the benefits of organic food?

Organic food is a really complex issue, with so many interwoven threads that it be difficult to summarise and simplify. Our food supply is a system of farming, production and distribution. As a system, there is no clear beginning and end; what affects one thing, affects another (however indirectly).

Here are just some of the benefits of organic food, in a nutshell.

Reducing the chemical load

Chemical load is the term given to the accumulation of potentially harmful substances within the body. Although safe levels are regulated by government safety standards, they often do not take into account this bio accumulation, or how substances may react together once in the body.

Conventional agriculture, and also food production practices, widely make use of a whole array of synthetic pesticides, fertilisers, antibiotics, growth hormones as well as artificial colours, flavours and preservatives. The list is quite endless.

The organic food system allows only the use of carefully controlled non-synthetic chemicals in order to limit the burden of this toxic load.

Potentially harmful chemicals find their way into the food chain in a number of ways, and also contribute massively to environmental damage. Chemical residues persist in the soil, and in the water. There is nowhere to hide.

Saying no to GMO

Use of genetically modified organisms is prohibited in the organic food chain. Quite simply, they go against the whole ‘working with nature, not against it’ stance that the organic movement takes.

Encouraging biodiversity

Again, the impact of our current food situation on the environment is a complex, often contentious issue. Again, the bottom line is the entire concept of working with nature, not against it. Organic food systems bring about a return to traditional methods of farming and food production that encourage biodiversity (amongst other things) and bring balance to the land.

Be in touch with your food

The simple matter of choosing organic food brings us closer to the food we eat. We become more mindful of the impact of choices, what we put into our body, and how it affects our world. The industrialisation of our food supply altered the way we think about food (if we actually think at all) and we have seen generations of people disconnected from the land.

We must never lose sight of the fact that food is a product of farming. It is given to us by the land.

Maximise nutrients

Whether or not organic produce contains more nutrients than conventional produce has been an ongoing argument for decades. Nutrients in food can differ according to so many variables such as location or weather for example, that it can be difficult to correlate.

One current school of thought seems to be that as we collect a growing body of data, collected over a sufficient period of time, that there may be greater nutritional benefits in organic produce.

Find out more about pesticides in food. You can also explore our range of organic groceries.

This article was reproduced on this site with permission from operafoods.com.au the “Organic Food Distributors”.
See original article:- The Benefits of Organic Food