Organic food is grown without the use of toxic pesticides, herbicides, fungicides or chemical fertilizers. Organic foods are better for your health, & they’re produced in ways that support a health environment; organic farming works with Mother Nature, not against her! 

The media generally report that there is no significant difference in the nutritional value of organic foods when compared to conventionally grown produce.  This is virtually impossible if you consider what organic farming entails. The nutrients generally mentioned when comparing conventionally grown & organic foods are Primary Nutrients such as water, fiber, proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins & minerals.  Among the differences found was the notable increase in the amount of   Secondary Nutrients in organic foods. E.g. Phenolic Compounds…better known as a form of Antioxidant.  The beneficial effects of these nutrients have been well known among Naturopaths & Holistic Practitioners centuries. 

Protein quality is dependent on the range of amino acids in its composition.  Plant proteins may or may not contain certain amino acids that are essential for animal & human nutrition.  Whether they do or not depends largely upon the soil conditions in which the plant is grown.  This plant is dependent upon mineral, trace minerals & trace elements - & their availability is dependent upon microorganisms in the soil.  These essential microorganisms are depleted by as much as 85% in conventionally farmed soils, usually as a result of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides & fungicides.  The protein composition of plants growing in the depleted soil are therefore…inferior…and then fed to the animals that we eat!

Despite the controversy over the nutritional difference between organic & conventionally farmed produce, meats & poultry, one thing is indisputable – organically raised foods should be free of the harmful chemical residues present on commercial farms.  This alone makes them worth the extra time & money they may take to acquire.   

So is organic food better for you? In my opinion, yes. Decreasing one's toxin burden and increasing one's intake of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants can have a significant impact on health, especially when trying to improve or restore health. 

Can people afford it? I'm certain of it. Official household spending statistics in Australia and the UK reveal that the average family spends five times more on junk food, take-away, alcohol, and tobacco than on fruits and vegetables, and five times more on recreation than on fruits and vegetables. To make healthier choices they need encouragement and education. I believe it's a false assumption that advocating organic food will reduce fruit and vegetable consumption due to the higher price. Perhaps people will instead cut down on junk food, take-away, alcohol, and cigarettes. Some even report anecdotally that the better taste of organics facilitates an increase in fruit and vegetable consumption that was hitherto unachievable. 

Chris Ashton of the UK-based Nutritional Cancer Therapy Trust asserts:"Those concerned with the fight against disease know that our bodies are designed to overcome disease processes before they become established. Our systems are readily disrupted by toxins and an absence of sufficient quantities of nutrients." 

Organic foods are a simple way to reduce an individual's toxin burden of pesticides and food additives, increase their nutrient intake, and perhaps alter their consumption patterns away from less healthy choices.  

Organic food isn't a luxury. It's how food's supposed to be, and a valuable part of any regimen intended to maintain, improve, or restore health. 

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!