The Impact of Organic Food on Health - Essay Example

Argumentative Essay: Organic Vs. Non-Organic Foods Name Institution Professor Course Date Introduction Organic food refers to food produced by means of animal and environmentally friendly farming techniques on organic farms. Organic food involves food produced without using conventional inputs of modern, industrial agriculture: food additives, synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, sewage sludge, irradiation or genetically modified organisms (Carrington & Arnett, 2014). While organic food are grown naturally, non-organic foods are grown using hormones, pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge and genetically modified organisms (Gottwald & Coergen, 2009). Organic food is marketed as being healthy for both the environment and the body. More so, organic food is depicted as natural suggesting a link between the nature and human body as inherently friendly, clean, complete and pure. Organic food is very popular in the contemporary world. However, steering the maze of organic food claims and benefits can be very confounding. Organic foods help in reducing pollution, promote water conservation and encourage soil fertility (Organic Food, 2011). In addition, organic foods hold more nutrients compared to conventional foods and because they hold no pesticides, they help in preventing diseases (Carrington & Arnett, 2014). This essay contends that organic foods are much better than conventional foods because they are healthier, they prevent diseases and they are environmentally friendly. Organic foods are healthier compared to conventional foods. According to Carrington and Arnett (2014), organic foods hold more of antioxidant elements associated with better health in comparison to conventional foods. Finding from several studies have shown that the augmented levels of antioxidants are equal to the five portions of vegetables and fruits recommended to be eaten on daily basis, hence improvement in human nutrition (Carrington & Arnett 2014). As a result, organic foods are meaningful and significant to human health. In addition, organic food reduces the level of toxic pesticides and metals. Organic foods are healthier because they hold fewer pesticides. Pesticides are chemicals used in growing conventional foods and their residue remains on the food put for human consumption. Ouma, Gottwald and Coergen (2009) confirms that organic foods are less likely to hold pesticides residual than conventional foods. Apparently, some pesticides are absorbed in vegetables, fruits, and leave trace residues that can jeopardize the human health. Organic food is safe to consumer because organic standards set stringent guidelines on manure application in organic farming. More importantly, organic foods hold more nutrients compared to conventional foods. According to Rosen (2008), average serving organic plant-based food has approximately twenty-five more nutrients than a conventional serving. Lack of pesticides in organic foods makes them more nutritional than conventional foods. Organic food hold higher levels of zinc, iron and important nutrients that lack in many people’s diet. This is because pesticides’ residual in food affects the nutrition value of conventional foods.. Organic food helps in preventing diseases such as heart disease and cancer. For instance, organic milk contains eighty percent more antioxidants that lower the danger of tumors and other life threatening issues (Derbyshire, 2007). The antioxidants present in organic foods helps in preventing diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer (Derbyshire, 2007). In addition, the antioxidants prevent tissue and cell damage in human body. Organic foods are not prone to disease causing pathogens or contamination. This is because the food is not contaminated with insecticides and pesticides. According to Insel, Ross and McMahon (2009), t food safety experts believe that the major cause of food-borne diseases is pathogenic microorganisms including parasites, viruses and bacteria. Bacteria are present in pesticides used in conventional foods. Given that, organic food is free of pesticides, disease-causing microorganisms are at minimum, hence prevention of diseases. More so, organic food tastes better than conventional foods because it is fresh and does not contain preservatives. Organically grown food is much less likely to have been irradiated. According to Newton (2009), many nutrients are lost during irradiation, particularly vitamins C. E and A. These vitamins help in preventing blood clot, cancer and heart disease. Although irradiated food is not radioactive, irradiation affects food components. It destroys vitamins and proteins that are naturally present in foods such as amino acids. According to Newton (2009), irradiation develops chemicals known as radiolytic products. Some of the radiolytic products are recognized cancer-causing substances. Give that organic food is not exposed to irradiation; it retains the essential nutrients needed in disease prevention. Organic foods are lower in fat. According to Rapitis (2014), health experts state that a diet high in fatty foods leads to stroke, heart disease and obesity. A diet filled with organic food assist to prevent the risk factors associated to these illnesses (Rapitis, 2014). The components of organic foods help to keep weight down, hence prevention of obesity and its complications. Given that organic foods are lower in fat, they keep people of from obesity. Organic foods are environmental friendly. Organic farming entails farming without application of synthetic chemicals. As a result, organic foods do not pose any danger to the underground water and soil like non-organic foods that are grown using tones of pesticides and artificial fertilizers. Through preventing toxic chemicals, organic foods assist in preserving the wildlife. Apparently, farming without pesticides is beneficial to animals, birds and human beings. The natural farming techniques helps in conserving biodiversity as it promotes a natural equilibrium within the environment (Organic Food, 2011). Given that most organic foods are distributed locally, they help in fighting global warming. This is because less energy is utilized for transportation an aspect that lowers emission of green house gases that are a major cause of global warming. Organic food production increases soil fertility and lowers soil erosion. Although organic food is argued to hold higher nutritional value, stimulate