{"id":5789,"date":"2021-10-18T21:10:40","date_gmt":"2021-10-18T21:10:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/compassohio.com\/?p=5789"},"modified":"2024-02-21T22:53:35","modified_gmt":"2024-02-22T03:53:35","slug":"why-organic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/compassohio.com\/why-organic\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Organic?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Christmas composition. Christmas gift, pine cones, fir tree branches on white background. Top view, flat lay, copy space.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

It\u2019s a struggle to eat a healthy diet today. More than some people even recognize. I think we can all agree on the fact that fast food, sweets, and junk food are not good for our bodies; we need more vegetables, fruits, good sources of protein, and healthy fats in our diet and less of the empty, fattening, disease-causing calories. But when someone asks me why it\u2019s important to choose to eat organic food over conventional (or non-organic) food, they might hear more than they bargained for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eating an organic diet is increasing in popularity, but many people may not realize why choosing organic is critical to creating a healthier lifestyle. There are many reasons to choose organic foods, but one reason in particular is to avoid Genetically Modified Organisms, also known as GMOs, which is a term you may have heard within the trendy \u201chealth food\u201d realm. It is recognized that a GMO \u201cis the result of a laboratory process where genes from the DNA of one species are extracted and artificially forced into the genes of an unrelated plant or animal. The foreign genes may be from bacteria, viruses, insects, animals, or even humans.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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All United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) certified organic food never contains GMOs. However, if you pick up a box of cereal, for example, that has the non-GMO label but does not have the USDA certified organic seal, it is not guaranteed to be organic. Just because it says non-GMO does not mean that it\u2019s organic. I think this confuses a lot of people. So why is this important you may ask?<\/p>\n\n\n

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cross section view of a plant with its roots<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

One reason is that, \u201cOrganic regulations prohibit certain toxic pesticides from being used on crops, though non-GMO only may still have been grown with pesticides.\u201d That statement in itself might not sway you to choose certified organic foods, but it should. According to the National Institutes of Health, pesticide exposure has been linked to diseases such as asthma, autism, learning disabilities, birth defects, reproductive dysfunction, autoimmune diseases, diabetes, Parkinson\u2019s disease, Alzheimer\u2019s disease, and several kinds of cancer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To clarify where we are getting the majority of our pesticide exposure, the Environmental Health Perspectives journal records that exposure to organophosphate pesticide was predominately through eating non-organic food, even if it\u2019s non-GMO. Those who eat more organic food not only have less exposure to pesticides, therefore reducing their risk of certain diseases, but they also avoid the risks that come with ingesting GMOs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Certified organic foods do not allow any GMOs, but why is that? Let\u2019s find out. GMOs may seem fascinating when genetic modification includes scientific advances such as cloning, chemical and insect resistant plants, and hypoallergenic pets, but there are more than a few concerns. First introduced in the mid-1990s, GMOs have become routine in numerous crops that are used in many of the foods Americans buy, especially processed foods. Genetically modified crops found in the US include corn, soy, cotton, canola, and sugar beets. These crops are made into products such as oils, soy protein, soy lecithin, cornstarch, corn syrup, and high fructose corn syrup, just to name a few.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take a moment and grab a few packages from your kitchen pantry. See any of those ingredients listed on the nutrition label? You\u2019re eating GMOs. That may not cause you too much anxiety, but what is startling is that many countries, including all of Europe, have banned products made with GMOs, and for good reason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the Institute for Responsible Technology (IRT), the most comprehensive source for GMO health information on the Internet, \u201cCrops that are GMOs are created with herbicide tolerance, so farmers can spray directly on the crops without killing them. GMOs increase the use of herbicides because they are tolerant so that the crops survive while the weeds die off.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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In addition, Monsanto, the world\u2019s largest producer of GMO seeds and creator of the herbicide Roundup, sells Roundup Ready crops that withstand applications of Roundup. Because weeds are becoming tolerant of the Roundup as well, more and more is being used on crops and now crops contain higher residues of these toxic chemicals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The realization that we\u2019re ingesting higher and higher amounts of these toxic chemicals without knowing their effects on our health and the environment over time is alarming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chemicals aside, unfortunately we still don\u2019t fully know the long-term effects of consuming GMOs on our personal health or their effect on the environment. Several governmental studies conducted across the world\u2014including the governments of France, New Zealand, Argentina, Austria, and Italy\u2014are linking GMOs to various health issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since 1996, when GMOs were introduced, the following health issues have been on the rise: chronic diseases, food allergies, autism, reproductive disorders, and digestive problems. This interesting correlation has not been confirmed, but it is obvious that these health issues are more and more prominent, especially in the US. And considering that GMOs are highly prevalent in processed foods and that the American diet, in general, consists of mostly processed foods, it\u2019s easy to see that there could be a link.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The IRT reports that, \u201cGenetically modified foods have been linked to toxic and allergic reactions, sick, sterile and dead livestock, and damage to virtually every organ studied in lab animals.\u201d Yet, the US Food & Drug Administration has never required any safety studies or labeling of products that contain GMOs. Companies can use GMOs in their products without notifying anyone of their use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why choose to eat organic? I think the question has been answered. It\u2019s more than the trending thing to do. It\u2019s a way to not only avoid the chemicals and highly processed, toxic preservatives and additives used in conventional foods, but also a way to avoid consuming Genetically Modified Organisms and the risks that come with that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After reading this some may find they are a little discouraged and possibly disturbed by what is in their pantry and fridge right now. My purpose in answering the \u201cWhy organic?\u201d question is not to frighten consumers into purchasing organic food. (Because, let\u2019s be honest, putting a box of organic cookies into your cart isn\u2019t much healthier, but I\u2019ll save that discussion for another time.) It is to make people aware of what\u2019s happening within the food industries that fill our grocery shelves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With all of the information we are learning about the way our food is made, it\u2019s easy to become overwhelmed, scared, obsessed, and discouraged by the food options available to us and the difficulty of navigating through the maze of what\u2019s healthy and what\u2019s not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t ever minimize your efforts to work toward a healthier diet. Try to make the healthiest choice possible. Grab an apple rather than a bag of chips or a candy bar, even if it isn\u2019t organic, because it\u2019s the healthiest choice you can make at that moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You have to start somewhere, and in the mess that our food industry has created, becoming more educated about your food choices is the best strategy you can use to live a healthier life. Choosing to incorporate organic foods into your diet is one way to do just that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Organic?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s a struggle to eat a healthy diet today. More than some people even recognize. I think we can all agree on the fact that fast food, sweets, and junk food are not good for our bodies; we need more vegetables, fruits, good sources of protein, and healthy fats in our diet and less of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5791,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,4,5],"tags":[22],"byline":[187],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhy Organic? • CompassOhio<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When someone asks me why it\u2019s important to choose to eat organic food over conventional food, they might hear more than they bargained for.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/compassohio.com\/why-organic\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why Organic? 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