Organic food - Research Paper Example

18 October Benefits of Organic Food Organic food is the solution for health problemsand environmental issues. Obesity is one of the biggest challenges for most of the advanced nations in the present age. As the fast food culture has thrived, there has been a rapid increase in the population of overweight and obese people in general and children in particular over the years. Children nowadays are suffering from diseases like high blood pressure and diabetes that previously used to be found only in aged people.

This can fundamentally be attributed to the reduced intake of the organic food. Health practitioners are educating people to make more use of organic foods to reduce the weight. Fresh fruits and vegetables are rich in fiber content, thus they make an individual feel satisfied longer without having to consume more food. They are rich in many kinds of nutrients and micro-nutrients while the fat content is minimal. Hence, they provide the body with all the energy without making it incur extra weight.

Not only are organic foods healthful for the body because of lack of chemical fertilizers in them, but they also taste better as compared to the processed foods primarily because the organic foods have a short expiry time and are consumed fresh. “The artificial fertilization associated with conventional crops produces lush growth by swelling produce with more water. On a pound-for-pound basis, organic food has more "dry matter" (i.e. food)” (Heaton). Organic farming reduces air, water and soil pollution because no chemicals are used in it.

Thus, organic farming favors the environment. In addition to protecting the environment, lack of use of the chemical fertilizers rich in nitrogen increases the content of such antioxidants as kaempferol and quercetin in the organic vegetables. The content of kaempferol is 97 per cent higher and that of the quercetin is 79 per cent higher in the organic tomatoes (“Health Benefits of Organic”). These antioxidants prevent heart diseases. Fresh juices increase the number of platelets in the body which help counter many kinds of diseases including dengue fever.

In the contemporary age, there has been a lot of emphasis on green living because of such environmental concerns as global warming and sustainable development. Green living involves taking measures to increase the environmental and personal health and safety. Prudent governments are taking measures to encourage both the individual and collective efforts towards the attainment of green lifestyle. For achieving that, consumption of organic foods is a suggestion that is at the fore-front of the to-do-list since it ensures the attainment of better health and safety for the people.

“People are applying the precautionary principle to their own lives by purchasing food that has not been produced by industrial methods. From the simple stance of hazard avoidance, organically produced food is the best option that we have”(Howard cited in Heaton). It is fundamentally people’s belief in the health benefits of the organic food that has caused the 30 per cent expansion in the industry of the organic food between the last 5 to 6 years (“Health Benefits of Organic”). Works Cited:“Health Benefits of Organic Food.” 2011. Web. 18 Oct. 2011. .Heaton, Shane.

“Spreading the Organic Word.” Organic Food News Quarterly. Retrieved from http://www.grinningplanet.com/2005/12-27/health-benefits-of-organic-food-article.htm.