Are Organic Foods Worth the Expensive Price?

You may have heard of many people around you buying organic foods these years. Indeed, demand for organic foods are rising and the price is getting higher and higher. Organic foods are becoming a huge part of our lives because of their many benefits including physical health and the environment. But does this mean that organic food is better than normal food? If you had one organic apple in one hand, and a conventionally grown apple on the other, and both are bright red and shiny, provide the same amount of vitamins and fiber and both are free of fat, which one would you choose? Some may say both, but because of how they grow and produce food, and the environmental benefits, it is the best to choose the organic apple. First of all, what is organic? Organic refers to the way farmers grow and processes agricultural products. In other words, a way of growing products without using any man made pesticides or chemicals. The difference between them are very simple. Organic is healthier than normal food. One of the reasons is because of how the producers make the food. For example, you may have noticed that most of the USDA seals on many organic products. USDA stands for U.S. Department of Agriculture which has established an organic certification program that requires all organic foods to meet strict government standards. These strict standards include how such food are grown, handled and processed. They also make sure multi-ingredient products to be at least 95 percent organic. Because of the way farmers carefully produce organic food, they have many health benefits. For example, organic food has an increase in nutrients. In the article, Organic Foods: Are they safer? More nutritious? by Mayo Clinic, it states, "Studies have shown small to moderate increases in some nutrients in organic produce. The best evidence of a significant increase is in certain types of flavonoids, which have antioxidant properties. The boost of nutrients is the main difference of normal and organic food. Other differences include omega-3 fatty acids, a kind of fat that is more heart healthy than other fats, lower cadmium, a toxic chemical, and less pesticides residue. This is why organic food is a healthier choice. Not only does organic food have health benefits, but environmental benefits as well. Organic foods do not use any pesticides or chemicals for the product, which results in a waste and toxic gas free environment. Every year, tons of chemicals are dumped on fields during the productions of conventional foods. These chemicals can contaminate the soil and the underground water. This also destroys wildlife, taking away its natural habitat. The staggering amounts of harmful gases produced by industrial animal farms threatens the health of nearby residents. Organic food production also helps in fighting against global warmings. Since organic food is distributed locally, less energy is used for transportation which automatically reduces carbon dioxide emissions. They also help the dwindling water supply. Major water pollution threat to U.S. rivers is runoff from non-organic farms. Organic farming keeps the water supply clean by stopping the harmful pesticides, toxic fertilizers and animal waste. As you can see, organic foods are beneficial to our environment. Many of you may be thinking that organic foods are very expensive; they are not worth the cost. Of course organic foods are expensive and hard to buy when there are perfectly good non-organic foods next to it. However, the reason organic foods are expensive is because it requires more work and isn't industrialized. This means that they are less chances for you to become sick and the environment to become worse. In conclusion, organic food is worth the extra cost and has benefits for human health and for the environment. Articles https://www.forbes.com/sites/learnvest/2012/09/06/study-says-organic-isnt-healthier-heres-why-it-still-may-be-worth-the-cost-999/#2df778d7c595Articles https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/organic-food/art-20043880

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