Just the Facts Please.... Top Facts About Organic Food

So what exactly are the facts about organic food? Good question, and with all of the information available today it is becoming more and more difficult to figure out fact from fiction when it comes to the benefits of organic food.

Below is a quick list of facts about the benefits of organic food as well as some pretty scary statistics from the FDA about pesticide use in non-organic food.

Here is the good news, according to medicalnewstoday.com, a recent study shows a predominantly organic diet:

• reduces the amount of toxic chemicals ingested;

• totally avoids GMOs (genetically modified organisms);

• reduces the amount of food additives and colorings;

• increases the amount of beneficial vitamins, minerals, EFAs [essential fatty acids] and antioxidants consumed;

• appears to have the potential to lower the incidence of common conditions such as cancer, coronary heart disease, allergies and hyperactivity in children.

Organic food is known to contain 50% more nutrients, minerals and vitamins than produce that has been intensively farmed. According to Walter J. Crinnion N.D., a Naturopathic Physician a few of the nutrients that were found in higher levels in organic foods:

• Chromium is a micronutrient that is low in Western diets. Its deficiency is associated with the onset of adult diabetes and atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). Chromium was found to be higher in organic foods by an average of 78%.

• Selenium is one of the antioxidant nutrients that protects us from damage by environmental chemicals. It is protective against cancers and heart disease. It was found to be an average of 390% higher in organic foods.

• Calcium, needed for strong bones, averaged 63% higher in organics.

• Boron, which has been shown to help prevent osteoporosis (along with calcium), averaged 70% more.

• Lithium, which is used to treat certain types of depression, was 188% higher.

• Magnesium, which reduces mortality from heart attacks, keeps muscles from spasming, and eases the symptoms of PMS, averaged 138% more.

And now the bad news.......

Top 5 scary statistics that make you want to RUN to your local green grocer and stock up on ORGANIC FOOD:

• The U.S. Department of Agriculture strictly prohibits mixing different types of pesticides for disposal, due to the well known process of the individual chemicals combining into new highly toxic chemical compounds. There are no regulations regarding pesticide mixture on a consumer product level, even though, in a similar manner, those same individual pesticide residues interact and mix together into new chemical compounds when conventional multiple ingredient products are made. 62% of food products tested contain a measurable mixture of residues of at least three different pesticides.

• According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Academy of Sciences, standard chemicals are up to ten times more toxic to children than to adults, depending on body weight. This is due to the fact that children take in more toxic chemicals relative to body weight than adults and have developing organ systems that are more vulnerable and less able to detoxify toxic chemicals.

• According to EPA's "Guidelines for Carcinogen Risk Assessment," children receive 50% of their lifetime cancer risks in the first two years of life.

• In blood samples of children aged 2 to 4, concentrations of pesticide residues are six times higher in children eating conventionally farmed fruits and vegetables compared with those eating organic food.

• A new chemical study of umbilical chord samples from the American Red Cross has found that babies have an average of 200 known toxic chemicals in their blood, including mercury, fire retardants, pesticides and a chemical used in the production of Teflon, even before being born. The tests found that hundreds of chemicals, pollutants and pesticides are stored in body fat over a lifetime and then pumped from mother to fetus through umbilical cord blood. Overall, chemical absorption can be reduced by eating organic foods, and by reducing exposure to toxins at home and at work.

I don't know about you but I am feeling pretty good about eating organic food. And now that you know a few more of the facts about organic food I am hoping you will consider making a few changes to your diet!

If you enjoyed reading this article, Facts About Organic Food you may also enjoy reading my other articles:

• Healthy Food List
• Organic Food Coupons
• Nutrition Promotes Healthy Living
• Is Organic Worth the Expense?

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