7 Reasons
To Eat Organic
By Arabella Greatorex
Your health
Organically grown fruit and vegetables are not covered in a
cocktail of chemicals. Even after washing, a conventionally
grown apple may have 20 chemicals on its skin. Conventionally
grown fruit and vegetables contain more water and fewer vitamins,
minerals and anti-oxidants than organically grown produce. Even
processed organic food is better for you, as manufacturers are
banned from using many of the most harmful additives such as
hydrogenated fat, MSG and artificial flavorings and colorings.
Taste
Organic food simply tastes so much better than "normal"
food. Carrots that actually taste of carrots, apples that go
zing in your mouth and really chickeny chicken.
Avoid genetically modified foods
You can be safe knowing that you won't be eating genetically
modified (GM) food. Intensively farmed animals are often fed
on GM soya, and much of the world's production of cotton and
rice are now GM. You can register your protest by buying organic
produce.
Cost
While organic food may cost slightly more on the supermarket
shelves, the true cost of conventional food is much higher.
The BSE crisis cost nearly £4 billion, and we support
the conventional farming industry through our taxes. The Soil
Association says that it costs £120 million a year to
remove chemicals from drinking water, most of which are pesticides
used in farming.
The countryside
Intensive farming methods can lead to soil erosion,
the destruction of ancient hedgerows and the extinction or near-extinction
of hundreds of our natural animals, birds and plants. The Soil
Association believes that organic farming is the best way to
reverse the decline in wildlife by crop rotation, so the soil
is kept fertile; avoiding the use of chemical fertilizers; mixed
farming, where different crops are planted together; and encouraging
natural predators, so there is no need to use pesticides.
Animal welfare
The Soil Association insists on stringent animal welfare standards.
Animals must have access to fields and be fed mainly on clover
and herb-rich grass, just as they would in the wild. They are
given comfortable bedding and more space when they are housed
and are often treated with herbal or homeopathic drugs when
ill.
And it's not just food
Recent years have seen a huge growth in the number of organic
clothing and toiletries ranges available. Once hard to come by
and very expensive, companies such as Green Baby and The Natural
Nursery, are making organic baby clothes, nappies and toiletries
accessible to all.
Many of the same arguments apply.
The cotton industry accounts for 25 percent of the world's insecticide
use, and it takes around 150 grams of hazardous chemical pesticides
to grow enough cotton to make one t-shirt.
© Arabella Greatorex
Arabella Greatorex is the owner
of Natural
Nursery, an online store selling organic and fairly traded
products for families including organic clothing and bedding,
fairly traded toys, natural toiletries, cloth and eco-disposable
nappies and soft shoes.
