Buying organically produced foods is a big trend, something Healthalicious people tend to do. However, there are many people who still know nothing about the term other than the fact that organic foods tend to cost more. So, for those of you who don’t know much about organic foods, this article will teach you something new today.
What are organic foods?
Contrary to popular belief, “organic” does not mean natural. Organic agriculture is defined as “an ecological production management system that promotes and enhances biodiversity, biological cycles, and soil biological activity. It is based on minimal use of off-farm inputs and on management practices that restore, maintain, and enhance ecological harmony.” Organic foods have three classifications – “100 percent organic”, which means that everything contained within the product is produced organically, except for water and salt. The next classification, “Organic”, indicates that 95 percent of what’s contained in the product is produced organically. The final term, “made with organic ingredients”, is used for processed foods and means that approximately 70 percent of the ingredients are organic.
What are the benefits of eating organically?
The first and biggest reason to eat organic foods is that you are cutting down on the chemical substances that you ingest. Conventionally, fruits and veggies are treated with pesticides, and in many cases are grown in soil with chemical fertilizer. Farm animals may feed on grass and foods grown with chemical fertilizers, which introduced a market for organic meats also. Some research shows that organic veggies are higher in nutritional content. Chemical fertilizers have a tendency to make vegetables swell with water, which would explain some of the extraordinarily large sizes you can find in fruits and vegetables in the grocery store.
The extra work put into organic foods increases their cost, usually cost 10 - 20 percent more than conventionally grown foods, but the benefits may outweigh the price.