Organic food tends to have polarising effects on people. While some swear by its benefits on our health and our environment, others find it a fad trend that will soon settle into the depths of inevitable negligence. As we all know everything has its perks and drawbacks, advantages and disadvantages, benefits and harm, so is the case with organic food. 

Let’s take a look:

Reasons to buy organic food:

  • Organic farming methods don’t use toxic chemicals, fertilizers, and pesticides, which makes them environment-friendly. The safe farming practice also renders the yields healthier and safer to consume.
  • Organic food does not contain hydrogenated fats, unlike traditionally grown food. Hydrogenated fat can cause heart-related issues and other ailments. Thus organic food is a safer alternative.
  • Organically produced milk and meat come from well-treated and well-kept animals. So, if you are worried about whether the animal you get your milk and meat from is fed on a natural diet, organic is the way to go.
  • Organically grown food does not use genetically modified crops.
  • Last but not least, organic food does not contain any sort of chemicals, fertilizers, pesticides, laxatives, artificial flavour, and other harmful substances. 

Reasons not to buy organic food

  • Organic food may stale quicker than traditionally grown food because of the lack of artificial preservatives and laxatives.
  • Organic food is more expensive.
  • Contrary to the popular belief, organic food allows the use of chemicals. Nevertheless, it does it in a very limited amount.
  • As per UK Food Standards Agency, French Food Safety Agency, and Swedish National Food Administration, organic food is no safer or more nutritious than its alternatives.
  • According to the Consumers’ Association (UK), there is ‘no consensus’ on reports linking organic food to health benefits.

How to buy organic food?

Before buying organic food online, you must ensure that you are taking the right amount of calories, carbs, starch, fibre, and other minerals through the food you eat. Try to include more fruits and vegetables in your diet along with starchy carbs. Go for two servings of protein and at least two servings of low-fat dairy food. 

  • Once you have made sure that your diet is balanced, incorporate the following organic food in your diet:
  • Organic lettuce, spinach, cabbage, and potatoes as contain higher levels of vitamin C, magnesium, iron, and phosphorus.
  • Go for organic vegetable soup. Organic soups contain six times as much salicylic acid as non-organic soups, according to research. 
  • Go for organic apples as non-organic apples are exposed to pesticides about 36 times during their growth. Many of these chemicals are hard to get rid of no matter how much you wash them.
  • Go for organic meat. Try to cut down on the amount of meat you eat weekly and increase the quality of the meat by going organic. Going organic means you will also be safeguarding the welfare of animals.