Top 10 Reasons to Eat Organic

Eating organic isn’t a fad. In fact, a 2015 USDA report stated that sales from U.S. organic farms reached $5.5 billion, a 72 percent increase from 2008. Whether you’re avoiding pesticides, looking for a healthier diet, or concerned about the environment, there is no shortage of reasons to eat organic foods. So if you’ve been on the fence looking at those greener organic pastures, wait no more! Here are ten delicious reasons to take a bite of that organic apple today!

1. Environmental Health & Climate Change.

According to Cornell entomologist David Pimentel, it is estimated that only 0.1% of applied pesticides reach the target pests. The bulk of pesticides (99.%) are left to impact the environment. Waterways and farmland are contaminated by chemical run-off from farms. Arguably one of the largest environmental disasters has been the loss of quality soil. Many organic farmers grow bio-diverse crops rather than the industrial monoculture model, which depletes the soil. With up to 50% of greenhouse gas emissions created by our industrial global food system alone, we hold tremendous power for a healthy climate in our food choices. According to this white paper, organic farming practices can store carbon underground, which will lead to less extreme weather. Organic management practices, including crop rotation, substantially enhance soil quality, restore nitrogen and organic components, and sequester carbon. In short, chemically produced food is damaging our soil and lending a hand to our climate crisis.

2. Safe Drinking Water.

The more chemicals applied per acre, the greater the challenge in preserving water quality. The Dead Zone in the Gulf of Mexico is the most graphic example of the enormous harm caused when farm chemicals flowing off of millions of acres congregate in the mighty Mississippi. So, not only is chemically dependent agriculture damaging our drinking water it is also harming our waterways and ocean.

3. Health Risks.

It should be no surprise that those chemical pesticides that kill off pests are also causing harm to your health. But it doesn’t just stop with harming you; pesticide, herbicide and chemical fertilizer usage poses health risks to farmers and farmworkers. Pesticides ingested by pregnant women have been linked to birth defects and deformities. Studies have also shown that some herbicides and pesticides stimulate the growth of breast cancer cells and cause mammary cancer in rats. Organic crops cannot be grown with persistent synthetic chemicals, sewage sludge, irradiation, animal cloning or genetic engineering. The USDA organic seal guarantees that farmers abide by these standards. By eating organic, you will dramatically reduce the amount of pesticide residue you ingest on a daily basis thus reducing your risk for diseases.

4. Biodiversity

Wildlife, insects, frogs, birds, and soil organisms can play their important roles in the tapestry of ecology, and we can play ours, without interference or compromise. Birds, bees, and pollinator decline have been linked to synthetic pesticides only used by conventional farmers. Organic farms are home to around 30 percent more wildlife species than conventional farms, a meta-analysis of nearly 100 studies by researchers from the University of Oxford from Sweden and Switzerland has found. It is estimated that 75% of the genetic diversity of agricultural crops has been lost in the last century. Leaning heavily on one or two varieties of a given food is a formula for devastation. What’s more, conventional foods in the last twenty years are produced using genetically engineered seeds. The mixing of genes from different species that have never shared genes in the past is what makes GMO crops so unique, and it’s why chemical producers have been able to patent these crops. Creating such transgenic organisms through traditional crossbreeding methods is impossible. Genetically engineered crops have not been thoroughly tested by independent scientists for long-term health and environmental consequences. Genetically engineered foods also contaminate non-GMO and organic crops, which can wipe out organic and heirloom seeds permanently.

5. Avoid GMOs

Often referred to as “Frankenfoods,” GMOs can be found in over 75% of processed foods sold in America. The U.S. and Canada stand-alone without clear mandatory GMO labeling and spending millions to keep consumers in the dark about GMO ingredients. 64 other countries label GMOs so that consumers can make an informed choice, while many other countries have outright banned GMOs from being grown. Since GMOs are not labeled the best guarantee in avoiding GMOs is to choose certified organic foods. Currently, over 90% of all GMO crops are engineered to survive glyphosate spraying, the active ingredient in Monsanto’s weed-killing herbicide, Roundup.  These Roundup-Ready crops have made glyphosate the most heavily used pesticide in U.S. agriculture. Since GMO corn and soy were first introduced two decades ago, the amount of glyphosate used by farmers has increased 280 million pounds a year. Glyphosate was recently classified as a “probable carcinogen to humans” by cancer experts at the World Health Organization. Because of this extreme dousing of chemicals, GMO crops have led to environmental disasters such as superweeds and superbugs. Organic food cannot be grown using genetically modified seeds, nor can any processed organic foods use GMO ingredients. Organic always means non-GMO.

