#BAD11:To eat organic or not?

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Today on the occasion of world food day, I would like to write an article to create awareness for organic food. World food day is the day which focuses the world's attention on food. In association with BAD all the bloggers have united to contribute something about food. We all like eating food and that's why there is no reason why anyone cannot write about food.

Food is the integral part of our life. Like a saying in India " Three things are necessary for a man - Food, clothes and home". But these days due to increase in world population, there is a scarcity of food which will be intense after few years. So, there is a need to take one pledge that we should not waste food as much as possible. However, I am not writing about that topic. In my article, I am focusing on the choice of either eating Organic food or not?

What is organic food?

Lets start with the basics. What do we exactly mean by organic food. Organic products are something that are grown without the use of pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, genetically modified organisms etc. Organic meat, poultry, eggs and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones. However, USDA defines organic as " The food produced by the farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations". Pretty different definition isn't it? Lets stick to our original simple definition for now.

Nowadays, all the stores have both organic and non organic sections. For the vast majority of agricultural history, farming was done organically until 20th century where there were discoveries of synthetic fertilizers for farming. There is a difference between organic farming and natural farming. Apart from the definition of organic food, organic farming practices are designed to conserve soil and water resources. Farmers who grow organic produce and meat don't use conventional methods to fertilize, control weeds or prevent livestock diseases. They use natural fertilizers like manure or compost to feed soil and plants. Because of all these extra care organic products are usually seen to be bit expensive than conventionally grown produce. Also, organic farms are usually smaller than conventional farms and so do not benefit from the economies of scale that larger growers get.

So lets come to the topic and see why we should eat organic food. Many factors influence the decision to choose organic food. Sometimes we select organic food because of the way it is grown. Because of the environmental reasons organic farming practices are designed to benefit the environment by reducing pollution and conserving water and soil quality.

There is no solid reason to claim that organic food is more nutritious than conventional food. But some recently published studies have shown that organic food has higher nutritional value than conventional food. Taste is definitely an individual matter, but many chefs across the world are choosing organic food as they feel that it has superior taste and quality. Since organic food is grown in well balanced soil, it makes sense that these healthy plants, fruits have great taste. Because of these beneficial reasons even doctors are recommending patients to consume organic food in order to heal quickly.

The image below shows some of the food which we should shop organic.

But whether you choose organic food or conventional ones, there are few key points to keep in mind.

• Select variety of food from variety of sources as this will a better mix of nutrients.
• Buying seasonal fruits and vegetables will compel us to eat fresh produce.
• Read food labels carefully as just buying organic food is not enough.
• Wash and scrub fresh fruits and vegetables thoroughly under running water before consumption as this will wash away dirt, bacteria and traces of chemicals from the surface

There is so much to write and explore about organic food but I want to limit my post here. My main intention was to draw some awareness among everyone.

This post is written for Blog action day #BAD11.