Organic or not organic? That is the question.
So, the FSA tell us that organic food is no more nutritious than conventionally produced food. Although we then read that a ‘small number of differences in nutrient content were found to exist between organically and conventionally produced crops and livestock but these are unlikely to be of any public health significance’
The papers declare ‘organic food no ‘healthier’ than conventional produce’. Well is that really the case? They may not be significantly different in their vitamin and mineral content but surely without all the pesticides and herbicides, which are poisons, they must be better for us.
It is argued that the pesticides used are within ‘safe’ levels. Safe for who, I ask, and have they checked the levels when you have eaten at least your 5 helpings of fruit and vegetables that you should have had, to stay healthy? Then you drink your milk to give you your calcium requirements, and all the processed foods stuffed full of preservatives, what levels have you reached by then? We now know that a combination of two or three pesticides at low levels as found in most modern environments, magnifies up to 1600 times the effect of any insecticide on its own.
No, no, in my humble opinion, the reason for eating organic foods is to give your liver a chance in this toxic environment. It has enough to deal with chemicals such as solvents, medications, food additives, and heavy metals such as lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic, nickel and aluminium, without the pesticides as well, These stay for years in our fatty tissue which surrounds our vital organs and the nervous system including the brain, and are very resistant.
Our modern refined diet can also be considered toxic because it places an extra burden on our detoxification systems through too much sugar, high fructose corn syrup, trans fatty acids, alcohol, caffeine, aspartame, genetically modified foods, and the various plastics, pathogens, hormones and antibiotics found in our food supply. Organic at least gives us a little help!
Conventionally produced meat and fish are full of chemicals, hormones and drugs that will disrupt our own metabolism and hormonal system. Synthetic hormones are high profile these days. Industrial, agricultural, and chemical companies dump toxic substances into the environment and many of these toxins mimic the effects of oestrogen. They’re called xenoestrogens and have been proven to wreak havoc with our oestrogen levels causing foggy thinking, depression, skin problems, increased breast tissue in men, unwanted facial hair in women and premature aging.
In processed foods there are some 70,000 chemicals in commercial use, with another 1000 or so added every year.
All these chemicals etc have to be detoxed out of the body by the liver and it also has to metabolise the hormones. It is put under a great deal of strain, and there is evidence that the toxic environment is causing so much of our chronic ill health such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease.
Trust me, organic is definitely MORE HEALTHY!