Organic vs. Non-Organic

Organic Craze

Everything is organic these days! Whether its fruit, potato chips, or even frozen dinners, you can pretty much find an organic substitute for any food in your local grocery store. That said, are these organic options actually healthier for you and your body? There has been much debate on this topic, with sound facts coming from both sides.

Organic is Definitely Better for the Environment

Whether or not organic foods are healthier, this much is known – organic farms tend to preserve the environment and cut down on waste production by leaps and bounds in comparison to their non-organic counterparts.

Organic farms do not spray their produce and food with artificial chemicals, pesticides, fertilizers, and other food-preserving chemicals. These chemicals not only preserve the food, but they also kill the soil located around the food.

That said, organic food does spoil before non-organic food does…just one example of the pros and cons found on both sides of the debate.

Are Non-Organic Foods Harmful?

Some health and nutrition experts believe that all those chemicals sprayed on non-organic foods are actually poisonous to our bodies. Others, on the other hand, believe that the dosage levels of those chemicals are so small that they couldn’t possibly harm our bodies in a negative way.

After all, that’s why we have stomach acids right? Again, who should we believe in this debate?

The Verdict

I once talked to a gym trainer who told me that he never even bothers eating organically. He said that in large quantities, yes, the pesticides sprayed on non-organic foods could be potentially harmful. But those quantities are never large enough to affect our health in any negative way, according to the trainer.

In my own opinion, I’ll have to side with the gym and nutrition guru. Sure organic is better for the environment and it cuts down on the waste that we as humans produce, but the argument can’t be made at this point and time that organic foods are a healthier option.

That said, I could always change my mind if future findings can establish the health risks of eating non-organically. But for now, I’ll continue eating my chemically-sprayed foods just like many other healthy individuals around the world.

No Impact Man

By the way, if you would like to develop your own opinion on this issue, there is a great documentary titled ‘No Impact Man’ that you should watch. Basically, this man by the name of Colin Beavan, chronicles his family’s journey as they strive to not only eat organic but to live completely organic as well.

Here is Colin’s official blogspot: http://noimpactman.typepad.com/