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BC THE ORGANIC WAY by Marya Skrypiczajko
Organic agriculture is growing faster than any other sector of the food industry and being philosophically opposed to conventional agriculture, there has to be some backlash.
Nonetheless, I am tired of reading in the mainstream press that organic food is no healthier than conventional food and that it only serves a health-crazed niche market.
To me it seems completely clear that organic food is healthier. It is not grown with chemical pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers. It is not irradiated and it is as GMO-free as possible. As well, an increasing number of studies show organic foods are more nutritious than their conventional counterparts.
So how do they get away with slagging organic food? Well, the big corporations invested in conventional agriculture direct a lot of money into discrediting organic farming practices and organic foods. They fund right-wing study centres like the Hudson Institute, as well as many universities. Then when their studies are published and read by the public, they are credited to a serious institution, doing bad research, but still believable. But that’s just one side of the story.
On the other side, we have a recent study by the Ontario College of Family Physicians linking pesticide use to cancers, fertility problems, birth defects and neurological diseases; statistics showing that farmers have the highest occupational cancer rate in the US; and universities publishing studies that demonstrate organic food is more nutritious.
It’s nature, completely straightforward, that gives organic food these advantages.
First of all, organic farming practices force plants to develop better immune systems than conventional plants because they must have the strength to naturally combat attacks of bugs and insects. Plants with stronger immune systems contain more phytochemicals, the substance that gives plants colour, flavour, smell and texture. Phytochemicals are considered to be beneficial to human health. www.upwardquest.com/immune-support/08-plant-immune.html
As well, conventional farming uses fertilizers heavy in nitrogen content which stimulates quick plant growth and thus creates large vegetables with both high size-to-nutrient ratios and high water-to-nutrient ratios. Organic farmers use slow-release forms of nitrogen, such as composted manure so their plants do not grow as quickly and end up with denser concentrations of nutrients. As well, plants that have a high dry matter to water ratio contain more health-promoting antioxidants such as flavonoids and polyphenolics that reduce the chances of cancer and heart disease. Studies also show that the high nitrogen levels in conventional crops reduce the concentration of vitamin C in many leafy green vegetables, tomatoes and citrus fruits.
In a 2001 study by Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland researchers looked at the vitamin, mineral and nitrate content of organic crops, as well as their protein quantity and quality. Their results showed organic crops contain significantly more vitamin C, iron, magnesium and phosphorus than conventional crops, a better quality of protein, a higher content of nutritionally significant minerals, and lower amounts of some heavy metals.
Another point in favour of organic foods is that most fruits and vegetables reach their peak nutrition when fully ripened on the plant. Not all, but a lot of organic foods are sold locally at farmers’ markets, fruit stands and small grocery stores that deal directly with the farmers, so they can be left on the plants to ripen and then picked just before going to market. The conventional produce sold in most grocery stores has been picked green and then ripened on the 1,000 kilometre-plus journey to market.
Eggs and meat from free range animals are also found to be superior to those from animals raised in cages or feedlots. Free-range eggs have more vitamin E, folic acid and vitamin B12 than factory-farmed eggs. Grass-fed beef contains more of vitamins E, A and D, more betacarotene and omega 3s (the good fats), and less overall fat. For those of you more interested in studies done on naturally raised animals, check out www.eatwild.com or www.pasture-to-plate.com and you’ll find all kinds of interesting studies and articles.
Common sense together with scientific studies tells us that organic food is the better choice for our health. Maybe if there is enough publicity in this regard, we’ll eventually defeat the naysayers. Let’s hope so.
Marya Skrypiczajko is the author of BC the Organic Way – Where to Find Organic Food in British Columbia
www.bctheorganicway.com
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