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August/September
It’s Your Life Magazine
Why I
Choose
Organic
Marla Gates
September is Organic Harvest month
and was designed each September by
the Organic Trade Association (OTA) to
encourage people to grow and buy more
certified organic. This is the perfect time of
the year to celebrate the bounty of organic
harvest with all the fresh garden vegetables and fruits that are abundant and
thriving. It is a great time to discover the
many benefits that organically grown foods
offers to our health and to the health of our
environment.
The big question many people have – Is Organic
worth It? I say yes, yes, yes! Let me explain and
give you some facts that will support my beliefs.
Isssue 3
First let’s examine what Organic means -- According to wikipedia.org the definition of organic food
is – Foods produced by organic farming. While the
standards differ worldwide, organic farming in general features cultural, biological, and mechanical
practices that foster cycling of resources, promote
ecological balance, and conserve biodiversity.
Synthetic pesticides and chemical fertilizers are
not allowed, although certain organically approved
pesticides may be used under limited conditions.
In general, organic foods are also not processed
using irradiation, industrial solvents, or synthetic
food additives
In plain words organic food is good for our planet,
our health, and is real food without toxic chemicals,
additives, unprocessed, preservative and dye free
-- “The way Nature meant it to be.”
Important Facts about Organic Foods:
No chemical pesticides – Wow that’s a big one!
According to Organic Consumers -- many U.S.
residents carry toxic pesticides in their bodies
above government assessed “acceptable” levels,
per Chemical Trespass: Pesticides in Our Bodies
and Corporate Accountability a report by Pesticide Action Network North America (PANNA) and
partner groups in more than 20 cities. Many of the
pesticides found in the test subjects have been
linked to serious short and long-term health effects
including infertility, birth defects and childhood and
adult cancers.
Organic farming does not use environmentally
harmful chemicals that may contaminate our
groundwater and it replenishes and maintains
healthy, fertile topsoil with rich biological matter
that will not erode into waterways. Organically
raised livestock helps keep the gene pool for food
products diversified and safe.
Organic has higher nutrition and antioxidants levels– The Guardian reports that a team, led by Prof
Carlo Leifert at Newcastle University, concludes
that there are “statistically significant, meaningful” differences, with a range of antioxidants being
“substantially higher” – between 19% and 69%
– in organic food. It is the first study to demonstrate clear and wide-ranging differences between
organic and conventional fruits, vegetables and
cereals.
Organic is not Genetically Modified - GMO’s
cause much concern in our world and have been
linked to many serious health problems in animals
and people. Many types of cancer, allergies, food
intolerances, birth defects and so much more.
Read 65 health risks of GM foods to learn more.
Genetically modified foods are not real foods.
Organic farming practices are good for our environment. Organic practices encourage soil and
water conservation and reduce pollution. Organic
farmers who grow organic produce use natural fertilizers on the soil and plants. No chemicals! They
control weeds with mulch and crop rotation. Crop
damaging pests \