Author Archive: Anna George

The benefits of organic food seem like a closed case to many proponents of healthy living.

For them, these advantages are a logical inference.

On the other hand, critics scoff at this current health craze.

They try to debunk such claims by stating that conventional foods are just as healthy.

Whom should we believe?

Since organically grown food is between 10 and 30 percent more expensive than mass-produced food, this issue affects everyone’s wallet.

After all, why spend the extra money if there is no difference in quality?

Before attempting to resolve these points of contention, we must first establish what makes food “organic.”

Before 1940, there was no such thing as non-organic food.

Conversely, most of the food bought in supermarkets today is non-organic.

So what’s the difference?

Organically grown foods are produced using old-fashioned farming methods.

Non-organic foods are produced using modern farming methods.

Of course, not everything modern is bad and not everything old-fashioned is good.

That said, here are some differences between these two types of foods:

• Organic farmers use natural fertilizers. Non-organic farmers use fertiliser.
• Organic farmers control weeds using herbicides generated from the environment, along with crop rotation, mulching, and tillage. Non-organic farmers use synthetic herbicides to control weeds.
• Organic farmers use natural pesticides to control insects and diseases. Non-organic farmers use synthetic insecticides.
• Organic foods don’t have monosodium glutamate, artificial colours and flavors, preservatives, processing aids, or added monosodium glutamate.

Of course, colours and flavours are added to mass-produced foods to make them look and taste better.

The billion dollar question is, “Are artificial additives harmful?”

Some say yes, some say no.

While the USDA admits that organically grown produce has significantly less pesticide residue, they would have us believe that it’s too insignificant to worry about.

Environmental benefits

Environmentalists argue that organic farming benefits the environment and argue that this type of farming reduces our water supply, soil, and pollution.

Taste the difference.

Most people who prefer organically grown foods over non-organic foods claim that these foods are not only more nutritious but also tastier.

What are the health benefits?

So what health benefits can be derived from choosing organically grown foods?

In short, these foods contain a higher concentration of vitamins and minerals, resulting in a better quality of health.

Synthetic vitamins and minerals are made and added to foods to make up for the natural vitamins and minerals that are lost when modern farming and food processing methods are used.

There is a lot of confusion and a lot of disagreement about how well synthetic vitamins and minerals work.

Are synthetic vitamins and minerals just as good as natural ones?

Some say yes. Some say no.

Assistant doctor at Duke Primary Care Timberlyne Margaret Jazayeri is sure that natural is better.

Natural vitamins come from sources found in nature, while synthetic vitamins are made from cheap artificial ingredients that try to mimic nature.

Jazayeri says that we get rid of synthetic vitamins because the body can’t use most of the nutrients in them.

More nutrients, fewer nitrates

According to a University of Missouri study, organically grown oranges contain 30% more vitamin C than non-organic oranges.

Certified nutritionist Virginia Worthington reports that, unlike vegetables grown using modern farming methods, it only takes one serving of organically grown lettuce, spinach, potatoes, carrots, and cabbage to provide the recommended daily amount of vitamin C.

Organically grown foods have about 27% more vitamin C than non-organic foods, as well as 29% more magnesium, 21% more iron, 13% more phosphorus, and 18% more polyphenols.

Polyphenols protect the body from allergies, arthritis, heart disease, cancer and more.

Overview

The disadvantage of switching to organically grown food is that you will probably spend 10 to 30% more on groceries.

The benefit of switching to organically grown food is better health, better taste, and lower doctor’s costs.

Is the trade-off worth it?

Only you can answer that question.

Tom Gruber started the My Health Wealth Team and sells organic health products on his own.

I am always looking for healthy food.

There weren’t many options at the time (15 years ago), and the few that were available were difficult to find.I would drive anywhere or buy food through the mail if it was organic, gluten-free, and dairy-free. So you can imagine, on my first trip shopping at Whole Foods, I felt like a kid on Christmas morning! There were so many healthy choices. I loved it. When I told my story to people and encouraged them to eat all-organic food, many people said it was just too expensive and hard to find.

How sad it is that processed foods are cheaper than whole organic foods.

You would think it would be the opposite, as processed foods take longer to make and require factories and workers. Unfortunately, the low-quality ingredients in most processed foods result in a lower price. It doesn’t seem fair or logical, but it’s the reality.

We are just beginning to understand and accept the need for whole foods.

Let’s face it, people are used to fasting foods these days, so that’s what is readily available. It’s Economics 101: the problem is supply and demand. There are fewer healthy markets and organic farms, so the demand may be increasing, but the supply is still low, leading to higher prices. For example, my niece had many food allergies and was also unable to eat foods with preservatives when she was growing up in the 1970s. My aunt had to drive more than 20 miles to a health food store for things as simple as almond butter or whole wheat bread. Fortunately, you can find many stores these days that sell healthier food choices, but it can still be expensive.

