The organic food or “eco” are nowadays a variant within the possibilities that opens a supermarket, but because of its still controversial benefits and high cost we ask, is it worth putting them in your shopping cart ?
What is an organic food or “eco”
An organic food, also called “eco” or “bio”, is that derived from a production without any toxic chemical. That is, they are foods produced without fertilizers, without pesticides, without antiobiotics or hormones , and in the event that they receive processing, they do not include synthetic additives.
According to the European Regulation, a food is organic when it is produced by combining practices that promote the preservation of natural resourcesand the application of demanding standards on animal welfare . They are products obtained from natural substances and processes in their entirety.
The case of organic processed, can only be called as such those that have a 95% or greater proportion of their agricultural ingredients of ecological origin , otherwise they can not be labeled as “eco” or “bio” foods or carry the logo that identifies to this type of products .
The differences between “eco” and other foods
More and more people are targeting a diet based on organic foods , many of them only for respecting the environment and animals although there are also those who do so under the belief that it is healthier food.
Whatever the reason for your choice , organic foods are usually very different from other foods and then we show their main differences :
They are free of endocrine disruptors
The endocrine disruptors are substances that can disrupt hormones in our body and thereby affect health in different ways.
All these substances are of exogenous origin and many of them derive from industrial processes as well as intensive agriculture that uses different chemicals such as fertilizers, pesticides and others.
Organic foods, to use only natural processes and organic substances in them, are free of endocrine disruptors and therefore, can be “less harmful” to our body than other foods whose production uses different chemicals.
They can be more nutritious
Although it does not always happen in this way, some organic foods can be more nutritious than those produced in the traditional way today, as is the case of organic oranges that concentrate more vitamin C according to a study by the Polytechnic University of Valencia .
Similarly, milk produced in an organic way may have more omega 3 than conventional milk due to the food received by animals, and may also be more concentrated in vitamin E with antioxidant function, as indicated by research published a couple of years ago .
However, not always the foods generated from organic production are more nutritious , but much will depend on the place of origin as well as the ecological practices applied in each particular case, as in a review published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition no nutritional differences were observed between organic and conventional foods.
They are friendly to the environment
By not implementing an intensive agriculture, in which different chemicals are used to produce in a short time more quantity and profitable foods, the ecological foods are friendly with the environment .
They favor the natural cycles of production, watch over the welfare of the animals and have a lower environmental impact by not using chemicals that, among other things, damage land, animal and even human health if it accumulates in our organism or prolongs exposure to the same.
Undoubtedly organic food is more friendly to nature and therefore, help care for the environment and all who live in it.
They have higher cost
The different chemicals that are used in the production of conventional foods, are used with the purpose of increasing profitability first and foremost.
By controlling pests, pesticides reduce losses , fertilizers favor the development of crops and thus accelerate the growth process , while also helping to obtain food on the same land over and over again.
That is, chemists help reduce costs there that organic foods have a price considerably higher than their conventional counterparts and this is perhaps one of the reasons why many are inhibited at the time of purchase.
Is it worth buying organic foods?
If we are only guided by the nutritional quality of a food, we must know that this aspect does not always justify the purchase of organic food .
However, organic foods can influence our health through the lower environmental impact they have and thus, be 100% recommended to add to our table.
Given its high price, it is advisable to select very well what organic foods to buy, giving priority to those like fruits and vegetables that we often consume fresh and therefore it is more likely that they are vehicles of toxic chemicals for our body, or other foods that we usually consume fresh .
An ecological process, by container, transfer and others will always have a greater environmental impact than a fresh organic food, therefore, if we want to make the most of “eco” foods, it is better to opt for those that offer more benefits and thus, not to have a great impact to our pocket.