the immune systems of its consumers and holds less contaminants and residues such as toxic metals and pesticides, opponents of organic foods maintain that organic food is not healthier than non-organic food. According to Goldstein and Goldstein, 2002), organic foods are not often safer or healthier than non-organic foods. Few synthetic pesticides are permitted in organic production and small residues of these pesticides could find their way in the end-product. Some contamination is also unpreventable given that agricultural chemicals are ever-present in the environment and can flow from non-organic fields to organic fields. Only a slight disparity with respect to phosphorous levels and omega3 fatty acid exists between organic and conventional foods. Although organic foods use fewer pesticides, the permitted pesticides hold the same effect on human health as synthetic pesticides used in non-organic foods. As regards, prevention of diseases, conventional foods are better off than organic foods. In organic food production, animal manure is used as fertilizer. This animal waste may hold risky bacteria that cause illnesses (Goldstein & Goldstein, 2002). Even if the manure may be composted to destroy bacteria, some farmers may fail to follow the right procedure. More so, irradiation is used in production of conventional foods to lower the occurrence of food-borne diseases. Irradiation is viewed as an effective and safe technique for enhancing food safety. According to Marotz (2011), irradiated foods are not radioactive and do not retain radioactivity. The process of irradiation helps in destroying illness-producing microorganisms such as E-coli and salmonella. In addition, the fact that organic foods are grown using manure, there may be a higher danger of bacterial contamination. Therefore, organic foods are not more effective in disease prevention than non-organic foods. As regards, the environment, organic food could be bad for the climate just like the conventional foods. Notably, organic food production requires greater lands than conventional farming. This calls for displacement of wildlife and other natural habitats. According to Harvey (2015), conventional foods that involve biotechnology or GMO and require herbicides to destroy weeds are better for climate than the tilling method because they lower the soils turnover. The claim that non-organic foods could be healthier than organic foods is false. This is because many pesticides are used in the production of non-organic foods. Furthermore, non-organic foods hold increased levels of toxic metals that are detrimental to human health. Unlike organic foods, non-organic foods lack antioxidants that are essential for better health. More so, irradiation of non-organic foods causes loss of nutrients required for a healthy diet. Although irradiation helps in destroying the disease causing microorganisms, many nutrients such as vitamins A, C and E essential in prevention of diseases are destroyed during this process (Marotz, 2011). Synthetic chemicals and pesticides also destroy essential nutrients. As a result, compared to organic foods that are rich in these nutrients essential for disease prevention, non-organic foods does not aid in prevention of diseases. Even though the no-till method used in non-organic food production lowers turnover of soils, non-organic food production is detrimental to the environment (Harvey, 2015). The chemicals and pesticides used in conventional farming methods are discharged in the environment thereby affecting the ecosystem including animals, birds and human beings. More so, the lot of energy needed in transporting non-organic foods leads to the increased emission of greenhouse gases that causes global warming. Conclusion The debate amid the benefits of organic and non-organic foods revolves around the health benefits and effects, and the environmental implications. From the above analysis, organic foods are healthier compared to conventional foods. This is because organic foods hold more nutrients and fewer pesticides. The nutrients contained in organic foods are essential for prevention of diseases such as cancer. Even if irradiation involved in conventional farming helps in keeping foods safer by killing disease-causing microorganisms, a lot of nutrients are lost during this procedure. With respect to the environment, organic foods are better for the environment as they facilitate an increase in soil fertility, reduction of soil erosion and conservation of water. Although there has been a lot of debate whether organic food is better than conventional food, logic imply that human beings are better off without all the chemicals linked to modern farming practices .Therefore, organic foods are much better than conventional foods because they are healthier, they prevent diseases and they are environmentally friendly References Berbyshire, D.(2007). Organic food really is better for you, claims study. Daily Mail. Retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-490255/Organic-food-really- IS-better-claims-study.html. Carrington, D., & Arnett, G.(2014). Clear differences between organic and non-organic food, study finds. The Guardian. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jul/11/organic-food-more- antioxidants-study Goldstein, M., & Goldstein, M.(2002). Controversies in food and nutrition. USA: Greenwood Publishing Group. Harvey, F.(2015). Organic farming not always the best for environment, says government adviser. The Guardian. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jan/07/organic-farming-environment- lord-krebs Lippert, M.(2009). Organic or not? Is organic produce healthier than conventional. Eating Well. Retrieved from http://www.eatingwell.com/food_news_origins/green_sustainable/organic_or_not_is_ organic_produce_healthier_than_conventional. Marotz, L.(2011). Health, safety, and nutrition for the young child. UK: Cengage Learning. Newton, D.(2009). Food chemistry. UK: InfoBase Publishing Organic Food (2011). Environmental benefits of organic food production. Organic Food. Retrieved from http://www.eostreorganics.co.uk/environmental-benefits-of-organic- food-production.html Ouma, G., Gottwald, F., & Boergen, I.(2009). Agrarian science for sustainable resource management in Sub-Saharan. UK: Peter Lang. Rapitis, G. (2014). Go organic: Eating the organic way. SA: AuthorHouse Rosen, J.(2008). Claims of organic food’s nutritional superiority: A critical review. 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