By michael - August, 20th 2014

Making a commitment to healthy eating is a great start towards a healthier life. Beyond eating more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and good fats, however, there is the question of food safety, nutrition, and sustainability. How foods are grown or raised can impact both your health and the environment.

Are organic foods healthier, and therefore worth the extra expense? The scientific debate over this issue has raged on for many years now. I believe the answer is clear-cut, at least if you believe that toxic chemicals have the capacity to harm your health…

Organic Foods Have Higher Levels of Important Antioxidants

The largest study to date to examine the nutrient content of organic food has found that it is generally more nutritious than conventionally grown produce. The four-year study led by Professor Carlo Leifert of Newcastle University is known as the Quality Low Input Food Project, and will be released in full over the next 10 months. It found that organic fruits and vegetables contained as much as 40 percent higher levels of antioxidants, which are believed to reduce the risk of heart disease and many cancers. Organics also had higher levels of beneficial minerals such as zinc. And milk from organically-fed herds had antioxidant levels up to 90 percent higher than milk from conventional herds.

Nutrient Content in Food Has Dramatically Declined

Ironically, LA Times noted that “It's not entirely clear to scientists whether the human body can absorb the extra antioxidants in organic foods and put them to use.” To me, this line of reasoning shows a remarkable depth of ignorance, if not outright deception.

The nutrient content of foods has dramatically declined across the board since the introduction of mechanized farming in 1925. For example, as explained by Dr. August Dunning, chief science officer and co-owner of Eco Organics, in order to receive the same amount of iron you used to get from one apple in 1950, by 1998 you had to eat 26 apples!

The Health Hazards of These Pesticide-Producing Plants

Monsanto and the EPA consistently claimed that the genetically engineered Bt corn would only harm insects. The Bt toxin produced inside the plant would be completely destroyed in the human digestive system and would not have any impact at all on consumers, they claimed. These claims have since turned out to be false. In 2011, doctors at Sherbrooke University Hospital in Quebec found Bt-toxin in the blood of:

• 93 percent of pregnant women tested
• 80 percent of umbilical blood in their babies
• 67 percent of non-pregnant women

Now, it appears that there is good evidence that organic food tends to have higher levels of nutrients as well. Make every effort to buy – or, better yet, grow – your own organic food whenever you can.

Please Read this Article at Articles.Mercola.com

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