What are organic foods?

Every time you go to buy grocery it really seems impossible to ignore those bright and welcoming sign boards that read “Organic”. So much is the craze that every super market has a well-advertised, green painted section of “all natural” or organic products right from dairy to grains to fruits and vegetables.

But have we really given a thought as to what these organic foods indeed are? Most of us think that anything that is free of pesticides is organic and good for consumption. But wait, there is more to it, in fact much more than one can actually think about.

Organic foods are produced using the organic farming technique, with the methods being directed by the national government or international organizations in ways that make organic farming different from domestic farming. Whether a food can be labelled as organic or not is directed by the standards laid down by the jurisdiction and decided upon by cultivation methods that include farming sites and environment. Synthetic pesticides, chemical fertilizers and hormone treatment are strictly not allowed, however, limited use of organically approved pesticides is acceptable.

Given the fact that organic farming requires controlled conditions and expert supervision, the cost of these products is typically high, to the extent that some organic foods cost twice as much their non-organic counterparts do. For those who are health conscious, the charm of organic foods seems to surpass the price that they pay for such foods. But are they truly any healthier?

Numerous researches have been conducted to compare the nutritional composition of organic foods to the non-organic ones, and there doesn’t seem to be much evidence in favor of the organic foods. One established difference is that the organic vegetables and fruits have considerably higher amounts of antioxidants. But again the, actual benefit lies with our body’s ability to absorb and transport these antioxidants to the destined sites. And unfortunately, not much has been researched in this field.

Thus, we can conclude that going all organic may not actually benefit us the way we think it does. The best approach then, is to combine the organic foods with the regular ones and maintain a balanced healthy intake.  Opting for seasonal and locally grown vegetable and fruits would provide wholesome nutrition.