6. Nutrition

Plants nurtured by healthy soil on organic farms produce crops that often contain higher levels of important antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins. On average, organically grown foods provide 21.1% more iron (than their conventional counterparts); 27% more vitamin C; 29.3% more magnesium; 13.6% more phosphorus. A team of researchers found organic milk contains significantly higher concentrations of heart-healthy fatty acids compared to milk from cows on conventionally managed dairy farms. Organic farming is viewed as regenerative agriculture and can actually increase the fertility of soil, creating more nutritious food and reversing climate change.

7. Good for Farmers.

Reduced reliance on chemical and agri-engineering corporations is good for farmers. Certified organic food producers adhere to a strict system of government-mandated regulations verified and certified by third-party inspectors. Farmers must make a financial commitment to growing food in this manner, but the market for organic food is the largest growing agricultural sector in the U.S. Farmers are businessmen and women after all and want to grow food that has a market. Big box retailer Costco recently passed $4 billion in annual sales from organic produce, eclipsing Whole Foods. Now, organic farmers can’t grow to produce fast enough to supply the warehouse retailer. To help nudge supply in the right direction, Costco is lending money to farmers, allowing them to buy land and equipment to grow more organic produce. Choosing organic food creates a positive ripple effect from farm to table because supply always meets demand.

8. Animal Welfare

Livestock managed organically must have access to the outdoors and room enough to move, graze, and develop in a manner that supports their natural behavior. These animals cannot be given antibiotics or growth hormones. Conventional animal factories use genetically engineered crops to fatten up livestock ahead of slaughter whereas organically produced animals cannot ingest genetically engineered feed. Animal waste from these confined animal feedlots creates methane, a greenhouse gas. Organically raised livestock have access to graze on grass and are not fed a diet of GMO corn, cottonseed, canola, and soy. Unhealthy and mistreated animals make unhealthy food that accounts for a significant percentage of all food-borne illnesses. To avoid illnesses and put a stop to inhumane treatment purchase certified organic animal products.

9. Hormones and Antibiotic usage

Organic dairy cows are not injected with milk-boosting hormones such as recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBST), which has shown increase insulin levels in humans. Studies also show more than 90% of the pesticides Americans consume are found in the fat and tissue of meat and dairy products. According to the Consumers Union, approximately 80 percent of the antibiotics sold in the U.S. are used in meat and poultry production. Many scientists and experts warn that rampant use of antibiotics in animal feed, like penicillin and tetracycline, will breed an epidemic that medicine has no defense against. Karim Ahmed, Ph.D., a senior scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) states that it “is perhaps one of the most serious public health problems the country faces. We’re talking about rendering many of the most important antibiotics ineffective.” Organic meat and dairy cannot be produced with antibiotics and growth hormones.

10. Food security.

A healthy food future requires us to treat our precious land, water, air, animals, and ecosystem with more deliberate care. More than 600 active chemicals are registered for agricultural use in America, to the tune of billions of pounds annually. The average application equates to about 16 pounds of chemical pesticides per person every year. This isn’t a sustainable system for any of us. The loss of our pollinators to poor industrial practices is rapidly threatening the planet’s food supply. Recent reports from the United Nations warned that without immediate action to protect pollinators, the global food supply could be decimated. We must get off of the pesticide treadmill and assert our buying power as consumers so we can reduce the damage and regenerate our environment. The $1 trillion food industry market in America is predominately chemically dependent, and we are paying the price with our declining health and the health of Mama Earth. Spending dollars in the organic sector is a direct vote for a sustainable future for the many generations to come.

So after reading ten reasons to eat organic, you can see that choosing organic is truly a down-payment on our food future. From the bees to the seas, we can’t afford to eat organic food. At the grocery store, look for this green and white circular USDA Organic label.

Organic produce often has a nine at the start of the PLU numbers on the sticker like bananas PLU for conventional is 4 numbers: 4011 but organic bananas will carry a PLU that has a nine in front so it will be 94011. Most organic food is clearly labeled so simply look for signs that say “organic”.

The cheapest alternative to adopting this lifestyle is to grow your own organic food, buy direct from a farmer at a farm stand, farmers market, or opting for a CSA program in your community.

If you demand it, growers will supply it, and the price for organic will decrease as it becomes available in every community!

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