Shopping for organic food just got easier and cheaper!

Walmart has partnered with Wild Oats, an organic food company.Essentially, this means that organic food will be available in almost every neighborhood. It also means that organic products are sold for a better price. Not only will consumers have more choice of where to buy organic food, but competition should lower organic prices overall. That is profit for the consumer.

The possibility that more organic food is available to everyone fascinates me.

The fact that Walmart is branching out into organic products means that the demand for organic food is not just for the stereotypical health junkie, but for the average consumer as well. This means that more people are aware of the dangers of eating chemically processed and genetically modified foods and want to change their eating habits. I think the competition between Walmart and traditional health food markets will raise awareness even more. I hope someone sees organic and non-organic foods side by side, sees that the costs are comparable, and opts for organic. My dream would be that people would also buy fresh organic food. This could also make organic farmers without GMO products more profitable. People mistakenly think that just because organic products are more expensive, farmers make more money. The truth is that it costs more to farm organically. Whole Foods has long believed that they are “the buying agents for our customers, not the sales agents for the manufacturers.” Unfortunately, profits from this once revolutionary “food to fork” food market have fallen as more supermarkets look to offer customers a healthier way of eating. I hope stores like Walmart preserve the dignity and hard work of these small organic farmers and also help them make more money. because more supermarkets want to offer customers a healthier way of eating. I hope stores like Walmart preserve the dignity and hard work of these small organic farmers and also help them make more money. because more supermarkets want to offer customers a healthier way of eating. I hope stores like Walmart preserve the dignity and hard work of these small organic farmers and also help them make more money.

What motivated Walmart to add organic products?

I’m not sure why, and maybe it had to do with wanting a share of the growing “organic” market. I don’t care though, because all people talk about is buying and eating healthy food choices. I think it’s funny that Walmart has a disclaimer that says, “This isn’t about telling our customers what to eat, nor is it an endorsement of certain foods. It’s about leveraging our scale to provide access to the choices that currently elude too many families in our country. It’s just one more way we help our customers save money so they can live a better life. ” I don’t think they want to alienate the people who shop in the rest of the food aisles full of processed food! Oh well, I’ll take every bit of health awareness I can get!

There are other ways to get healthy at a reasonable or cheaper price.

One of the best and most fun (for me) ways to buy organic produce is by shopping at the local farmers’ market. (There’s even a website called Local Harvest to help you find your nearest farmer’s market!) I love getting to know the vendors and learning about the best produce to buy for the season or even that day. Our early ancestors did not have food shipped from miles away. Instead, they ate the fresh food available to them and then fermented, cultured, and canned their food to eat later. This not only preserved the food but also provided beneficial good gut bacteria to their immune systems and overall health.

This is one less excuse to buy non-organic!

As always, be your own warrior and check the ingredients of everything you buy. The best rule of thumb: if you can’t pronounce it or don’t know what it is, it’s probably not good for your gut! Raw, whole, organic, fermented probiotic foods help replenish good gut bacteria, amino acids, and live enzymes, which you need if you’re not eating as well as you should and even if you’re eating right. Fermented foods are just as essential to your body as drinking water. Your body needs it to be in balance so that it efficiently absorbs and distributes the essential nutrients from all the other foods you eat. A healthy gut equals a healthy body, mind, and life!

The growing popularity of organic foods has led to a greater demand for organic products and meat; people are slowly recognising the long-term benefits of consuming food produced or grown without the use of artificial additives. As several companies and local producers rush to meet the growing demand for organic food, a pertinent question arises: is the food we buy really organic?

It is not uncommon for manufacturers to use unfair practises and get away with loopholes in food labelling standards. There may also be a chance that we, as consumers, consider natural or free-range foods to be organic. There is a global movement to persuade lawmakers to force GMO foods to put GMO labels on their food and openly declare how it is grown so that all other foods without such labels are, of course, considered organic. To protect ourselves from scrupulous practises and buy only authentic organic food, here are a few steps and precautions to take.

1. Organic Food Fundamentals:

To really understand what you eat is organic, you need to fully understand what organic food really is. Organic food can be defined as products derived from organic farming practices without the use of chemical or synthetic additives, taking into account the purpose of sustainability, health and safety of the environment, food, and consumers of such food. The common misconception in the case of organic foods is the liberal use of the term organic to refer to natural or free-range foods. Natural food and free-range food are not the same as organic food. Natural foods or ingredients refer to foods that have undergone minimal processing, with no guarantee of cultivation procedures and synthetic additives. Free range primarily refers to livestock farming where the animals are allowed to roam freely outside.

