All food used to be organic. It’s really only with the advent of industrialisation and food production for the masses that certain processes have been brought in and, usually for the sake of making more money, have been prioritised over the food quality. Here’s why it’s worth considering buying organic, at least, some of the time.
- Pesticides are used freely on all crops and they extremely toxic (they are meant to kill all bugs, after all!). They have been linked to many serious diseases and illnesses from respiratory problems and nervous system damage to cancer.
- Hormones are used in the dairy and meat industries to increase production and chickens are genetically bred to mature to full size in just 22 days. This is the equivalent to a newborn baby weighing 28 stone at its 3rd birthday!!!
- Antibiotics are routinely used in huge amounts to reduce risk of infection and disease which can spread rapidly due to the living conditions. Antibiotics cause damage to our gut microbiome and gut health and this additional input into our food supply is contributing to bacterial antibiotic resistance.
Organic food usually avoids harsh chemical pesticides, the use of artificial hormones and antibiotics. The animals are also usually raised in better environments.
When should I choose organic?
Ideally we’d all eat organic all the time but expense and availability often won’t allow it. The American EWG (Environmental Working Group) creates a list every year of what to eat and what to avoid in fresh produce. It’s called the Clean 15 (contain low levels of pesticides) and the Dirty Dozen (contain very high levels of pesticides). Other foods that the UK government lists as having high levels are oats, wheat and citrus.
Click here for a printable pocket size guide to the Clean 15 and the Dirty Dozen that you can put on your fridge or take shopping with you.
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Alice Godfrey Nutrition 