2. Carefully examine the labels! :

While labels provide vital information when it comes to ingredients, food processing, and the like, it’s important to get into the habit of perusing not only the bold headings on the label but also the fine print. It is a legal requirement for manufacturers to clearly label foods as what they are, organic or not. If you come across a product that says ‘Organic’ or ‘Certified Organic’, it can mean several things: the product is 100% organic; the processed food is made with organic ingredients; or the processed food contains less than 95% organic ingredients. The key is to go through the labels and make sure what you buy is either 100% organic or made with 100% organic ingredients.

3. Look for certification or authenticity symbols:

Organic food or organic products made in India bear an authentication mark or certification mark called India Organic—this mark is an indicator of the product or food product meeting the national standards for organic products implemented by the Government of India through the National Program for Organic production (NPOP). This quality mark is recognised by several countries around the world.

4. Let’s look at PLUs:

Typically, price lookup codes, or PLUs, contain indicators as to whether the food product is organic or not. In several countries, an organic food is identified using the PLU code—if the code starts with the number 9, it is said to be organic, based on the code classification. While this is not common in India, it is best to research the price codes in your regular supermarket to understand how they identify organic products.

Organic foods have several health and environmental benefits—the key is to identify the authentic ones. While it’s easy to be misled into relying solely on labels, it’s not that hard to equip yourself with the various ways to distinguish real organic foods from fake or mislabeled ones.

While it may seem like a new trend, organic foods have really been around for much longer than the foods we’re used to eating. This is food that is grown and fed in a natural way, so as not to disturb the growing development or the person eating it. But with more and more labels claiming to be both “natural” and “organic,” it can get confusing standing in the aisle of a grocery store. When you see that the prices are a bit higher than “normal” food, you may doubt whether it is worth looking again.

What defines “natural food”?

Natural foods are defined as foods that do not undergo any chemical processing, either in the growing procedure or in the harvesting procedure. These are foods that do not contain pesticides or insecticides, fertilisers, or other toxins.

If you see organic foods that are prepackaged, it means that each of the components has also been processed organically. However, you should look for packages with the phrase “100%” or “certified” organic to know that all the ingredients are organic. If a package only contains the now generic term “organic,” it could mean that only a percentage of the ingredients are processed in this method.

Why choose natural food?

Many people are put off by the high cost that organic food seems to have. And with the reduced processing, these costs don’t seem justified. However, the reason behind the slightly higher prices is that these are farms that cannot produce as much yield as those that use chemicals. For example, by using a lot of fertilizer, farms can grow a lot more corn stalks.

But if you take this fertiliser away to grow organic corn, you may only get half that amount—and the farmer has to charge more. There are also some restrictions on how much money these smaller, sometimes family-run farms get from government sources. Without the additional monetary aid, these farms would not be able to make a profit without increasing their overall prices.

When selecting natural foods, you also support (in most cases) local farmers who grow healthier products. The food you consume should not contain any added toxins or chemicals. A number of scientific studies have shown that eating large amounts of these substances can lead to a host of problems—some cancers, diseases, and other health problems.

The toxins can build up in your body and start damaging healthy cells. And that’s no wonder, since nature never intended us to eat chemicals that have been added to our food. In addition, many people are sensitive to these types of chemicals, so by consuming organic foods, they can avoid any harmful reactions they would otherwise have.

What are the health benefits of consuming organic foods?

But the truth is that natural foods have many of the same benefits as eating “regular” foods. When you choose an apple (organic or not) over a bar, you make a better choice for your body. However, organic and natural foods can have additional benefits.

1) better-tasting food

2) There are no preservatives.

3) More Seasonal Options

4) More vitamins and minerals

5) Higher water content

6) More vibrant colours and appearance

7) Less likely allergic reactions

8) Cleaner and more recent food

Organic food also tastes better than mass-produced food because it isn’t forced to develop to get into a store ready to sell. Organic and natural foods are usually harvested when ready and then shipped to local stores for customers to buy right away—preserving freshness, flavor, and the highest vitamin content.

Today, there are many complementary products that are organic.

In addition to organic foods, you may also find some organic products that contain organic ingredients. You can find everything from shampoo to face cream, soap to laundry detergent in many local stores. This can help you avoid being exposed to as many toxins as possible, which is good for your health and strength.

Organic food is no longer limited to the small health shops either; many larger supermarket chains now sell organic and natural foods-sometimes at better prices than in the smaller stores. Many retailers see that people like the option to eat healthier foods, so they offer additional choices—at rates you might be surprised to read.

1. Why are some plants and animals considered organic?

Food grown and prepared by nature is considered to be organic food. Some people find organic food healthy for them and good for the environment as well.

When artificial additives, fertilizers, synthetic pesticides, and other types of bioengineering are not used in growing crops, we get food that is organic. When it comes to animals, they should not be kept in small spaces for many hours or days, they should be fed food that is grown organically, and they should not be given antibiotics or other biochemicals made in a lab.

Different countries define and certify organic food with different measures.

2. So, is organically grown food actually healthy for us?

Well, researchers say that in the absence of pesticides, plants give rise to increased vitamins and antioxidants to take care of themselves. If you need extra nutritional value, you should eat organic foods instead of non-organic.

There is also concern about low levels of pesticide contamination in crops or plants that subsequently enter the human body when the food is ingested. When animals are vaccinated with antibiotics, they gain small amounts of resistance to disease and can be more expensive to raise.

3. Does the environment like organic food?

If you want clean underground water and richer soil, you have to create small amounts of toxic waste in the environment by growing organic food. It is remarkable to note that drinking water is not contaminated and that life in rivers, dams, seas, and oceans is not affected by the use of pesticides. The environment is interrupted when toxins enter the food web.

Since natural methods are used to obtain food that is organic, very little energy is used. They also require little packaging material and therefore generally produce little waste. Plants and animals that have been changed genetically are not biological species, and they could contaminate the DNA of biological species.

Well, there is some evidence that genetically modified foods can provide more yield per acre than organically grown foods. The use of agricultural chemicals and substances is much smaller for organic foods than for non-organic foods, although the production per square metre is smaller.

4. Could you afford organic food?

Well, it seems that organic food costs a little more than non-organic because of the perceived value of the final product, yet it is believed to be cheaper because it requires smaller amounts of inputs for its growth. A cost-effective method is to get your food, which is organic, directly from the farmer you know. The best organic food should be grown under the best climatic conditions, but such conditions can exist in a distant place on the planet, and importing food is sometimes costly.

Due to the standardisation of organic food preparation by authorities in different countries, it is easy to find organic foods as they are clearly labeled. One way to make sure the food is organically produced is to make sure you choose a local farmer who uses natural methods to grow crops or raise animals. However, foreign food that is organic can be tricky to verify, and you usually rely on the “say” of the store owners, and this is still a grey area for many buyers.

Would organic food live up to the hype?

1. Why are some plants and animals interpreted as biological?

Food grown and prepared by nature is considered organic food. Although it is healthy for people, it is crucial for protecting the environment.

In order for every crop and plant to be organic, they must first and foremost be grown without artificial additives and fertilizers, synthetic pesticides, and any kind of biotechnology. Animals shouldn’t be kept in small spaces for long periods of time, they should be fed organic food, and they shouldn’t be given antibiotics or other biochemicals made in a lab.

Different countries define and certify organic food with different measures.

Is there evidence that organically grown food is healthy?

Plants are given increased vitamins and antioxidants to fend for themselves when pesticides are absent. Food that is not organic has less nutritional value compared to food that is organic.

There is also the problem of minor pesticide poisoning in crops or plants that then gets into the human body when the food is ingested. Low resistance to disease due to vaccine use means that animals will be more expensive to raise.

3. Can the environment benefit from organically grown food?

If you want clean underground water and richer soil, you need to create a few pollutants in the environment by growing organically grown food. It is remarkable to note that drinking water is not polluted and life in rivers, dams, seas, and oceans is not affected by pesticide use. Both water and air poisoning will ruin the interrelationship between living organisms.

Organic food is also known to require less energy as it only relies on natural resources to develop. Organic food calls for simple packaging, and waste accumulation is low. Since organic food comes from nature and isn’t made by changing genes, there is no worry that it will change the genes of naturally occurring species.

Well, there are indications that genetically modified food can yield higher returns per hectare than organically produced food. Organic food, which is the same as non-organic food, needs very small amounts of pesticides and fertilizers, even though production is usually low.

4. Is organically grown food cheap?

Since organically grown food requires less input to produce, you would expect it to be priced very low, but it is slightly more expensive due to its high perceived value. The best way to find cheap organic food is to buy from stores that order organically grown food directly from local farms. The best food that is organic should be grown under the best climatic conditions, but such conditions can exist in a distant place on the planet, and importing food is sometimes costly.

Due to the standardisation of the preparation of organically grown foods by different government agencies in different countries, it is easy to identify foods that are organic as they are clearly labeled. Having an adequate knowledge of the local farming community’s methods of producing organic farming products is vital to ensuring that the food you get is unquestionably organic. It is still difficult for shoppers to believe that the imported food they occasionally purchase is organic and to rely solely on the trust of shopkeepers.